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Background: The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.
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Common Name: Cape Verde
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Local Official Name: Cabo Verde
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Cape Verde
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Official Name: Republica de Cabo Verde
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Official Script Name: Cape Verde
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Local Common Name: Cape Verde
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Former Name: Cape Verde
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Pedro PIRES
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Government Type: republic
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Independence: 1975 July 5 (from Portugal)
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Constitution: new constitution came into force 1992 September 25 (underwent a major revision on 1995 November 23, substantially increasing the powers of the president; a 1999 revision created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 5 July
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International Organization Participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 17 districts (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Calheta, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Nicolau, Sao Filipe, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: derived from the legal system of Portugal
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Suffrage: 18 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22 March 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 12 February 2006 (next to be held February 2011); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
election results: Pedro PIRES reelected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8%
Legislative Branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 52.3%, MPD 44%, UCID 2.7%; seats by party - PAICV 41, MPD 29, ADM 2
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia
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Party Leaders: African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES, chairman]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO, president]; Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Isaias RODRIGUES, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president]
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International Disputes: NA
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Illicit Drugs: used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs moving from Latin America and Asia destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
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Location of Cape Verde: Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
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Continent: Africa
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Land Area Total: 4,033 sq km
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Region: Western African |
Land Area Land: 4,033 sq km
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Capitol City: Praia
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current: UTC -1
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Latitude: 016 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 024 00 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 965 km
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Arable Land: 11.41 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.74 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,829 m
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Location: Mt. Fogo
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Atlantic Ocean
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Largest City in Cape Verde: Praia
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Praia Largest City Population: 76,000
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Threatened Species: 8
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Environmental Issues: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 30
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Bordering Countries: NA
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Natural Resources: salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum
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Geographical Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
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Comparative Area of Cape Verde: slightly larger than Rhode Island
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Cape Verde's Geography: strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Cape Verde.
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General Climate: temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
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Natural Hazards: soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing
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Economic Overview: This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for 66% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of agriculture in GDP in 2004 was only 12%, of which fishing accounted for 1.5%. About 82% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program.
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GDP: $2,990,000,000 USD
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Currency: Cape Verdean escudo
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GDP per Capita: $6,200 USD
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Currency Code: CVE
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.50 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% CVE
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003), 117.168 (2002), 123.228 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 12.10 %
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GDP of Industry: 21.90 %
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GDP of Services: 66.00 % |
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Inflation Rate: 1.80 % |
Population in Poverty: 30.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 21.00 %
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Tourism: 44,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $328,100,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $393,100,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 44,150,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 41,060,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $325,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $136,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish
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Primary Industries: food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair
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Industrial Growth Rate: 0.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $500,000,000 USD - foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels
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Import Partners: Portugal 42.1%, US 12.4%, Netherlands 8.4%, Spain 5.3%, Italy 4.2%, Brazil 4.1%
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Export Amount in USD: $73,350,000 USD - fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides
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Export Partners: Portugal 59%, US 17.1%, UK 11.3%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 0
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Labor Force by Occupations: NA
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 22 |
Number of People with Radios: 100,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 1 |
Number of People with Televisions: 15,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 73,400 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 65,800 |
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Internet Service Providers: 155 |
Internet Users: 25,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .cv |
Newspapers: 0 |
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Two Letter Country Code: CV |
Weights and Measures: metric |
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Phone Country Code: 238 |
Electricity Voltage: 220 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995
domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT); fiber optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998
international: country code - 238; 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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Highways: 932 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 6 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 40 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 121,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 4.20 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,719 GRT/7,482 DWT
by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 3
foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1)
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Ports and Harbors: Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal
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Population: 420,979 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 24.87 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 104.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 6.55 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.64% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 3.38 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 80,594 |
Population Female 0-14: 79,126 |
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Population Male 15-64: 113,450 |
Population Female 15-64: 119,423 |
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Population Male 65+: 10,542 |
Population Female 65+: 17,844 |
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Population 0-14: 37.90% |
Literacy Rate: 76.60% |
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Population 15-64: 55.30% |
Literacy rate of Males: 85.80% |
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Population 65+: 6.70% |
Literacy rate of Females: 69.20% |
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Population that is Male: 51.50
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Population that is Female: 48.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 70.73 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 46.52 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 67.41 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 74.15 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.04%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 775
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 225 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -11.91
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Nationality: CAPE VERDEAN
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Ethnic Groups: Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
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Primary Language: Portuguese
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Other Languages: Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs); Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
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Branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: NA years
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Manpower Available: 171,951 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 138,976 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $7,180,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.70
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Cape Verde Spa and Resort Directory
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Cape Verde Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Cape Verde Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Cape Verde City Information Game Earn Real Money
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