16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
Religions
Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Languages
Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 73.84 (2008 est.), 81.235 (2007), 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004)
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.400%
0.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
3
Location
Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Area
4,033 km sq
1,964,375 km sq
Coastline
965 km
9,330 km
Climate
temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
