The majority of the population is Roman Catholic, but a flourishing Protestant mission is based in Praia with a publishing venture in Fogo. In practice, Catholicism is often enriched with African elements. The celebration of saints’ days, for example, may be accompanied by drumming, processionals, masks, and dancing in African styles, particularly on Santiago. Although many Cabo Verdeans can trace Jewish ancestry, virtually none are practicing.

Settlement patterns

The proportion of Cabo Verdeans living in rural areas has declined consistently since the mid-20th century. By the early 2000s the majority of the population was urban and concentrated particularly in the centres of Praia and Mindelo. About one-third of the population is rural, living in small villages and individual households in remote fertile valleys or in coastal towns and villages.

Demographic trends

Cabo Verde’s population growth rate is similar to the world average. Both the birth and death rates of the country are among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, but, when compared with global averages, Cabo Verde’s birth rate is slightly higher and the death rate is slightly lower. The emigration of young males seeking employment abroad and one of the lowest birth rates in sub-Saharan Africa have served to limit Cabo Verde’s population growth. Life expectancy on average exceeds the regional average and is very close to the global average. On the whole, the Cabo Verdean population is relatively young, with more than one-fourth of the population under 15 years of age and roughly the same proportion between the ages of 15 and 29.

The number of diasporic Cabo Verdeans throughout the world has often exceeded the national population. The pattern of out-migration is very old. Many Cabo Verdeans left the islands as a result of the slave trade or to work as seamen on whaling and sealing ships or serve as migrant labourers in either New England (where many attracted by whaling would settle) or the islands of Sao Tome and Principe. During the period of Portuguese colonialism, many Cabo Verdeans served throughout Lusophone Africa as middle-level colonial officials and workers. Many Cabo Verdeans work as merchant mariners or longshoremen in the major diasporic communities in Dakar, Senegal, southeastern New England, Rotterdam, and Lisbon. Some Cabo Verdean women have sought employment as domestic workers in countries such as Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

Agriculture in Cabo Verde is limited by the severe and recurrent droughts that affect the islands. The harsh conditions have long posed serious challenges to agricultural pursuits, resulting in irregular crop output and periodic bouts of large-scale famine. Poor grazing practices for sheep and goats and little effort toward reforestation and water conservation under the centuries of Portuguese colonialism only aggravated this poor ecological condition. The postcolonial governments have made a major effort to plant drought-resistant acacia trees and build dikes, retaining dams, and terracing in order to curb intense water erosion, improve water retention in the subsoil, and improve and expand the limited areas available for subsistence and small-scale commercial farming.

Crops grown for local consumption include corn (maize), sugarcane, castor beans, broad beans, potatoes, and peanuts (groundnuts). There is a heavy reliance on imported foodstuffs, however, and the importation of food has long been an absolute necessity. Although Cabo Verde’s fishing capabilities are not fully exploited, fish is important for both domestic consumption and export, and both tuna and lobster are caught.

Use of firewood as a source of fuel has placed a strain on Cabo Verde’s woodland resources. While the use of wood fuel continued to increase in the late 20th century, the level of forested area on the islands was simultaneously on the increase because of governmental reforestation efforts. At the beginning of the 21st century, about one-fifth of Cabo Verde was forested.

Resources and power

Cabo Verde has few natural resources. Supplies of sand, limestone, puzzolane (a cement or plaster additive), and salt are of some commercial and utilitarian value. The very limited water supply is a grave liability, and there are no domestic sources of energy except firewood, wind, and sunlight. The country on the whole relies on imported petroleum fuel; on the local level, most domestic energy needs are met by the use of firewood, although the resulting demand placed upon these resources poses an environmental threat. Experimental approaches toward energy supply are under investigation, and the potential of Cabo Verde’s renewable energy resources has been recognized.

Manufacturing

Only a few small-scale industries exist in Cabo Verde. These include sewing, textiles, ceramics, mining, timber, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Tuna fish canning takes place in some areas, and the processing of frozen seafood such as lobster has been profitable.

Finance

Banco de Cabo Verde is the central bank and issues the Cabo Verdean currency, the escudo. There are several foreign banks and a stock exchange. The privatization in the late 1990s of a number of financial enterprises, such as banking and insurance institutions, accompanied a broader initiative to privatize state holdings in other economic sectors that was already under way.