The Republic of Cape Verde , off the coast of West Africa , consists of a group of ten islands and five islets.

The islands of Cape Verde are divided into two groups: Boa Vista, Sal, Santo Antao, Santa Luzia, Sao Nicolau, and Sao Vicente (Windward group), and Brava, Fogo, Maio, and Santiago (Leeward group).

Praia, on Santiago Island , is the capital. Mindelo, on the island of Sao Vicente is the second largest city.

The terrain of the islands ranges from dry plains to active volcanoes.
The climate of Cape Verde is temperate.
The population of Cape Verde was estimated at 420,979 in 2006.

Portuguese is the official language. Most of the people speak Crioulo, or Creole, an African/Portuguese dialect.

The majority of the people are Roman Catholic; there are a small percentage of Protestants.

The islands of Cape Verde are divided into two groups: Boa Vista, Sal, Santo Antao, Santa Luzia, Sao Nicolau, and Sao Vicente (Windward group), and Brava, Fogo, Maio, and Santiago (Leeward group).

The islands are mountainous, except for Boa Vista, Sal, and Maio.

The highest point in Cape Verde is on Fogo: Pico do Cano (2,829m), an active volcano.

Nine of the islands are inhabited but Santa Luzia is uninhabited.

Cape Verde was uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived in 1456 and made the islands part of the Portuguese empire. Due to its location off the coast of Africa, Cape Verde became an important watering station, then sugar cane plantation site, and later a major center of the slave trade.

In 1975, the islands achieved independence, partly due to the efforts of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. After independence, the PAIGC attempted to unite Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau into one nation, the PAIGC controlling both governments, but a coup in the latter nation in 1980 ended these plans. In Cape Verde itself the PAICV governed until democratic elections, held in 1991, resulted in a change of government. The Movimento para a Democracia won that election. The MPD was re-elected in 1996. The PAICV returned to power in 2001, and were re-elected in 2006.