Îles du Cap-Vert

Interesting Facts About Îles du Cap-Vert

• Cape Verde is an archipelago of ten volcanic islands located 600-850 kilometres west of continental Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean
• The country is part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, shared with the Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Savage Islands
• Cape Verdeans are descendants of Africans and Europeans of various origins, with some communities tracing Jewish ancestry from North Africa
• Almost twice as many Cape Verdeans live abroad as in the country itself, with the largest overseas population of 500,000 in the United States
• The largest Cape Verdean community in any American city is in Brockton, Massachusetts, with Cape Verdean migration to Massachusetts beginning in the 1840s
• The official language is Portuguese, but Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu) is the mother tongue of virtually all Cape Verdeans and is used colloquially
• Roman Catholics make up just under 80 percent of the population, while many Cape Verdeans syncretize Christianity with indigenous African beliefs and customs
• A substantial body of literature exists in Cape Verdean Creole, with distinct forms developing in Santiago and São Vicente

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