Cape Verde - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Cape Verde. Strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), and Madeira (Portugal). Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 40 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Geographical data of Cape Verde
Location Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
Geographic coordinates 16 00 N, 24 00 W
Map references Africa
Tarrain steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Natural Resources salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum
Natural Hazards prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active

volcanism: Fogo (2,829 m), which last erupted in 1995, is Cabo Verde's only active volcano
Irrigated Land 35 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 965 km
Climate temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic
Area
Total Area
Land Area 4,033 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than Rhode Island
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Mt. Fogo (a volcano on Fogo Island) 2,829 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 19.6% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 12.4% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Forest 12.4% (2023 est.)
Other 68% (2023 est.)
Population Distribution

Among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable; islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled; the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations; approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia; Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population, as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Cape Verde, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Creole (Mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Population
Pop growth rate 1.12% (2025 est.)
Birth rate 17.51 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2 beds/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Total fertility rate 2.08 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.02 (2025 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Est married women (ages 15-49) 45% (2021 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures
Net Migration rate -0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Nationality Cabo Verdean | Cabo Verdean(s)
Languages Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a Portuguese-based creole language with two main dialects)
Religions Roman Catholic 72.5%, Protestant 4% (includes Adventist 1.9%, Nazarene 1.8%, Assembly of God 0.2%, God is Love 0.1%), Christian Rationalism 1.7%, Muslim 1.3%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, Church of Jesus Christ 1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 1.2%, none 15.6%, no response 0.4% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 26.4% (male 80,973/female 80,129)
15-64 years 67.2% (male 201,084/female 209,676)
65 years and over 6.4% (2024 est.) (male 15,049/female 24,103)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 48.8 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio 39.2 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio 9.5 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio 10.5 (2024 est.)
Median Age
Total 29.3 years (2025 est.)
Male 27.9 years
Female 29.6 years
Urbanization
Urban population 68% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 168,000 PRAIA (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.62 male(s)/female
Total population 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 21.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
Male 26.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 18.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 74.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 72 years
Female 76.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 93.2% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: rural rural: 82.9% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total total: 89.9% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban urban: 6.8% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural rural: 17.1% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total total: 10.1% of population (2022 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 95.6% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: rural rural: 77.8% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total total: 89.8% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban urban: 4.4% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural rural: 22.2% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total total: 10.2% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 4.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 2.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 1.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 9.8% (2025 est.)
Male 15.3% (2025 est.)
Female 4.5% (2025 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 1.8% (2018)
Women married by age 18 8.4% (2018)
Men married by age 18 1.5% (2018)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Cape Verde

Want to know more about Cape Verde? Check all different factbooks for Cape Verde below.

Cape Verde is found in Western Africa