Western Africa · CPV
Cabo Verde
The story · 8 chapters
How it was drawn
Ten uninhabited Atlantic islands settled by Portugal in the fifteenth century, a slave trade hub raided by Portugal's rivals, a colony of droughts and emigration, independent since 1975.
Play the story Take the first lessonThrough the ages
Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states Cabo Verde fought or stood against, from the first to today.
During the Anglo-Spanish War, Francis Drake's fleet raids Santiago in November 1585 and burns Ribeira Grande and nearby settlements, then possessions of the Spanish crown.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the French corsair Jacques Cassard sacks Ribeira Grande in 1712. The old capital never recovers, and Praia replaces it officially in 1770.
- Portugal (Estado Novo)1956 to 1975
The PAIGC, founded by Amílcar Cabral, fights Portuguese rule in Guinea-Bissau from 1963, with many Cape Verdean leaders. Cabral is assassinated in Conakry in January 1973. After Portugal's 1974 revolution, Cape Verde becomes independent in July 1975.
- Guinea-Bissau1980 to 1981
The two countries are meant to unite under the PAIGC, but João Bernardo Vieira's coup in Bissau in November 1980 ends the plan. Cape Verde's branch breaks away and becomes a separate party, the PAICV, in 1981.
Today
Cabo Verde now
The Portuguese discovered and colonized the uninhabited islands of Cabo Verde in the 15th century; Cabo Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. The fusing of European and various African cultural traditions is reflected in Cabo Verde’s Crioulo language, music, and pano textiles.
- Capital
- Praia
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Head of government
- Francisco Carvalho
- Head of state
- José Maria Neves
- Languages
- Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese
- Area
- 4,030 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population522,3002023 · 185,000 in 1950
- Life expectancy76.1 years2023 · 44.9 years in 1950
- GDP per person$7,2022022 · $1,006 in 1950
- Living in cities78%2025 · 7% in 1950
- Literacy89%2024 · 23% in 1950
- Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- Military spending0.7% of GDP2025
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- Portugal
- United States
- China
- Brazil
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.