Cape Verde is a country consisting of 10 islands located in the Atlantic ocean. The islands are a short 354 miles off of the western coast of Africa. The country gained its independence from Portugal in 1975 and has a population of 567,000 people. With its current population, Cape Verde is the 165th largest country in the world. While Verde means green in Portuguese, Cape Verde has very little green locations due to its lack of rainfall.
The islands that make up Cape Verde were uninhabited until the 15th century when Portuguese settlers colonized the land. Due to its location in the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Verde played a prominent role in the Atlantic slave trade. Once the slave trade began to die down in the 19th century, Cape Verde started to experience troubling economic times. The Portuguese refuse to put much money into the islands, which cause the people to become tired of their leaders. This irritation hit its highest in 1975 when Amilcar Cabral led a revolution that achieved independence from Portugal for Cape Verde. The country still contains a very stable democratic government, and has experience great economic growth in the last few years.
A vast majority of the population in Cape Verde is Creole. The Creole population, which is a mix of African and European, was formed when the European settlers started to have children with the African slaves. Over 90 percent of the people in Cape Verde are Christian, and almost all of the Christians are Roman Catholics. The official language of the country is Portuguese, but many also speak a local Creole language.
A visit to one of the 10 main islands visitors will find the list of Cape Verde things to do almost limitless. From fishing adventures to Manta diving on the island of Sal, or a underwater submarine adventure to overland island excursions there is definitely something for everyone.
The climate is one of the main reasons why tourism is so popular in Cape Verde. The country features a mild climate with very little rainfall. Temperatures in the area between January and June will be around 70 degrees for a high. The high temperatures from July to December will be around 80 degrees, so there is not much variance in the temperatures throughout the year. Rainfall is very unlikely for the area, and it is not uncommon for Cape Verde to only receive 5 inches of rain for the year.
Tourism continues to increase as more more Cape Verde property is used to build resorts and hotels throughout the area. Beautiful beaches and practically no crime are two great reason to visit Cape Verde. On top of the normal beach activities, windsurfing is also very prominent in Cape Verde. The wonderful culture and people are another reason to visit. If you are visiting Cape Verde, then experiencing all of the local spots is a must. It is not hard to find a soccer match or a group of people playing music. Many engaging people will be having a great time at either event, and they have no problem celebrating with the tourists. There is no better why to experience a country than with the locals, and it will be hard to find a place that has locals that embrace tourists more than Cape Verde. Still looking for more information? Checkout mydestination.com/capeverde
