Demographics of Cape Verde
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited when the Portuguese discovered it in 1456. African slaves were brought to the islands to work on Portuguese plantations. As a result, Cape Verdeans are mestiços, who have mixed African and European origins. European ancestors also include Spanish and Italian seamen who were granted land by the Portuguese Empire, followed by Portuguese settlers, exiles, and Portuguese Jews who were victims of the Inquisition. Many foreigners from other parts of the world settled Cape Verde as their permanent country. Most of them were Dutch, French, British (English), Arab and Jewish (from Lebanon and Morocco), Chinese (especially from Macau), American, and Brazilian (including people of Portuguese and African descent). All of these have been absorbed into the mestiço population. Survival in a country with few natural resources has historically induced Cape Verdeans to emigrate. In fact, of the more than 1 million people of Cape Verdean ancestry in the world, only a little more than one-third actually live on the islands. Some 500,000 people of Cape Verdean ancestry live in the United States, mainly in New England. Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Senegal. Cape Verdean populations also settled Spain, Germany, Canada, and other CPLP countries (Angola, Brazil and Guinea-Bissau).
Although the official language is Portuguese, most Cape Verdeans speak Cape Verdean Creole (Crioulo in Portuguese, Kriolu or Kriol in Cape Verdean Creole). There is a rich repertoire of literature and songs in Creole. In religion, the majority follow Roman Catholic Christianity. There are also some Protestants, Bahá'ís and Muslims.
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[edit] Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook
[edit] Population
- 420,979 (July 2006 est.)
[edit] Age structure
- 0-14 years: 37.9% (male 80,594/female 79,126)
- 15-64 years: 55.3% (male 113,450/female 119,423)
- 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 10,542/female 17,844) (2006 est.)
[edit] Median age
- Total: 19.8 years
- Male: 19 years
- Female: 20.7 years (2006 est.)
[edit] Population growth rate
- 0.64% (2006 est.)
[edit] Birth rate
- 24.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
[edit] Death rate
- 6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
[edit] Net migration rate
- -11.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
[edit] Sex ratio
- At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
- Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
[edit] Infant mortality rate
- Total: 46.52 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 51.63 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 41.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
[edit] Life expectancy at birth
- Total population: 70.73 years
- Male: 67.41 years
- Female: 74.15 years (2006 est.)
[edit] Total fertility rate
- 3.38 children born/woman (2006 est.)
[edit] HIV/AIDS
- Adult prevalence rate: 0.035% (2001 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: 775 (2001)
- Deaths: 225 (as of 2001)
[edit] Nationality
- Noun: Cape Verdean(s)
- Adjective: Cape Verdean
[edit] Religions
- Roman Catholic; Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene), Buddhist 0.2%
[edit] Languages
- Portuguese, Creole
[edit] Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 76.6%
- Male: 85.8%
- Female: 69.2% (2003 est.)
[edit] References
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
