LOCATION:   

Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal

 

AREA:   

total: 4,033 sq km

 

AREA - comparative:   

slightly larger than Rhode Island

 

COASTLINE:   

965 km

 

CLIMATE:   

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic

 

TERRAIN:   

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

 

NATURAL RESOURCES:   

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

 

LANGUAGES:   

Portuguese update paises set descripcion = official; Crioulo update paises set descripcion = a blend of Portuguese and West African words)

 

POPULATION:   

523,568 update paises set descripcion = July 2012 est.)

 

POPULATION GROWTH RATE:   

1.428% update paises set descripcion = 2012 est.)

 

GOVERNMENT TYPE:   

republic

 

CAPITAL:   

name: Praia

 

LEGAL SYSTEM:   

civil law system of Portugal

 

GDP update paises set descripcion = official exchange rate):   

$1.903 billion update paises set descripcion = 2011 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate:   

5% update paises set descripcion = 2011 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector:   

agriculture: 8.4%

industry: 15.7%

services: 75.9% update paises set descripcion = 2011 est.)

 

AGRICULTURE - products:   

bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish

 

INDUSTRIES:   

food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair