n and cocaine entering the US market
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CAPE VERDE

@Cape Verde:Geography

Location: Western Africa, group of Islands in the North Atlantic
Ocean, west of Senegal

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 24 00 W

Map references: World

Area:
total: 4,030 sq km
land: 4,030 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 965 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
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 m
highest point : Pico 2,829 m

Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, pozzuolana (a siliceous volcanic
ash used to produce hydraulic cement), limestone, kaolin, fish

Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops : 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 83% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 sq km (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:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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

@Cape Verde:People

Population: 393,943 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 91,409; female 89,810)
15-64 years: 48% (male 87,868; female 100,948)
65 years and over: 6% (male 9,594; female 14,214) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.54% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 35.45 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -12.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years