COUNTRY PROFILE

Cape Verde Flag, Capital and Country Facts

Cape Verde, internationally known as Cabo Verde, is an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa. Its volcanic islands have very different heights and landscapes: some are mountainous, others comparatively flat and dry. The capital Praia is located on Santiago. The name of the state and the blue flag therefore lead to a country whose spatial connection is mainly due to the sea.

Test your knowledge →

Cape Verde Flag: Meaning & Country Facts · supplied learning collection

Cape Verde at a glance

Capital: Praia
Quiz continent: Africa
Languages in reference record: Portuguese as an official language; Cape Verde Creole in several island variants
Currency: Cape Verde-Escudo (CVE)
Population: 527,326 (2025, World Bank)
Area: 4,033 km²
Coastal setting: Not landlocked
ISO codes: CV / CPV
Internet country suffix: .cv

Highest mountain: Pico do Fogo, 2,829 m
Independence: 5 July 1975
National holiday: 5 July
Capital Islands: Santiago
Main Islands: Ten
Historical place name: Ribeira Grande for Cidade Velha

Cape Verde Flag: Design, Meaning and History

The flag shows a large blue background, which is traversed below the center by a white-red-white stripe. To the left of the center is a ring of ten yellow five-pointed stars. The stripes do not form five equally wide color fields: the upper blue field is significantly higher than the lower one.

The ten stars represent the ten main islands of the archipelago. Blue is associated with sea and sky, white with peace and red with the common construction of the country. This design, which has been used since 1992, is fundamentally different from the former flag, which was more closely linked to the joint anti-colonial project with Guinea-Bissau.

Capital: Praia

Praia is located on the south coast of Santiago, the largest island in the state. The name means “beach” in Portuguese, but the capital is more than a coastal town: it bundles national administration, port functions and economic services. Its older city centre, located on a plateau, is an important reference point in urban geography.

West of Praia lies Cidade Velha, formerly called Ribeira Grande. This historic settlement was an early colonial hub, but is not the current capital. Its old town has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2009. The comparison shows how political centers can shift while an older place retains its historical significance.

Practise this capital →

Cape Verde: Geography, History and Culture

The islands are of volcanic origin and belong to the Atlantic island region of Macaronesia. The Pico do Fogo reaches 2,829 meters and rises on the island of the same name. Mountain relief affects precipitation and settlement possibilities. Within a small island state, significant differences between dry coastal sections and higher-lying landscapes arise.

The islands became part of the Portuguese colonial network in the Atlantic; slave trade and plantation farming belong to the history of Ribeira Grande. In 1975, Cape Verde became independent. Portuguese remained an official language, while Cape Verde Creole languages are particularly important for everyday life and cultural expressions. The distinction between official and everyday language describes the country more accurately than a single language.

Water scarcity and fluctuating rain limit agriculture. Transport links between the islands and the large diaspora are therefore just as important topics as tourism and fishing. The scattered location makes some services more difficult, but opens up connections along Atlantic routes. The sea area between the islands is thus not a mere interspace, but part of the economic and social connection.

Cidade Velha,

The historic center of Ribeira Grande became a World Heritage Site in 2009. Church ruins, streets and fortifications are reminiscent of early Portuguese expansion and the Atlantic slave trade.