For tourist information covering all of Cape Verde keep reading below or select one of these links:

General Information
Getting There
Visas
Climate
Health
Personal safety
Insurance
Money
Email, Internet, Telephones and Post
Accommodation
Electricity
Public Transport
Food and Drink
Public Holidays and Festivals
Dos and Don’ts
Language
Things to Do and See

General Information

• The Republic of Cape Verde islands are located 500km off the coast of West Africa in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of 10 main islands plus 8 islets.
• Discovered by the Portuguese in 1460, they named the islands Cabo Verde after Cap Vert (Green Cape) in Senegal.
• Before the Portuguese arrival Cape Verde was uninhabited. Today only Santa Lucia and some islets are uninhabited.
• Cape Verde gained independence in 1975 after a long war.
• Cape Verde has many endemic species including Alexander’s Swift, the Raso Lark, the Cape Verde Warbler and the Cape Verde Giant Gekko.
• Cape Verde inhabitants are a genetic mix of African and European. Africans were originally brought to Cape Verde as slaves. Many native Cape Verdeans now live overseas, particularly in the USA When the slave trade tied and Cape Verdes economy faltered many Cape Verdeans left the islands to find work elsewhere and never returned.
• Tourism is now the main growth industry on Cape Verde.
• 90% of the Cape Verde population is Catholic. Protestant, Buddhist and Muslim religions are also present.
• The Capital city is Praia on the main island of Santiago.
• The population of Cape Verde is around 480,000
• Mount Fogo is an active volcano on Fogo island. It is 2,829 metres high. The last eruption was 1995, no-one was killed.

Cape Verde Diving Special Offers