one: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic

Terrain:

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)

Natural resources:

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

Land use:

arable land: 11.41%
permanent crops: 0.74%
other: 87.85% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.3 cu km (1990)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%)
per capita: 39 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust;
volcanically and seismically active

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel;
water shortages; desertification; environmental damage has
threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand
extraction; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major
north-south sea routes; important communications station; important
sea and air refueling site

People
Cape Verde

Population:

426,998 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 36.1% (male 77,533/female 76,489)
15-64 years: 57.4% (male 120,208/female 125,009)
65 years and over: 6.5% (male 10,226/female 17,533) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.6 years
male: 19.9 years
female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.595% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-11.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 42.55 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 48.66 de