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96-455: Cape Verde (formally, the Republic of Cabo Verde ) is a group of arid Atlantic islands which are home to distinct communities of plants, birds, and reptiles. The Cape Verde Islands are located in the mid-Atlantic Ocean some 450 km (280 mi) off the west coast of the continent of Africa. The landscape varies from dry plains to high active volcanoes with cliffs rising steeply from

192-419: A fence , but fog collectors are not confined just to this structural style. The efficiency of the fog collector is based on the net material, the size of the holes and filament, and chemical coating. Fog collectors can harvest from 2% up to 10% of the moisture in the air, depending on their efficiency. An ideal location is a high altitude arid area near cold offshore currents, where fog is common, and therefore,

288-626: A lot of rain and southwestern slopes do not. This is because they are umbria areas, situated in the north hillsides or slopes of the mountainous areas, oriented behind the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere , in the shadyside orographic . So the amount of solar radiation that it receive is much lower than it would if it had without the island's relief which intercepts much of the sunlight. In terms of botanical ecology, these umbria areas are identified as being cool and moist. The current north of

384-580: A number of international organizations. It also participates in most international conferences on economic and political issues. Since 2007, Cape Verde has a special partnership status with the EU , under the Cotonou Agreement , and might apply for special membership , in particular because the Cape Verdean escudo , the country's currency, is indexed to the euro . In 2011 Cape Verde ratified

480-407: A pipeline to be sent down the mountain into the town. Though this was not in the scope of CONAF, which pulled out at this point, it was agreed to expand the collection facility to 94 nylon mesh collectors with a reserve tank and piping in order to supply the 300 inhabitants of Chungungo with water. The IDRC reports that ten years later in 2002, only nine of the devices remained and the system overall

576-569: A successful operation to put an end to a drug trafficking group which smuggled cocaine from Colombia to the Netherlands and Germany using the country as a reorder point. The operation took more than three years, being a secret operation during the first two years, and ended in 2010. In 2016, Cape Verdean Armed Forces were involved in the Monte Tchota massacre , a green-on-green incident that resulted in 11 deaths. The Cape Verde archipelago

672-625: A very degradated area. Also, most islands do not always get a monsoon. In fact, it is not surprising that some atmospheric precipitation of islands are limited in tropical rain. If rain arrives, it is usually between August and October. The first "rainy season" brings high temperatures and high humidity that condenses as dew mountain. The other rainy season is between December and June, when the northeast trade winds are common during this season, only altitudes above 600 m tend to receive regular rain. The island of Sal receives an average of 0 mm in May. When

768-757: A water source for an air force base. The structure consisted of two fences each 100m (1000 sq. ft.). Between the two, 11 litres (2½ gallons) of water was produced on average per day over the 14 month study, which is 110 ml of water for every square meter (⅓ fl. oz. per sq. ft.). The next large study was performed by the National Catholic University of Chile and the International Development Research Centre in Canada in 1987. One hundred 48m (520 sq. ft.) fog fences were assembled in northern Italy. The project

864-522: Is 2,239 km (864 sq mi). In the west of the Barlavento group, Santo Antão , São Vicente , São Nicolau , Santa Luzia and islets Branco and Raso are volcanic and somewhat rocky yet quite widely capable of supporting semi-arid agriculture . In the east of the Barlavento group, Sal and Boa Vista are lightly-hilled, desert islands whose economies were based on salt and rely on fishing and tourism , having more in common with

960-539: Is Santiago, which hosts the nation's capital, Praia, the principal urban agglomeration in the archipelago. Three of the Cape Verde islands, Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio, are fairly flat, sandy, and dry; the others are generally rockier with more vegetation. Geologically, the islands, covering a combined area of slightly over 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 square miles), are principally composed of igneous rocks , with volcanic structures and pyroclastic debris comprising

1056-499: Is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi). These islands lie between 600 and 850 kilometres (320 and 460 nautical miles) west of Cap-Vert , the westernmost point of continental Africa. The Cape Verde islands form part of the Macaronesia ecoregion , along with

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1152-571: Is called Cidade Velha ("Old City"), to distinguish it from a town of the same name on a different Cape Verdean island ( Ribeira Grande on the island of Santo Antão ). The original Ribeira Grande was the first permanent European settlement in the tropics . In the 16th century, the archipelago prospered from the Atlantic slave trade . Pirates occasionally attacked the Portuguese settlements. Francis Drake , an English privateer , twice sacked

1248-491: Is carried by wind. Therefore, an efficient fog fence must be placed facing the prevailing winds , and must be a fine mesh , as wind would flow around a solid wall and take the fog with it. The water droplets in the fog deposit on the mesh. A second mesh rubbing against the first causes the droplets to coalesce and run to the bottom of the meshes, where the water may be collected and led away. Water can be collected in any environment, including extremely arid environments such as

1344-660: Is in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 570 kilometres (350 mi) off the western coast of the African continent, near Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania as well as part of the Macaronesia ecoregion . It lies between latitudes 14° and 18°N , and longitudes 22° and 26°W . The country is a horseshoe-shaped cluster of ten islands (nine inhabited) and eight islets, that constitute an area of 4033 km (1557 sq mi). The islands are spatially divided into two groups: The largest island, both in size and population,

1440-545: Is necessary for repairing the collector. Fog collectors are low cost to implement compared to other water alternatives. Fog fences are limited in quantity by the regional climate and topography and cannot produce more water on demand. Their yields are not consistent year round and are affected by local weather and global weather fluctuations (such as El Niño ). Their water supply can still be contaminated by windborne dust, birds, and insects. The moisture collected can promote growth of mold and other possibly toxic microorganisms on

1536-733: Is the endemic type of humid subtropical laurel forest of macaronesian laurisilva, found on several of the Macaronesian African mainland enclaves and Macaronesian islands of the North Atlantic , namely Madeira Islands , the Azores , Cape Verde Islands, and the Canary Islands ; these are a relic of the Pliocene subtropical forests , supporting numerous endemic species. This laurisilva forests are found in

1632-485: Is usually defined as terrain that receives less than 250 mm (9.8 in) of annual rainfall. Sal's total of 145 mm (5.7 in) confirms this classification. Most of the year's rain falls in September. Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio have a flat landscape and arid climate, whilst the other islands are generally rockier and have more vegetation. Because of the infrequent occurrence of rainfall, where not mountainous,

1728-447: Is water-poor, but abundant fog drapes the area 6 months out of the year. DSH's system included technology that monitored the water system via SMS message. These capabilities were crucial in dealing with the effects of fog collection on the social fabric of these rural areas. According to MIT researchers, the fog collection methods implemented by DSH have "improved the fog-collecting efficiency by about five hundred per cent." Despite

1824-533: The camanchaca or garúa clouds which blanket the northern Chile coast in the southern hemisphere winter. With funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the MSC collaborated with the Chileans to begin testing different designs of collection facilities on El Tofo Mountain in northern Chile . Once perfected, approximately 50 of the systems were erected and used to irrigate seedlings on

1920-564: The April 1974 revolution in Portugal , the PAIGC became an active political movement in Cape Verde. In December 1974, the PAIGC and Portugal signed an agreement providing for a transitional government composed of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans. On 30 June 1975, Cape Verdeans elected a National Assembly which received the instruments of independence from Portugal on 5 July 1975. Immediately following

2016-486: The Azores , the Canary Islands , Madeira and the Savage Isles . The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, thus establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Because the Cape Verde islands were conveniently located to play a role in the Atlantic slave trade , Cape Verde became economically prosperous during

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2112-576: The Inca Empire , where buckets were placed under trees to take advantage of condensation. Several man-made devices such as antique stone piles in Ukraine , medieval dew ponds in southern England and volcanic stone covers on the fields of Lanzarote have all been thought to be possible dew-catching devices. One of the first recorded projects of fog collection was in 1969 in South Africa as

2208-736: The November 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau , relations between Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau became strained. Cape Verde abandoned its hope for unity with Guinea-Bissau and formed the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). Problems have since been resolved and relations between the countries are good. The PAICV and its predecessor established a one-party system and ruled Cape Verde from independence until 1990. Responding to growing pressure for pluralistic democracy,

2304-547: The Portuguese language Cabo Verde ('green cape'), the name that Portuguese explorers gave the cape in 1444, a few years before they came across the islands. On 24 October 2013, the country's delegation to the United Nations informed it that other countries should no longer use Cape Verde or any other translations of Cabo Verde as part of its official name: all countries should use Republic of Cabo Verde as

2400-847: The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court . In 2017 Cape Verde signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . The judicial system consists of a Supreme Court of Justice – whose members are appointed by the president, the National Assembly, and the Board of the Judiciary ;– and regional courts. Separate courts hear civil, constitutional, and criminal cases. Appeals are to

2496-675: The Sotavento island Maio . There are four main islands of the Sotavento group. The western three islands, Brava , Fogo and Santiago , are rocky and volcanic agricultural islands, with the longest histories of human habitation. The fourth and easternmost island Maio is a flat desert island whose economy was primarily based on salt , giving it more in common with the Barlavento islands Sal and Boa Vista . The Ilhéus do Rombo are barren islets north of Brava. The total area of

2592-443: The dew point , causing it to condense part of the moisture that falls as rain or fog, creating a habitat especially cool, saturated with moisture in the air and soil. It is the balance between the dry and warm influence of the subtropical anticyclone, hot and dry summer and orography the responsible for carrying cool wet air. As latitude increases, this increases the impact of the storms, which in its journey from west to east, swept

2688-564: The (then) capital Ribeira Grande in 1585 when it was a part of the Iberian Union . After a French attack in 1712, the town declined in importance relative to nearby Praia , which became the capital in 1770. The decline in the slave trade in the 19th century resulted in an economic crisis. Cape Verde's early prosperity slowly vanished. However, the islands' position astride mid-Atlantic shipping lanes made Cape Verde an ideal location for re-supplying ships. Because of its excellent harbour,

2784-573: The 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants, privateers , and pirates . It declined economically in the 19th century after the suppression of the Atlantic slave trade by the British Empire, and many of its inhabitants emigrated during that period. However, Cape Verde gradually recovered economically by becoming an important commercial center and useful stopover point along major shipping routes. Cape Verde became independent in 1975. Since

2880-472: The 2016 parliamentary elections , taking back parliamentary majority after 15 year-rule of African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). In April 2021, the ruling center-right Movement for Democracy (MpD) of Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva won the parliamentary election . In October 2021, opposition candidate and former prime minister, Jose Maria Neves of PAICV, won Cape Verde's presidential election. On 9 November 2021, Jose Maria Neves

2976-501: The Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth. The harvested water can be safer to drink than ground water. Fog collection is considered low maintenance because it requires no exterior energy and only an occasional brushing of the nets to keep them clean. Parts can sometimes be sourced locally in underdeveloped countries, which allows for the collector to be fixed if broken and to not sit in disrepair. No in-depth training

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3072-659: The Canaries, has a cooling effect on the islands of Cabo Verde, making the air temperature more bearable than it would expect in any case at this latitude. Conversely, the islands do not receive the upwellings (cold streams) that affect the West African coast, so the air temperature is cooler than in Senegal, but the sea is actually warmer, because the orographic relief of some islands, such as Sao Miguel with steep mountains, cover it with rich woods and luxuriant vegetation where

3168-582: The Cape Verde Islands. These are referred to as Cape Verde-type hurricanes . These hurricanes can become very intense as they cross warm Atlantic waters away from Cape Verde. The average hurricane season has about two Cape Verde-type hurricanes, which are usually the largest and most intense storms of the season because they often have plenty of warm open ocean over which to develop before encountering land. The five largest Atlantic tropical cyclones on record have been Cape Verde-type hurricanes. Most of

3264-471: The Cape Verde archipelago are Diogo Dias , Diogo Afonso, Venetian Alvise Cadamosto , and Diogo Gomes (who had accompanied António de Noli on his voyage of discovery, and who claimed to have been the first to land on the Cape Verdean island of Santiago, and the first to name that island). In 1462, Portuguese settlers arrived at Santiago and founded a settlement they called Ribeira Grande. Today it

3360-617: The National Assembly ;– MpD (36), PAICV (25), and the Cape Verdean Independent Democratic Union (UCID) (3). The two main political parties are PAICV and MpD. Movement for Democracy (MpD) ousted the ruling African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) for the first time in 15 years in the 2016 parliamentary election, at which time its leader, Ulisses Correia e Silva, became prime minister. Jorge Carlos Almeida Fonseca

3456-794: The PAICV called an emergency congress in February 1990 to discuss proposed constitutional changes to end one-party rule. Opposition groups came together to form the Movement for Democracy (MpD) in Praia in April 1990. The one-party state was abolished on 28 September 1990, and the first multi-party elections were held in January 1991. The MpD won a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, and MpD presidential candidate António Mascarenhas Monteiro defeated

3552-567: The PAICV's candidate with 73.5% of the votes. Legislative elections in December 1995 increased the MpD majority in the National Assembly. A February 1996 presidential election returned President Monteiro to office. Legislative elections in January 2001 returned power to the PAICV, with the PAICV holding 40 of the National Assembly seats, MpD 30, and Party for Democratic Convergence (PCD) and Labour and Solidarity Party (PTS) 1 each. In February 2001,

3648-525: The PAICV-supported presidential candidate Pedro Pires defeated former MpD leader Carlos Veiga by only 13 votes. President Pedro Pires was narrowly re-elected in 2006 elections . President Jorge Carlos Fonseca led the country after the 2011 Cape Verde presidential election and he was re-elected in the 2016 election . He was supported by the Movement for Democracy Party. MpD also won in

3744-516: The Sahara. This occurs between November and March and is generally similar to the "Calima" affecting the Canary Islands. The ocean near Cabo Verde is an area of tropical cyclone formation; since these storms have the whole Atlantic over which to develop as they move westward, they are among the most intense hurricanes, and are called Cape Verde-type hurricanes . The Cape Verde islands are

3840-589: The Serra Malagueta community of Santiago Island, as of 2009. The average precipitation per year in Praia is 240 mm (9.45 in). During the winter, storms blowing from the Sahara sometimes cloud the sky; however, sunny days are the norm year round. The clearest skies are found between February and June, with very little rainfall during these months. Saharan dust, Harmattan wind, laden with dust come from

3936-486: The Sotavento Islands is 1,803 km (696 sq mi). Three islands – Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio – generally are level and lack natural water supplies. Mountains higher than 1,280 metres (4,199 ft) are found on Santiago, Fogo, Santo Antão, and São Nicolau. Sand carried by strong winds has caused erosion on all islands, especially the windward ones. Sheer, jagged cliffs rise from the sea on several of

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4032-748: The Supreme Court. The military of Cape Verde consists of the National Guard and the Coast Guard; 0.7% of the country's GDP was spent on the military in 2005. Having fought their only battles in the war for independence against Portugal between 1974 and 1975, the efforts of the Cape Verdean armed forces have turned to combating international drug trafficking. In 2007, together with the Cape Verdean Police , they carried out Operation Flying Launch ( Operacão Lancha Voadora ),

4128-752: The United States maintain embassies in Praia. Cape Verde maintains a vigorously active foreign policy, especially in Africa. Cape Verde is a founding member state of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, an international organization and political association of Lusophone nations across four continents, where Portuguese is an official language. Cape Verde has bilateral relations with some Lusophone nations and holds membership in

4224-446: The addition of condensation on needles which drip into the trees' root systems. The fog collector is made up of three major parts: the frame, the mesh netting, and the trough or basin. The frame supports the mesh netting and can be made from a wide array of materials from stainless steel poles to bamboo. The frame can vary in shape. Proposed geometries include linear, similar to a fence and cylindrical. Linear frames are rectangles with

4320-451: The air temperature is cooler than in Senegal, but the sea is warmer. Due to the relief of some islands, such as Santiago with its steep mountains, the islands can have orographically induced precipitation, allowing rich woods and luxuriant vegetation to grow where the humid air condenses soaking the plants, rocks, soil, logs, moss, etc. On the higher islands and somewhat wetter islands, exclusively in mountainous areas, like Santo Antão island,

4416-480: The apparent failure of the fog collection project in Chungungo, the method has caught on in some localities around the world. The International Organization for Dew Utilization organization is working on foil-based effective condensers for regions where rain or fog cannot cover water needs throughout the year. Shortly after the initial success of the project, researchers from the participating organizations formed

4512-427: The arid areas of the coast to more than 1000 mm in the humid mountain. Mostly rainfall precipitation is due to condensation of the ocean mist. Today much of the forest cover comprises relatively immature agroforestry plantations, in which are used non-native species such as Prosopis juliflora, Leucaena leucocephala and Jatropha curcas. The native laurel forest species are in wet area only in mountainous areas. On

4608-420: The base of towering mountains. Ocean cliffs have been formed by catastrophic debris landslides . Cape Verde's climate is milder than that of the African mainland because the surrounding sea moderates temperatures on the islands and cold Atlantic currents produce an arid atmosphere around the archipelago. Conversely, the islands do not receive the upwelling (cold streams) that affect the West African coast, so

4704-518: The basic principles of its government. The president is the head of state and is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The prime minister is the head of government and proposes other ministers and secretaries of state. The prime minister is nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president. Members of the National Assembly are elected by popular vote for five-year terms. In 2016, three parties held seats in

4800-473: The basis of the two nations' independence movement. Moving its headquarters to Conakry , Guinea in 1960, the PAIGC began an armed rebellion against Portugal in 1961. Acts of sabotage eventually grew into a war in Portuguese Guinea that pitted 10,000 Soviet Bloc -supported PAIGC soldiers against 35,000 Portuguese and African troops. By 1972, the PAIGC controlled much of Portuguese Guinea despite

4896-412: The city of Mindelo , located on the island of São Vicente , became an important commercial centre during the 19th century. Diplomat Edmund Roberts visited Cape Verde in 1832. Cape Verde was the first stop of Charles Darwin 's voyage with HMS  Beagle in 1832. With few natural resources and inadequate sustainable investment from the Portuguese, the citizens grew increasingly discontented with

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4992-431: The climate is suitable for the development of dry monsoon forest, and laurel forest as this vegetation is believed to have been present in the past. However, most vegetation has now been converted to agriculture and forest fragments are now restricted to areas where cultivation is not possible, such as mountain peaks and steep slopes. The demand for wood has resulted in deforestation and desertification . Of particular note

5088-471: The climate is suitable for the development of dry monsoon forests, and laurel forests . Average temperatures range from 22 °C (72 °F) in February to 27 °C (80.6 °F) in September. Cape Verde is part of the Sahelian semi-arid belt, with nothing like the rainfall levels of nearby West Africa . It rains irregularly between August and October, with frequent brief heavy downpours. A desert

5184-600: The colonial masters, who refused to provide the local authorities with more autonomy. In 1951, Portugal changed Cape Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in an attempt to blunt growing nationalism . In 1956, Amílcar Cabral and a group of fellow Cape Verdeans and Guineans organized (in Portuguese Guinea ) the clandestine African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). It demanded improvement in economic, social and political conditions in Cape Verde and Portuguese Guinea and formed

5280-477: The condensation. This can retrieve 2% of moisture in the air. Efficiency increases as the size of the filaments and the holes decrease. The most optimal mesh netting is made from stainless steel filaments the size of three to four human hairs and with holes that are twice as big as the filament. The netting is coated in a chemical that decreases water droplet's contact angle hysteresis, which allows for more small droplets to form. This type of netting can capture 10% of

5376-527: The country's official name. Speakers of English have used the name Cape Verde for the archipelago and, since independence in 1975, for the country. In 2013, the Cape Verdean government determined that it would thenceforth use the Portuguese name Cabo Verde for official purposes, including at the United Nations , even when speaking or writing in English. The archipelago of modern-day Cape Verde

5472-441: The early 1990s, Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy and has remained one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. Lacking natural resources, its developing economy is mostly service-oriented, with a growing focus on tourism and foreign investment. Its population of around 596,000 (as of 2022) is of mostly of Sub-Saharan African and minor European heritage, and predominantly Catholic , reflecting

5568-613: The endemic and critically endangered Bourne's heron . The 11 endemic reptile species include a giant gecko ( Tarentola gigas ), and there are other geckos and skinks in abundance. The giant skink ( Macroscincus coctei ) is now thought to be extinct. Almost all of the natural environment has been destroyed by conversion to agriculture and logging for firewood, as well as natural soil erosion , all of which has threatened several species of birds and reptiles. The remaining original forest exists at high altitudes only. Newer problems include illegal beach sand extraction and overfishing while

5664-497: The fog collector can produce the highest yield. The organized collection of dew or condensation through natural or assisted processes is an ancient practice, from the small-scale drinking of pools of condensation collected in plant stems (still practiced today by survivalists ), to large-scale natural irrigation without rain falling, such as in the Atacama and Namib deserts. The first man-made fog collectors stretch back as far as

5760-544: The fog onto the canvas, coalesce into droplets, and then slide down to drip off of the bottom of the canvas and into the collecting trough below. The intent of the Canadian project was simply to use fog collection devices to study the constituents of the fog that they collected. However, their success sparked the interest of scientists in Chile 's National Forest Corporation ( CONAF ) and Catholic University of Chile to exploit

5856-464: The hillside in an attempt at reforestation. Once vegetation became established, it should have begun collecting fog for itself, like the many cloud forests in South America, in order to flourish as a self-sustaining system. The success of the reforestation project is unclear, but approximately five years after the beginning of the project, the nearby village of Chungungo began to push for

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5952-435: The humid air condenses and soak the plants, rocks, soil, logs, and moss. Hurricanes often begin forming in the waters around the islands of Cabo Verde, but it is rare that the strength of the storm reaches close to the islands. A Cape Verde type hurricane is formed in the area south of the islands, near Sao Miguel, after a tropical wave on the African continent during the rainy season. The storm picks up strength when it crosses

6048-421: The humid mountain. Most rainfall precipitation is due to condensation of the ocean mist. In some islands, like Santiago, the wetter climate of the interior and the eastern coast contrasts with the drier one on the south/southwest coast. Praia, on the southeast coast, is the largest city on the island and the largest city and capital of the country. While most of Cape Verde receives little precipitation throughout

6144-491: The island of Fogo. The islands lie on a bathymetric swell known as the Cape Verde Rise . The Rise is one of the largest protuberances in the world's oceans, rising 2.2 kilometres (1.4 miles) in a semi-circular region of 1200 km (460 sq mi), associated with a rise of the geoid . Pico do Fogo , the largest active volcano in the region, erupted in 2014. It has an eight-kilometre-diameter (five-mile) caldera ,

6240-457: The islands of Macaronesia in the eastern Atlantic, in particular the Azores, Madeira Islands, and western Canary Islands, from 400 m to 1,200 m elevation. Trees of the genera Apollonias ( Lauraceae ), Ocotea (Lauraceae), Persea (Lauraceae), Clethra (Clethraceae), Dracaena ( Ruscaceae ), and Picconia ( Oleaceae ) are characteristic. The Madeira Islands laurel forest

6336-445: The islands of Cabo Verde housed an extensive savanna and dry forest cover , but mostly it was removed to convert to agricultural land, which, together with the arid climate and rugged terrain, has led to a soil erosion and desertification widespread. However, the archipelago can be divided into four broad ecological zones (arid, semiarid, subhumid and humid), according to altitude and average annual rainfall ranging from 200 mm in

6432-535: The landscape is so arid that less than two percent of it is arable. The archipelago can be divided into four broad ecological zones – arid, semiarid, subhumid and humid, according to altitude and average annual rainfall ranging from less than 100 millimetres (3.9 inches) in the arid areas of the coast as in the Deserto de Viana (67 millimetres (2.6 inches) in Sal Rei ) to more than 1,000 millimetres (39 inches) in

6528-405: The legacy of Portuguese rule. A sizeable Cape Verdean diaspora community exists across the world, especially in the United States and Portugal, considerably outnumbering the inhabitants on the islands. Cape Verde is a member state of the African Union . Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese. The recognized national language is Cape Verdean Creole , which is spoken by the vast majority of

6624-424: The longest-lived tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin are Cape Verde hurricanes. Fog collector Water condenses onto the array of parallel wires and collects at the bottom of the net. This requires no external energy and is facilitated naturally through temperature fluctuation, making it attractive for deployment in less developed areas. The term 'fog fence' comes from its long rectangular shape resembling

6720-424: The lower and drier islands the vegetation, before human colonization, consisted of savanna or steppe vegetation, with the flattest inland portion supporting semi-desert plants. At higher altitudes, a form of arid shrubland was also present. These islands were covered with savanna on the plains and arid shrubland on the mountainsides, but after over 500 years of human habitation (after Portuguese colonisation) nearly all

6816-445: The majority of the archipelago's total volume. The volcanic and plutonic rocks are distinctly basic; the archipelago is a soda-alkaline petrographic province, with a petrologic succession similar to that found in other Macaronesian islands. Magnetic anomalies identified in the vicinity of the archipelago indicate that the structures forming the islands date back 125–150 million years: the islands themselves date from 8 million (in

6912-539: The mesh. In the mid-1980s, the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) began constructing and deploying large fog collecting devices on Mont Sutton in Quebec . These simple tools consisted of a large piece of canvas (generally 12 metres; 40' long and 4 metres; 10' high) stretched between two 6 metres (20') wooden poles held up by guy wires, with a long trough underneath. Water would condense out of

7008-511: The moisture in the air. Below the mesh netting of a fog fence, there is a small trough for the water to be collected in. The water runs from the trough to some type of storage container or irrigation system for use. If the fog collector is circular the water will be deposited into a basin placed at the bottom of the netting. Fog contains typically from 0.05 to 1 grams of water per cubic meter (⅗ to 12 grains per cu. yd.), with droplets from 1 to 40 micrometres in diameter. It settles slowly and

7104-413: The mountainous islands. The lack of natural vegetation in the uplands and coast also contributes to soil erosion. The interior valleys support denser natural vegetation. Natural resources: Salt , basalt rock, limestone , kaolin , fish , clay , gypsum Cabo Verde shares maritime boundaries with Mauritania and Senegal . Cabo Verde has signed treaties with Senegal and Mauritania delimiting

7200-425: The nesting birds are vulnerable due to introduced mammals, including cats and rats. Cape Verde Cape Verde ( / ˈ v ɜːr d ( i )/ , VURD( -ee) ) or Cabo Verde ( / ˌ k ɑː b oʊ ˈ v ɜːr d eɪ / KAH -boh VUR -day , / ˌ k æ b oʊ -/ KAB -oh -⁠ , local Portuguese: [ˈkabu ˈveɾdɨ] ), officially the Republic of Cabo Verde ,

7296-531: The nonprofit organization FogQuest, which has set up operational facilities in Yemen and central Chile , while still others are under evaluation in Guatemala , Haiti , and Nepal , this time with much more emphasis on the continuing involvement of the communities in the hopes that the projects will last well into the future. Villages in a total of 25 countries worldwide now operate fog collection facilities. There

7392-416: The ocean. The climate is arid. The total size is 4,033 km (1,557 sq mi). The archipelago consists of ten islands and five islets, divided into the windward (Barlavento) and leeward (Sotavento) groups. The six islands in the Barlavento group, which sit in the sits in the trade winds , are Santo Antão , São Vicente , Santa Luzia , São Nicolau , Sal , and Boa Vista . The total land mass

7488-445: The original vegetation has been cleared in favour of widespread agriculture including the grazing of goats, sheep and cattle and the planting of imported crop species. There are some remaining patches of dry forest high on steep mountainside including a number of endemic plant species, but these are inaccessible and hard to study. On the higher islands and somewhat wetter islands, exclusively in mountainous areas, like Santo Antao island,

7584-556: The population. As of the 2021 census the most populated islands were Santiago , where the capital Praia is located (269,370), São Vicente (74,016), Santo Antão (36,632), Fogo (33,519) and Sal (33,347). The largest cities are Praia (137,868), Mindelo (69,013), Espargos (24,500) and Assomada (21,297). The country is named after the Cap-Vert peninsula, on the Senegalese coast. The name Cap-Vert , in turn, comes from

7680-425: The presence of the Portuguese troops, but the organization did not attempt to disrupt Portuguese control in Cape Verde. Portuguese Guinea declared independence in 1973 and was granted de jure independence in 1974. A budding independence movement — originally led by Amílcar Cabral , assassinated in 1973 — passed on to his half-brother Luís Cabral and culminated in independence for the archipelago in 1975. Following

7776-417: The rain comes, if it comes, it can be very strong. Half of the rain in a particular year can often fall into a single storm. Most of the Cape Verde islands are dry, but on islands with high mountains and farther away from the continental land mass, by orography, the humidity is much higher, giving a rainforest habitat, very degraded by the strong human presence. Northeastern slopes of high mountains often receive

7872-529: The rim of which is at an elevation of 1,600 metres (5,249 feet) and an interior cone that rises to 2,829 metres (9,281 feet) above sea level . The caldera resulted from subsidence, following the partial evacuation (eruption) of the magma chamber, along a cylindrical column from within the magma chamber (at a depth of 8 kilometres (5 miles)). Extensive salt flats are found on Sal and Maio. On Santiago, Santo Antão, and São Nicolau, arid slopes give way in places to sugarcane fields or banana plantations spread along

7968-494: The specific boundaries. However, the two treaties conflict in their delimitation of the precise borders. Due to the numerous islands it has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 800,561 km (309,098 sq mi). Rainfall is irregular, historically causing periodic droughts and famines. Desalination plants now provide water to more than half the country's population. Experiments with fog collectors have been conducted since 1962, however, such collectors had not been expanded beyond

8064-552: The sun, because the islands are in the Northern Hemisphere , between 600 and 1,500 meters, thus benefiting from the humidity provided by the trade winds to form such a sea of clouds. In its botanical ecology, the mountain umbria is identified with cool and moisture. In Cabo Verde forest cover is around 11% of the total land area, equivalent to 45,720 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 15,380 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 13,680 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 32,040 hectares (ha). For

8160-534: The vertical endpoints embedded into the ground. They have rope supports connected at the top and staked into the ground to provide stability. The mesh netting is where the condensation of water droplets appear. It consists of filaments knitted together with small openings, coated with a chemical to increase condensation. Shade cloth is used for mesh structure because it can be locally sourced in underdeveloped countries. The filaments are coated to be hydrophilic and hydrophobic, which attracts and repels water to increase

8256-405: The warm waters of Atlantic. The laurel forest is a type of cloud forest, the cloud forests , are developed preferably about mountains , where the dense moisture from the sea or ocean, is precipitated by the action of the relief. Opposing the terrain to a front of warm, moist air mass, it forces to increase the height above sea level of that body wet and warm air mass, which cools and decreases

8352-410: The west) to 20 million years (in the east). The oldest exposed rocks occurred on Maio and the northern peninsula of Santiago and are 128–131 million-year-old pillow lavas. The first stage of volcanism in the islands began in the early Miocene , and reached its peak at the end of this period when the islands reached their maximum sizes. Historical volcanism (within human settlement) has been restricted to

8448-438: The western coasts of continents, dumping heavy rains as carrying high humidity. Precipitation multiply if these air masses are crossing mountains in the way. The resulting climate is wetter, but with an annual oscillation of the temperature moderated by the proximity of the ocean. Appear mostly occupying favorable areas named geographically Umbrias , this is north hillsides or slopes of the mountainous areas that are oriented behind

8544-531: The year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership . The islands constitute the unique Cape Verde Islands dry forests ecoregion , according to the World Wildlife Fund . Cape Verde is the driest archipelago of the ecoregion of Macaronesia . That with a greater influence of African species due to its geographical location near the African mainland of the Sahel. At first,

8640-555: The year, the northeastern slopes of high mountains see significant rainfall due to orographic lift, especially in areas far from the sea. In some such areas this precipitation is sufficient to support a rainforest habitat, albeit one significantly affected by the islands' human presence. These umbria areas are identified as cool and moist. Cape Verde lies in the Cape Verde Islands dry forests ecoregion. Western Hemisphere-bound hurricanes often have their early beginnings near

8736-503: Was able to yield on average 0.5 litre of water for every square meter (1½ fl. oz. per sq. ft), or 33L (8 gallons) for each of the 300 villagers, each day. Fog collectors were first seen in nature as a technique for collecting water by some insects and foliage. Namib Desert beetles live off water that condenses on their wings due to a pattern of alternating hydrophilic (water attracting) and hydrophobic (water repelling) regions. Redwood forests are able to survive on limited rainfall due to

8832-578: Was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. There are four endemic bird species including the Raso lark along with more common swifts , larks , warblers , and sparrows . The islands are an important breeding site for seabirds including the Cape Verde shearwater and Fea's petrel ( Pterodroma feae ), which breeds only here and in Madeira . Santiago Island holds the only breeding site of

8928-768: Was elected president in August 2011 and re-elected in October 2016. He is also supported by the MpD. In November 2021, Cape Verde opened its first embassy in Nigeria. In 2013 then United States President Barack Obama said Cape Verde is "a real success story". Among other achievements, it has been recognized with the following assessments: Cape Verde follows a policy of nonalignment and seeks cooperative relations with all friendly states. Angola, Brazil, China, Libya, Cuba, France, Guinea-Bissau, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Russia, Luxembourg, and

9024-535: Was formed approximately 40–50 million years ago during the Eocene era. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Cape Verde Islands were uninhabited. They were discovered by Genoese and Portuguese navigators around 1456. According to Portuguese official records, the first discoveries were made by Genoa-born António de Noli , who was afterwards appointed governor of Cape Verde by the Portuguese king Afonso V . Other navigators mentioned as contributing to discoveries on

9120-535: Was in very poor shape. Conversely, the MSC states in its article that the facility was still fully functional in 2003, but provides no details behind this statement. In June 2003 the IDRC reported that plans existed to revive the site on El Tofo. In March 2015 Dar Si Hmad (DSH), a Moroccan NGO, built a large fog-collection and distribution system in the Anti-Atlas Mountains . The region DSH worked in

9216-554: Was sworn in as the new President of Cape Verde . On 2 February 2024, Cape Verde became the third African country to be free of malaria . Cape Verde is a stable semi-presidential representative democratic republic . In 2020 it was the most democratic nation in Africa , ranking 2023 as 45th in the world, according to the electoral democracy score of the V-Dem Democracy indices . The constitution – adopted in 1980 and revised in 1992, 1995 and 1999 – defines

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