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Welcome To Cape Verde
Country number
108
Selected MR Agencies

An Introduction to Cape Verde

The Republic of Cape Verde stretches across an archipelago of ten islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The islands were uninhabited until Portugese discovery and colonisation in the 15th Century, and subsequently became an important part of the slave trade due to their advantageous position in the Atlantic. Prosperous, they soon attracted pirates and corsairs including Sir Francis Drake, who twice sacked the islands in the 1580s. In the 19th Century the islands fell in to an economic crisis, with few natural resources and little support from the Portuguese. Cape Verde finally gained its independence in 1975. See full country profile.

Latest Research News from Africa

Feb 6
Ipsos has appointed Ziad Issa as the new Media CEO in the MENA region, succeeding Elie Aoun who has decided to step down after 32 years at the company. Feb 6 2024
Jan 16
Insight and communities firm Verve has announced eighteen promotions across its locations in London, Manchester, Sydney, Iasi (Romania) and Johannesburg, including the appointment of Kim Howard as Semiotics Research Director. Jan 16 2024


1 current African job:

Survey Research Manager, Remote Working - Worldwide, $ Competitive salary - (posted Feb 27 2024)
Know of an MR agency based in Cape Verde? We don't - please get in touch


Fast Facts
Map of Cape Verde
CAPITAL: Praia
GOVERNMENT: republic
AREA: 4,033 sq km
POPULATION: 516,100 (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: Portuguese; Recognised Regional Language: Cape Verdean Creole
Fishermans hut in Cape Verde
Fishermans hut in Cape Verde


Room for improvement Cape Verde has entered the Summer Olympics since 1996, but it has never won a medal - in fact it has not come particularly close with its best ever result in any discipline being 48th place in the Men's Marathon in Beijing 2008.

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Cape Verde in Profile

The Republic of Cape Verde stretches across an archipelago of ten islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The islands were uninhabited until Portugese discovery and colonisation in the 15th Century, and subsequently became an important part of the slave trade due to their advantageous position in the Atlantic. Prosperous, they soon attracted pirates and corsairs including Sir Francis Drake, who twice sacked the islands in the 1580s. In the 19th Century the islands fell in to an economic crisis, with few natural resources and little support from the Portuguese. Cape Verde finally gained its independence in 1975.

Politically, the country operates a very stable democracy and although 20% of its population live below the poverty line it has been classified as a 'Developing Nation' since 2007. Tough economic times in the 1970s and 1980s led to mass migration and the number of Cape Verdeans and their descendants living abroad currently exceeds the population of Cape Verde itself. An economy based on services, with a growing focus on tourism, benefits from the islands' warm climate throughout the year.

Some Business and General Info

GDP: $1.908 billion (2010 est.) - $3,800 per capita (2010 est.)

Religions Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)

Currency: Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) - GBP 1 = CVE 125

Telephone Code: +238

Research Industry

None as far as we're aware...

Overview of Trade and Industry

Since 1991, the government has pursued market-oriented economic policies, including an open welcome to foreign investors and a far-reaching privatization programme. Among its main priorities are the development of transport, communications, and energy facilities. From 1994 to 2000 about $407 million in foreign investments were made or planned, of which 58% were in tourism; and expatriate Cape Verdeans contribute an estimated 20% of GDP through remittances.

A wind farm built over 4 islands in 2011 supplies about 25% of the country's electricity and puts it near the top of the world league for renewable energy.

Exports worth $97.7m in 20102 included fuel, shoes, garments, fish and hides, and major export partners were Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Imports far outweighed them at $791.5m, with a focus on food, industrial products, transport equipment and fuel and key partners Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, China, Italy and Brazil.

My view
from...
Cape Verde
Researchers Talk!
Have your say!
If you are a researcher based in Cape Verde, in whatever capacity, then we would love to hear from you!

Email me:
laurence@mrweb.com

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