Home > Geography of Cape Verde
This article describes the geography of Cape Verde.The Cape Verde Islands are located in the mid-Atlantic Ocean some 620 kilometers (385 mi.) off the west coast of Africa. The archipelago consists of 10 islands and 5 islets, divided into the windward (Barlavento) and leeward (Sotavento) groups. The six islands in the Barlavento group are Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau , Sal, and Boa Vista. The islands in the Sotavento group are Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. All but Santa Luzia are inhabited.
Three islands--Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio--generally are level and lack natural water supplies. Mountains higher than 1,280 meters (4,200 ft.) are found on Santiago, Fogo, Santo Antão, and São Nicolau.
Sand carried by high winds has caused erosion on all islands, especially the windward ones. Sheer, jagged cliffs rise from the sea on several of the mountainous islands. The lack of natural vegetation in the uplands and coast also contributes to soil erosion. Only the interior valleys support natural vegetation.
Rainfall is irregular, historically causing periodic droughts and famines. The average precipitation per year in Praia is 24 centimeters (9.5 in.). During the winter, storms blowing from the Sahara sometimes form dense dust clouds that obscure the sun; however, sunny days are the norm year round.
The ocean near Cape Verde is an area of tropical cyclone formation; since these storms have the whole Atlantic to develop as they move westward, they are among the most intense hurricanes, and are called Cape Verde-type hurricanes.
- Location:
- Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of SenegalThe Republic of Senegal is a country in western Africa south of Senegal River. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Gambia forms a virtual enclave w
- Geographic coordinates:
- 16° 00′ N, 24° 00′ W
- Map references:
- World
- Area:
- Total: 4,033 km²Square kilometre (symbol km is an SI unit of surface area. It is one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to: the area of a square measuring 1 kilometre on each side 1 000 000 m² 100 hectares 0. 386 102 square miles (statute) 247. 105 381 acres Convers
- Land: 4,033 km²
- Water: 0 km²
- Area - comparative:
- Slightly larger than Rhode Island
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 965 km
- Maritime claims:
- Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
- Contiguous zone: 24 nmA nautical mile is a unit of distance, or, as physical scientists like to call it, length. It is widely used around the world for maritime and aviation purposes. The international nautical mile is defined as exactly 1,852 metres. This definition was adopt
- Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 12 nm
- Climate:
- Temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
- Terrain:
- Steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
- Elevation extremes:
- Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mFor other uses of "metre" and "meter", see Metre (disambiguation). The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Systeme International d'Unites). It is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in absolute vacu
- Highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)
- Natural resources:
- SaltFor other meanings of the word salt see salt (disambiguation In chemistry, a salt is a composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. They are typically the product of a chemi, basaltBasalt is an extrusive igneous rock, sometimes porphyritic, and is often both fine-grained and dense. Basalt in the tops of subaerial lava flows and cinders will often be highly vesiculated, imparting a lightweight "frothy" texture to the rock. The term b rock, pozzuolana (a siliceous volcanic ash used to produce hydraulic cement), limestoneshale overlaid by limestone. Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed of mineral calcite (calcium carbonate). The primary source of this calcite is usually marine organisms. These organisms secrete shells that settle out of t, kaolin, fish
- Land use:
- Arable land: 11%
- Permanent crops: 0%
- Permanent pastures: 6%
- Forests and woodland: 0%
- Other: 83% (1993 est.)
- Irrigated land:
- 30 km² (1993 est.)
- Natural hazards:
- Prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active
- Environment - current issues:
- Overgrazing of livestock and improper land use such as the cultivation of crops on steep slopes has led to soil erosion; demand for wood used as fuel has resulted in deforestation; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; overfishing
- Environment - international agreements:
- Geography - note:
- Strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site
See also: Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Volcanoes of Cape Verde
Cape Verde, Geography of
Cape Verde, Geography of
