Cape Verde (2001) | West Bank (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | 14 districts (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal; note - there may be a new administrative structure of 16 districts (Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Nicolau, Sao Filipe, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal) | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
42.79% (male 87,458; female 85,895) 15-64 years: 50.76% (male 97,812; female 107,834) 65 years and over: 6.45% (male 10,204; female 15,960) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish | olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 8 (2000) | 3 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2000) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
Area | total:
4,033 sq km land: 4,033 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 5,860 sq km
land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Rhode Island | slightly smaller than Delaware |
Background | The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; they subsequently became a trading center for African slaves. Most Cape Verdeans descend from both groups. Independence was achieved in 1975. | The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provided that Israel would retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. Israel and the PA agreed in February 2005 to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. |
Birth rate | 28.71 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$188 million expenditures: $228 million, including capital expenditures of $116 million (1996) |
revenues: $964 million
expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2004) |
Capital | Praia | - |
Climate | temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic | temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters |
Coastline | 965 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | new constitution came into force 25 September 1992; underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president | - |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Cape Verde conventional short form: Cape Verde local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde local short form: Cabo Verde |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank |
Currency | Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) | - |
Death rate | 7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $260 million (2000) | $0; note - includes Gaza Strip (2002) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael D. METELITS embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo 81, Praia mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia telephone: [238] 61 56 16 FAX: [238] 61 13 55 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Ferdinand Amilcar Spencer LOPES chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820 FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207 consulate(s) general: Boston |
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Disputes - international | none | West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region |
Economic aid - recipient | $111.3 million (1995) | $1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004 est.) |
Economy - overview | Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for almost 70% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of agriculture in GDP in 1998 was only 13%, of which fishing accounts for 1.5%. About 90% 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 constitute a supplement to GDP of more than 20%. Economic reforms, launched by the new democratic government in 1991, are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Prospects for 2001 depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program. | The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities, due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally, stymied growth. |
Electricity - consumption | 37.2 million kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production | 40 million kWh (1999) | NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island) |
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m |
Environment - current issues | overgrazing of livestock and improper land use such as the cultivation of crops on steep slopes has led to soil erosion; demand for wood used as fuel has resulted in deforestation; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; overfishing | adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1% | Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% |
Exchange rates | Cape Verdean escudos per US dollar - 123.080 (December 2000), 115.877 (2000), 102.700 (1999), 98.158 (1998), 93.177 (1997), 82.591 (1996) | new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Pedro PIRES (since 22 March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 1991) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 11 and 25 February 2001 (next to be held NA February 2006); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president election results: Pedro PIRES elected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 49.43%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 49.42%; note: the election was won by only twelve votes |
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Exports | $40 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) |
Exports - commodities | fuel, shoes, garments, fish, bananas, hides | olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone |
Exports - partners | Portugal, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Malaysia | Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three horizontal bands of light blue (top, double width), white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third), and light blue; a circle of 10 yellow five-pointed stars is centered on the hoist end of the red stripe and extends into the upper and lower blue bands | - |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $670 million (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
13% industry: 19% services: 68% (1998) |
agriculture: 9%
industry: 28% services: 63% note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 6% (2000 est.) | 6.2% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 16 00 N, 24 00 W | 32 00 N, 35 15 E |
Geography - note | strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site | landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) |
Highways | total:
1,100 km paved: 858 km unpaved: 242 km (1996) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs moving from Latin America and Africa destined for Western Europe | - |
Imports | $250 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels | food, consumer goods, construction materials |
Imports - partners | Portugal, Netherlands, France, UK, Spain, US | Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) |
Independence | 5 July 1975 (from Portugal) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair | generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers |
Infant mortality rate | 53.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 19.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (2000) | 7% (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 1,500 to 2,000 hectares (1999) | 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia | - |
Labor force | NA | 614,000 (April-June 2005) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture: 18.4%
industry: 24% services: 57.6% (April-June 2005) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km |
Land use | arable land:
11% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 0% other: 83% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 16.9%
permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001) |
Languages | Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words) | Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) |
Legal system | derived from the legal system of Portugal | - |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA December 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 47.3%, MPD 39.8%, ADM 6%, other 6.9%; seats by party - PAICV 40, MPD 30, ADM 2 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population:
69.21 years male: 65.93 years female: 72.6 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 73.27 years
male: 71.5 years female: 75.15 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 71.6% male: 81.4% female: 63.8% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal | Middle East, west of Jordan |
Map references | World | Middle East |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,523 GRT/11,798 DWT ships by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
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Military branches | Army, Coast Guard/Marines | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $4 million (FY96) | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.8% (FY96) | NA |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
89,543 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
50,615 (2001 est.) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 5 July (1975) | - |
Nationality | noun:
Cape Verdean(s) adjective: Cape Verdean |
noun: NA
adjective: NA |
Natural hazards | prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active | droughts |
Natural resources | salt, basalt rock, pozzuolana (a siliceous volcanic ash used to produce hydraulic cement), limestone, kaolin, fish | arable land |
Net migration rate | -12.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Jacinto SANTOS, president]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Antonio Gualberto do ROSARIO, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Dr. Oresimo SILVEIRA, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president]; Union for an Independent Democratic Cape Verde or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO, president] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
Population | 405,163 (July 2001 est.) | 2,460,492
note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 46% including Gaza Strip (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.92% (2001 est.) | 3.06% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 11 (and 14 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Radios | 73,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs); Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene) | Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
Telephone system | general assessment:
effective system, being improved domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine fiber-optic cable system which was scheduled for completion in 1998 international: 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 45,644 (2000) | 357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 19,729 (1997) | 1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 8 (2005) |
Terrain | steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic | mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east |
Total fertility rate | 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 24% (1999 est.) | 19.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (January-September 2005) |
Waterways | none | - |