Cape Verde

Introduction:

Cape Verde was not so poor as that of Guines Bissau though both of them were colonies of Portugal. In the list of gnp per capita (atlas) method (est. 2003) the rank of Cape Verde was 124 and its gnp per capita was 1,490 $, where as that of Guinea Bissau was 202 and its gnp per capita was140 i.e. 10 times less than CapeVerde. Located off the coast of Senegal, 450 kms from the west coast of Africa,the Cape Verde islands acieved political indepence from Portugal in 1975 ( Guinea Bissau got Independence in 1974) .The archipelago was uninhabited prior to the 1460s.

There is now a single ethnolinguistic groupdescended fromboth Africans and Europeanswhose 90 % cosider them as catholics.

After achieving independence from Portugal in 1975, Cape verde was governed for 16 years under Marxist ,one party rule by the African Party for Independenceof Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde( PAIGC), now known as African Party for independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). In 1991, in the country's first democratic elections the Marxist political and economic system was replaced by the party , Movement for Democracy (MPD) who won a landslide victory. This party held administration for two successive terms.

History:

Fishermen drag a small boat up the

shore in Sao Pedro Bay,Cape Verde,

in Sep. 8, 2000.