Cape Verde (Portuguese. These are Sal, Boa Vista and Maio. The islands with the. Espargos is the capital of Sal where the airport is and Santa Maria is the. Boa Vista (Portuguese meaning “good view”), also written as Boavista, is a desert-like island that belongs to the Cape Verde Islands. The archipelago contains 10.

• Summer () not observed (-1) right Cape Verde ( ) or Cabo Verde (, ) (: Cabo Verde, pronounced ), officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an spanning an of 10 in the central. Located 570 kilometres (350 mi) west of the in, the islands cover a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi). The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when explorers discovered and the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics.

Ideally located for the, the islands grew prosperous throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants,, and. The end of slavery in the 19th century led to economic decline and emigration. Cape Verde gradually recovered as an important commercial center and stopover for shipping routes. Incorporated as an overseas department of Portugal in 1951, the islands continued to agitate for independence, which was peacefully achieved in 1975.

Since the early 1990s, Cape Verde has been a stable, and remains one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. Lacking natural resources, its developing economy is mostly service-oriented, with a growing focus on tourism and foreign investment. Its population of around 512,000 is mostly of mixed European, North African/Berber, Moorish, and African heritage, and predominantly Roman Catholic, reflecting the legacy of Portuguese rule. A exists across the world, slightly outnumbering inhabitants on the islands. Historically, the name 'Cape Verde' has been used in English for the archipelago and, since independence in 1975, for the country.

In 2013, the Cape Verdean government determined that the Portuguese designation Cabo Verde would henceforth be used for official purposes, such as at the, even in English contexts. Cape Verde is a member of the.

Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Etymology [ ] The name of the country stems from the nearby, on the coast. In 1444 Portuguese explorers had named that landmark as Cabo Verde, a few years before they discovered the islands ( Verde is for 'green'). On 24 October 2013, the country's delegation announced at the United Nations that the official name should no longer be translated into other languages.

Instead of 'Cape Verde', the designation 'Republic of Cabo Verde' is to be used. A view of from In the 16th century, the archipelago prospered from the. Pirates occasionally attacked the Portuguese settlements.

Sir, an English corsair under a granted by the English crown, twice sacked the (then) capital in 1585 when it was a part of the. After a French attack in 1712, the town declined in importance relative to nearby, which became the capital in 1770.

Decline in the slave trade in the 19th century resulted in an economic crisis. Cape Verde's early prosperity slowly vanished. However, the islands' position astride mid-Atlantic shipping lanes made Cape Verde an ideal location for re-supplying ships.

Recover My Files 3.89. Because of its excellent harbour, the city of, located on the island of, became an important commercial centre during the 19th century. Diplomat visited Cape Verde in 1832. Grain ship Garthpool, wrecked at Boavista, Cape Verde, in 1928 With few natural resources and inadequate sustainable investment from the Portuguese, the citizens grew increasingly discontented with the colonial masters, who nevertheless refused to provide the local authorities with more autonomy. In 1951, Portugal changed Cape Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in an attempt to blunt growing. In 1956, and a group of fellow Cape Verdeans and Guineans organised (in ) the clandestine (PAIGC). It demanded improvement in economic, social and political conditions in Cape Verde and Portuguese Guinea and formed the basis of the two nations' independence movement.

Moving its headquarters to, Guinea in 1960, the PAIGC began an armed rebellion against Portugal in 1961. Acts of sabotage eventually grew into a that pitted 10,000 -supported PAIGC soldiers against 35,000 Portuguese and African troops.

By 1972, the PAIGC controlled much of Portuguese Guinea despite the presence of the Portuguese troops, but the organization did not attempt to disrupt Portuguese control in Cape Verde. Portuguese Guinea declared independence in 1973 and was granted independence in 1974. A budding independence movement — originally led by, assassinated in 1973 — passed on to his half-brother and culminated in independence for the archipelago in 1975. Independence (1975) [ ]. On a stamp of the former Following the, the PAIGC became an active political movement in Cape Verde. In December 1974, the PAIGC and Portugal signed an agreement providing for a transitional government composed of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans.