Cape Verde

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Cabo Verde

Capital

Praia

Government

Republic

Nationality

Cape Verdean

Population

405,000

Languages

Portuguese, Kabuverdianu

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Currency

Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE)

Calling Code

+238

Time Zone

UTC-1

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Introduction

Port

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In the days of slave trading, Cape Verde received its first occupants: West African slaves brought over to do the Portuguese colonists' dirty work. It also became a significant strategical stopping-point for America-bound slave ships from West Africa. Though the slave trade has long since come to an end, Cape Verde remains an important midway port. An increasing number of tourists, however, are discovering the joys that Cape Verde itself offers.

Cape Verdeans are descendant of Portuguese and African lines and both cultures infuse the islands' lively but relaxed way of life. The balance between late-night parties at the bars and clubs in Mindelo, and the day time activities of hiking or diving to enjoy Cape Verde's natural beauty is what makes the archipelago such an enthralling destination.

Brief History

Geography

Regions/Islands

Cape Verde consists of 10 islands and a handful of small islets.

The northern island group (Barlavento) consists of the following islands.

• Santo Antão
• São Vicente
• Santa Luzia
• São Nicolau
• Sal
• Boa Vista

The southern island group (Sotavento) is made up of the remaining islands.

• Maio
• Santiago
• Fogo
• Brava

Cities

• Praia is the capital located on the island of Santiago
• Mindelo
• Cidade Velha (Ribeira Grande)
• Espargos

Sights and Activities

Mountains and Beaches

The main reason for visiting Cape Verde is to see the spectacular natural scenery:

• White sand beaches on the island of Sal.
• Imposing volcanic peaks on Sao Nicolau and Fogo. Fogo is the highest point at over 2800 meters above sea level. The last eruption of this volcano dates back to 1995 but you have to be really unlucky to witness another one while ascending to the top, possible in several hours. Bring a guide!
• Verdant hillside and jungle on Santiago.

Watersports

Conditions in Cape Verde are excellent for a variety of watersports, particularly Sailing and Windsurfing. Most watersports activities are based on the island of Sal.

Portuguese Architecture

A Portuguese colony for nearly 500 years, the islands are home to a number of significant historic sites. These are in clearest evidence at the Cidade Velha, a site which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and located on the island of Santiago, where some 17th century buildings remain. From here you can go up a steep hill to Fortaleza Real de São Filipe.

Other sights and activities

• Brava Island - good island for hiking and beaches on the west side of the island. Densely populated but pure Cape Verde!
• Mindelo

Events and Festivals

• Mardi Gras - Carnival in the Cape Verde way, every February

Weather

Cape Verde has a very pleasant climate, with warm and sunny conditions year round. It is mostly dry throughout the year as well, except for the short August to October 'rainy' season. Note that much of the islands, especially the flatter ones like Sal, can be a little windy, but that's sometimes good for watersports. Temperatures are mainly in the 25 °C to 30 °C range during the day and nights are warm at 19 °C to 23 °C. May to November is slightly warmer than the December to March period.

Getting There

By Plane

TACV Cabo Verde Airlines is the national airline of Cape Verde and is based at Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) at the island of Sal and at Praia International Airport (RAI) near the capital Praia on Santiago Island. Connections to Banjul, Boston, Dakar, Fortaleza, Lisbon and London are served from Praia. From Sal, there are considerably more cities in Europe served with several dozens of airlines. Destinations include London, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome and Helsinki.

By Boat

Although completely surrounded by water, there are no official passenger services to and from the islands, as distances to the mainland are still large and flying is usually the better option, being not more pricey than it would be travelling over sea.

Getting Around

By Plane

TACV Cabo Verde Airlines provides flights between the islands like Mindelo and Sal. Brava has no services though.

By Car

The best islands to rent a car are Santiago, Boa Vista and Fogo as they are a bit larger. Still, it can also be pleasant on the other smaller islands if you want to be independent. As some roads might be a bit bumpy, a 4wd is recommended, but an ordinary saloon car is possible as well. Both international as well as local agencies have rental cars.

By Bus

The only public transport is by so-called aluguers which basically are minibuses where you can hop on or off wherever you like. Taxis are only good value within the main cities and towns and between airports and your place to stay.

By Boat

With such an extensive system of internal flights (although a bit pricey), taking a boat is only for the enthusiasts.
Although if you want to go to Brava you will need to get a ferry, which takes about 3 hours from Fogo. STM Lines and the Moura Company are the main carriers. For detailed information about routes and schedules you can check this ferry website.

Red Tape

Only people from most West African countries (ECOWAS countries), Angola and South Africa don't need a visa. People without a Cape Verde embassy or consulate in their country can get one upon arrival. Others need to apply beforehand. It's about $20 for a single-entry visa and $40 for a multiple-entry visa.

Money

See also Money Matters

The national currency is the Cape Verde Escudo (CVE) = 100 centavos. It comes in notes in denominations of CVE5,000, 2,000, 1,000 and 500 and coins in denominations of CVE200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1.

Work

Study

Language

See also Portuguese

The official language is Portugese.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Health

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to the Cape Verde Islands is:238
To make an international call from the Cape Verde Islands, the code is: 00

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