Geography

With a total land area of 4,033 km Cape Verde is one of the five Atlantic Archipelagos of the Macaronésia. The others are Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Savage Isles. ). Of volcanic origin and positioned between parallels 15 and 17 of the North latitude, Cape Verde islands are distinctly different types. Situated 620km (385mi) west of West Africa's coast at Mauritania , Senegal , and Gambia .

There are 10 major islands (9 of them inhabited) and 5 islets, all of volcanic origin and grouped into the Barlavento (Windward) group (Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, Ilheu Branco, Ilheu Raso, São Nicolau, Sal and Boa Vista) to the north and the Sotavento (Leeward) group (Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava) to the south. The interior of the main island, Santiago , is mountainous, and Fogo has the islands' highest peak, Mt Fogo (2840m/9320ft). Fogo was rocked by a volcanic eruption in 1995; there have been seven such eruptions since 1760. Many of the islands are arid and hilly, and cultivation of the hillsides has caused widespread soil erosion. Santo Antão has the highest rainfall and tends to be much greener than the other islands.

Common plants in the islands include rhododendrons, the fire tree, dragon tree, marmulano, corn plant and the Florida Beauty dracaena. Among the islands' most colorful fauna are its coral and fish, especially in the waters around Sal, where you'll see parrot fish, barracuda and moray eels. You might also spot blue and humpback whales, the narrow-snouted dolphin, harbor porpoise and loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles. The Raza Island lark, Cape Verde petrel, brown booby, frigate bird, tropic bird and Cape Verde warbler are among the birds winging around the archipelago. Creepy crawlies include the Cape Verde skink and the giant Cape Verde gecko. Cape Verde has the coolest temperatures of any country in West Africa . Daily highs range from 20°C (68°F) to around 29°C (84°F) from August to October, when there can also be rainstorms. Due to ocean currents, the sea is also considerably chillier than along the West African coast.

Agriculture

In the more humid areas, agriculture is based on the cultivation of corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes and manioc. In the past the cultivation of sugar cane, coffee, pine nuts and Angola weed, amongst others, basically meant for export and which did in fact play an important part in the commercial balance of the Archipelago. Banana continues to be a product for exportation.

Flora and Fauna

The natural vegetation was practically destroyed to make way for cultivation fields, thus only in the highest areas those species are still to be found. There are still some rare species such as the "Dragoeiro", in S. Nicolau , and which is considered today one of the symbols of the country. The wild life is not abundant and mainly consists of birds, of which there are about 75 different species distributed throughout all islands.

Sea- scape

One of Cape Verde 's main riches is the sea, due to its very abundant maritime fauna, the underwater platforms and the purity and temperature of the water that varies between 21° to 25°. Among the many permanent species of fish there is the dory, the sawfish, the victor fish, the moray and the grouper. There are also many migratory species such as the tuna, dolphins, whales, sperm whales and killer whales. But it is for its abundant and varied shellfish that the seas of Cape Verde are often visited.

Lobster, various kinds of crabs and shellfish with magnificent shells, together with the coral are the delight of any collector. Turtles that are considered an endangered species all over the world, choose the beaches of the Archipelago for laying their eggs, and Cape Verde is considered the preferred habitat of diverse types of this species.

Climate

Because it is situated in a zone where the Northeast winds predominate and increase intensity untill the month of July, Cape Verde has a milder climate than those neighbouring countries located on the same latitude. The rainy season is during August, September and October, and from year to year and island to island the rainfall is quite unpredictable. However, this does not prevent Cape Verde from enjoying Summer all year round. The East winds blowing from the African continent is extremely warm and usually arrives during January and February. The climate is tropical and dry. The standard temperature remains around 25° and the changes do not exceed the 10° due to the influence from the ocean. In the sea the temperatures stay between the low of 21° in February and March and the high of 25° in September and October.