3 GeoFroggy

Country Name

Conventional long form: Republic of Cabo Verde

Conventional short form: Cabo Verde

Local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde

Local short form: Cabo Verde

Etymology: the name derives from Cap-Vert (Green Cape) on the Senegalese coast, the westernmost point of Africa and the nearest mainland to the islands

Administrative Divisions

22 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Porto Novo, Praia, Ribeira Brava, Ribeira Grande, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina do Fogo, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Lourenco dos Orgaos, Sao Miguel, Sao Salvador do Mundo, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal, Tarrafal de Sao Nicolau

Independence

5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 5 July (1975)

Constitution

Previous 1981; latest effective 25 September 1992; revised 1995, 1999, 2010 (2016)

Legal System

civil law system of Portugal

International Law Organization Participation

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: no

Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cabo Verde

Dual citizenship recognized: yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Jorge Carlos FONSECA (since 9 September 2011)

Head of government: Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e SILVA (since 22 April 2016)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

Elections:

Election results: percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 23%, other 3%

Legislative Branch

Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

Elections: last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021)

Election results: percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - MPD 40, PAICV 29, UCID 3

Judicial Branch

Highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 7 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and administrative sections)

Judge selection and term of office: judge appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Superior Judicial Council (SJC), a 16-member independent body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general, 8 private citizens, 2 judges, 2 prosecutors, the senior legal inspector of the Attorney General's office, and a representative of the Ministry of Justice; chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court of Justice and in consultation with the SJC; judges appointed for life

Subordinate courts: appeals courts, first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts

Political Parties and Leaders

Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Other: environmentalists; political pressure groups

Flag Description

Five unequal horizontal bands; the top-most band of blue - equal to one half the width of the flag - is followed by three bands of white, red, and white, each equal to 1/12 of the width, and a bottom stripe of blue equal to one quarter of the flag width; a circle of 10, yellow, five-pointed stars is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the length of the flag from the hoist side; blue stands for the sea and the sky, the circle of stars represents the 10 major islands united into a nation, the stripes symbolize the road to formation of the country through peace (white) and effort (red)

National Symbols

Ten, five-pointed, yellow stars; national colors: blue, white, red, yellow

National Anthem

Lyrics:

Note: adopted 1996

: undefined

Year

Government Type

  • Parliamentary republic

Capital

  • Name
    Praia
  • Geographic Coordinates
    14 55 N, 23 31 W
  • Time Difference
    UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Jose Luis Fialho ROCHA (since 14 July 2014)
  • Chancery
    3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 965-6820
  • FAX
    [1] (202) 965-1207
  • Consulate(s) General
    Boston

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Donald L. HEFLIN (since 29 January 2015)
  • Embassy
    Rua Abilio Macedo 6, Praia
  • Mailing Address
    C. P. 201, Praia
  • Telephone
    [238] 2-60-89-00
  • FAX
    [238] 2-61-13-55

International Organization Participation

  • ACP
  • AfDB
  • AOSIS
  • AU
  • CD
  • CPLP
  • ECOWAS
  • FAO
  • G-77
  • IAEA
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICCt (signatory)
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • IMO
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • IOM
  • IPU
  • ITSO
  • ITU
  • ITUC (NGOs)
  • MIGA
  • NAM
  • OIF
  • OPCW
  • UN
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UNIDO
  • Union Latina
  • UNWTO
  • UPU
  • WCO
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WTO