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Cape
Verde
(/ˈvɜːrd(i)/
(About
this
soundlisten))
or
Cabo
Verde
(/ˌkɑːboʊ
ˈvɜːrdeɪ/
(About
this
soundlisten),
/ˌkæb-/)
(Portuguese:
Cabo
Verde,
pronounced
[ˈkabu
ˈveɾdɨ]),
officially
the
Republic
of
Cabo
Verde,[9]
is
an
island
country
spanning
an
archipelago
of
10
volcanic
islands
in
the
central
Atlantic
Ocean.
It
forms
part
of
the
Macaronesia
ecoregion,
along
with
the
Azores,
Canary
Islands,
Madeira,
and
the
Savage
Isles.
In
ancient
times
these
islands
were
referred
to
as
"the
Islands
of
the
Blessed"
or
the
"Fortunate
Isles".
Located
570
kilometres
(350
mi)
west
of
the
Cape
Verde
Peninsula
off
the
coast
of
Northwest
Africa,
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
Portuguese
explorers
discovered
and
colonized
the
islands,
establishing
the
first
European
settlement
in
the
tropics.
Ideally
located
for
the
Atlantic
slave
trade,
the
islands
grew
prosperous
throughout
the
16th
and
17th
centuries,
attracting
merchants,
privateers,
and
pirates.
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
campaign
for
independence,
which
was
peacefully
achieved
in
1975.
Since
the
early
1990s,
Cape
Verde
has
been
a
stable
representative
democracy,
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
540,000
is
mostly
of
mixed
European,
Moorish,
Arab
and
African
heritage,
and
predominantly
Roman
Catholic,
reflecting
the
legacy
of
Portuguese
rule.
A
sizeable
diaspora
community
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
United
Nations,
even
in
English
contexts.
Cape
Verde
is
a
member
of
the
African
Union.
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