History of Cape Verde

Portuguese Cape Verde, 1462–1975 Draft, not yet reviewed

Portuguese Cape Verde was a colony of the Portuguese Empire from the initial settlement of the Cape Verde islands in 1462 until 1975, when independence was granted by Portugal. In 1462, the Portuguese founded the town of Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha) on the south coast of Santiago. Slavery was abolished in Cape Verde in 1876. On 5 July 1975, at Praia, Portugal's Prime Minister Vasco Gonçalves turned over power to National Assembly President Abílio Duarte, and Cape Verde became independent.

Seat of power: Cidade Velha

Cape Verde, 1975 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Cape Verde, also referred to in English by its Portuguese name Cabo Verde, and known officially as the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an archipelagic country in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of West Africa. It consists of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi). The archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers settled the islands, establishing one of the first European settlements in the tropics. Cape Verde became independent in 1975.

Seat of power: Praia

Rulers

• Aristides Pereira, President of Cape Verde, 1975–1991
• Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro, President of Cape Verde, 1991–2001
• Pedro Pires, President of Cape Verde, 2001–2011
• Jorge Carlos Fonseca, President of Cape Verde, 2011–2021
• José Maria Neves, President of Cape Verde, 2021 to today