Cape Verde
Table of Contents: Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Climate / Holidays / Travel to Cape Verde, visa requirements Flights to Cape Verde, airtickets By boat / Get around By plane 2 By boat 2 By taxi / Talk / Shopping, Cape Verde souvenirs / Costs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Learn / Work / Stay safe / Stay healthy / Respect / Contact More from West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo More from Africa: Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Saharan Africa, Seychelles, Southern Africa, West Africa |
Cape Verde (Portuguese: Cabo Verde) is a country in West Africa. It comprises a group of islands of the Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal.
Regions
Cape Verde is formed by 10 main islands and about 8 islets. The main islands are:
Cities
- Praia – the capital, on Santiago
- Mindelo – port city on São Vicente, probably the country's liveliest
- Cidade Velha (Ribeira Grande) – A World Heritage Site on Santiago
- Espargos is the capital of Sal where the airport is and Santa Maria is the main tourist area at the south of the island
Other destinations
- The Island of Fogo volcano - The country's highest point (2,829 m)
Culture and History
Cape Verde (pop. 480.000) is located 500 km from the west coast of Africa. The once uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; they subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and re-supply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Independence was achieved in 1975.
Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.
Climate
Cape Verde’s climate is temperate, with a warm, dry summer. Precipitation is meager and very erratic.
Holidays
The national holiday is the 5th of July, Independence Day.
Travel to Cape Verde, visa requirements
Flights to Cape Verde, airtickets
International flights land at the island of Sal, 110 miles (170 km) northeast of the capital.
There are regular flights from Amsterdam, Boston (weekly), Fortaleza (Brazil) (weekly), Lisbon (daily), Madrid, Milan, Munich and Oporto operated by TACV.
Cape Verde is also serviced by Air Senegal (from Dakar), SAA (from South Africa) and TAP airlines.
As of November 06 you can fly direct to Santa Maria on Sal from London Gatwick and Manchester on Astraeus and also with Thomson Holidays
By boat
There are only infrequent, expensive connections to the mainland.
Get around
Timetables in Cape Verde are not to be taken too seriously - don't be too surprised if that boat departs ahead of schedule or if that flight suddenly gets postponed until tomorrow. This is important to consider if you decide to do some island-hopping. Do not risk missing your flight home by being too optimistic regarding domestic transport between the islands.
Flights to Cape Verde, airtickets
TACV Cabo Verde airlines has regular flights between the majority of the islands. If you can afford to wait until you arrive, domestic tickets are cheaper if purchased in Cape Verde.
By boat
There are ferry services between the islands. Depending on the distance between the islands you are going from and to, flying can be significantly shorter but also significantly more expensive.
By taxi
Nice, new taxis are available in the major cities and are metered. Aluguers, which are usually either open back pickup trucks with bench seats or 15 passenger Toyota vans, tend to travel between more rural destinations, particularly on Santa Antao.
Talk
The official language is Portuguese. Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words) is widely spoken. Because of Cape Verde's proximity to Francophone Africa, French is the number one foreign language but is still not widely spoken.
Shopping, Cape Verde souvenirs
Costs
Good restaurants and cheap meals
- Lagostada – a lobster dish
- Cachupa - delicious bean dish, often served for breakfast
- Tosta mista - common toasted ham and cheese sandwich
European food is common on all the islands. Italian is especially popular on Sal. Not very many options for vegetarians
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Learn
Work
Stay safe
Crime rates are relatively low. The emergency number is 132.
Stay healthy
The tap water is all desalinated and is perfectly good for anyone to drink.
Respect
Contact
The telephone system is effective and improving. There is mobile phone coverage. The country also has one internet service provider.
More from West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo More from Africa: Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Saharan Africa, Seychelles, Southern Africa, West Africa |
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