Location: Western Africa, in the southeastern North Atlantic Ocean, 500 km west of Senegal in Western Africa

Map references: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 4,030 sq km
land area: 4,030 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 965 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: temperate; warm, dry, summer; precipitation very erratic

Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish

Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 85%

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
natural hazards: subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active
international agreements: party to - Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note: strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site

NOTE: The information regarding Cape Verde on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cape Verde Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cape Verde Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.