Useful Information

POPULATION: Cape Verde has 418,224 inhabitants (2005, latest figures) and they range in ethnicity from white to black: 71% are Creole (mixed race), 1% are European and 28% are African. More than half the population lives on Santiago island while the only other big population centre is Mindelo on Sao Vicente.

CAPITAL: Praia, on Santiago island.

RELIGION: Roman Catholic with a small percentage of Protestant.

TIME: Local time is GMT -1.

ELECTRICITY: Electrical current is 220 volts, 50 Hz. Round, European two-pin sockets. 

LANGUAGE: The official language is Portuguese, taught in secondary schools and used for formal occasion. Creole is the informal, spoken language that everyone understands. Some English and French are widely spoken.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND OPENING HOURS: Everything is closed on Sundays and during public holidays. Shops tend to close early on Fridays. Opening hours tend to be: Monday to Friday 8.00/8.30 to 12.00/12.30 and 14.00/14.30 to 18.00/18.30; Saturday is 8.30 to 12.00. Restaurants open in the evening: around 19.00 to 23.00. Nightclubs don't really start until midnight.

Public Holidays

1 January            New Year                           20 January             National Heroes Day

1 May                 Labour Day                          5 July                   Indipendence Day

15 August           Our Lady of Grace               12 September         Nationality Day

1 November         All Saints Day                     25 December         Christmas Day

Mardi Gras and Good Friday are also national holidays.

Festivals

Most festivals occur in summer and are generally link to Catholic saints' days. They often start with church services and then continue with processions, eating of specially prepared foods, music and dancing.

COMMUNICATIONS:

Telephone: The international telephone code for Cape Verde is +238. The outgoing code is 0 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 044 for the United Kingdom). 

Post Office and CV Telecom offices have telephone booths where you can make calls and pay afterwards. This is the cheapest way. Post offices also sell telephone cards (choose from 750$ or 1,000$) to use from public telephones but this can be disappointing with so many phones out of order.

Of course, you can make calls from your hotel bedroom, if your hotel falls in the mid-top-range category. Mobile phones can be used throughout the islands. Coverage is variable, but generally good in towns.

Post Office: You should have no problems if you wish to transfer money, make phone calls, send and receive faxes and often make photocopies. Opening times vary a lot but Monday to Friday 8.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 18.00 is usually the norm. Postal facilities are reliable to the more important islands but can be slow to the others. Deliveries to European destinations normally take weeks.

Internet: Major hotels offer laptop connections. Privately-run internet cafe' can be found in all the capital islands and in the centre of the main towns. Connections are generally pretty fast. Public access is available at the offices of Cabo Verde Telecom.

Radio and TV: A free press is guaranteed by law and is generally respected. However most of the media is state-run, but private press is on the increase and there are a growing number of private broadcasters.

The most popular newspapers are 'A Semana', 'Expresso das Ilhas' and 'Jornal Horizonte'.

Television is provided by Televisao National De Cabo Verde (TNCV) and it is state-run. Sometimes it broadcasts English-language films. However, a wide range of satellite channels is now available.

There are a few private radio stations. Voice of America, BBC, Portuguese and English versions, are rebroadcast on FM radio. Radio stations include state-run Radio Nacional De Cabo Verde, as well as Radio Nova (Catholic station) in Sao Vicente, Radio Comercial in Praia (Private) and Praia FM (Private).

CRIME:  Although Cape Verde remains a peaceful place with a very low incidence of crime, petty thievery and burglary are increasing as a direct consequence of tourism, especially in crowds, such as market places, festivals, and celebrations.

In particularly, tourists regularly fall victim to bag-snatching street children and aggressive begging.

MUSIC & DANCE: Music is a very important part in the life of every Cape Verdean. It is a mixture of African, European and more recently Latin. Music is everywhere on the islands: in every town, in restaurants, in local cafes, in people's homes.

Different types of Music

-   Morna  The internationally famous morna, believed to have originated on Boavista in the mid 19th century, is the most European form of music. Lyrics are usually sung in Creole where the singer is accompanied  by clarinet, violin, guitar and cavaquinho (similar to ukelele) and themes include those of love and lust, patriotism and tragedy. Morna has produced an international superstar in Cesária Evora, who sells tons of albums and is particularly popular in France. Morna also spread to Sao Vicente, and composers like B. Leza and Manuel de Novas became popular. Other famous morna artists include: Ildo Lobo, Celina Pereira, Bana, Djosinha.

-   Coladera  The coladera is a  processional dance performed on festival days on Sao Vicente and Santo Antao. It has evolved in the last few decades in a more light-hearted and danceable genre, with sensual rhythms and singing. Performers include: Manuel de Novas, Frank Cavaquim, Djosa Marques and Os Tubaroes.

-   Funana  More powerful rhythms come from the funana. This musical form evocative of Africa is an accordion-based genre that originated in Santiago, it is energetic, fast, joyful and sensual. Prior to independence, funana was criticized by colonial authorities, who considered it African. Since independence, however, bands like Bulimundo adapted the music for pop audiences and Finaçon, who combined funana and coladera into a fusion called funacola.

-   Other types of Music  Batuko dancing and tabanka, originated in Santiago, are other musical forms suggestive of Africa. Mazurka, imported from Europe and given a new twist, is particularly popular on Santo Antao and Sao Nicolau. Its dancing rhythm expresses warmth and joy.

To sample and experience some traditional Cape Verdian music, please click here.