Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde is an island nation in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 570 kilometres west of the Senegalese coast. Its territory consists of ten volcanic islands and several islets, commonly divided into the Barlavento (windward) and Sotavento (leeward) groups. International organisations use a set of stable codes to identify the nation in databases and statistical products. Knowing which facts are fixed and which change regularly is the foundation of any reliable profile.

Separate fixed identifiers from current data

Before you look up a single figure, split your research into two buckets: classification facts and time-sensitive indicators. Classification facts (codes, regions, membership status) change rarely and can be cited as stable. Population, currency rates, language-use shares, government structure and economic indicators change with each reporting cycle. They must always be checked against the primary source for the reference year, never copied from an older article or a travel blog.

Fixed identifiers for Cabo Verde

The UN Statistics Division assigns each territory a standard numeric code and regional grouping under the M49 standard. The World Bank country API provides a machine-readable list of nations and their basic attributes, including a capital field. For Cabo Verde, the following identifiers are stable:

• UN M49 numeric code: 132
• ISO alpha-2: CV
• ISO alpha-3: CPV
• UN region: Africa
• UN subregion: Sub-Saharan Africa
• UN member state: yes
• World Bank capital field: Praia

These are statistical and administrative groupings used by the UN and the World Bank for data aggregation. “Sub-Saharan Africa” is a statistical convention, not a cultural, geographic or political claim. The UN M49 overview at https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ is the authoritative reference for these codes and regional groupings.

How to query the World Bank country API

The World Bank country API returns the official short name, capital city, region, income level and lending category for each code. Query it directly to get a machine-readable response that includes CPV as the nation code, the region and income group, and the reference year for each indicator. Always note the retrieval year and the API endpoint used, because income-level and lending-category values can change with annual reviews. The capital field lists Praia; this is a statistical classification field, not a political or constitutional statement.

How to verify current population

Population figures are not a single stable number. They change continuously, and the figure you cite depends on whether you need a census count or an inter-censal estimate. For Cabo Verde, three primary sources publish figures on different schedules.

Choose your source by reference year

• UN World Population Prospects: publishes standardised annual estimates that allow comparison across territories. Use this when you need a figure that is methodologically consistent with other UN member states.
• World Bank population estimates: published annually with a lag. Use this when you need a figure that aligns with the Bank’s development indicators.
• Instituto Nacional de Estatística de Cabo Verde (INE): the national statistical office conducts a census roughly every ten years. The most recent census took place in 2020-2021; official results are published on the INE portal. Use this when you need the highest-resolution, census-based count.

Always cite the source and reference year for any population figure you publish, and note explicitly whether the number is a census count or a projection. Census counts and inter-censal estimates differ, and mixing them without labelling the method creates false precision.

Capital, currency and languages

The capital is Praia, as listed in the World Bank country profile and by the UN. The currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), issued by the Banco de Cabo Verde. Exchange rates move daily; check the central bank’s published rate or a current financial data provider for today’s value. The official language is Portuguese. The nationally recognised Creole language, Kriolu (Cape Verdean Creole), is used widely in daily life. The 2010 census and later national surveys report the share of residents speaking each language at home, but those proportions shift with each census cycle. Cite the specific survey and year when quoting a language-use percentage.

How to read a Cabo Verde country profile step by step

When you open a profile from the UN, the World Bank or the national statistics office, follow a repeatable sequence so you do not mistake a classification field for a current statistic.

1. Identify the source and reference year. Look at the URL, the dataset name and the “last updated” or “reference year” field. If you cannot find a reference year, do not use the figure.
2. Separate the fixed codes from the time-sensitive fields. The M49 code (132), ISO alpha-2 (CV) and ISO alpha-3 (CPV) are stable. The UN region (Africa) and subregion (Sub-Saharan Africa) are stable statistical groupings. Everything else (population, income group, exchange rate, language-share percentages) is time-sensitive.
3. Check the capital field. The World Bank capital field returns Praia. This is an administrative data point, not a constitutional declaration.
4. Pull population from the source that matches your purpose. For cross-national comparison, use the UN World Population Prospects. For development-indicator alignment, use the World Bank estimate. For the most detailed domestic count, use the INE census portal.
5. Get the current exchange rate from the central bank. The Banco de Cabo Verde publishes the official CVE rate. Do not use a rate from a secondary source without checking the date.
6. Note language data limitations. Portuguese is the official language. Kriolu usage rates come from census and survey self-reporting. Quote the exact survey, question wording and year, and do not present a percentage as a permanent fact.

One fact you will not find on a generic competitor page

The UN M49 code 132, ISO alpha-2 CV and ISO alpha-3 CPV are fixed statistical identifiers that place Cabo Verde in the Africa region and Sub-Saharan Africa subregion for UN data aggregation; these are statistical conventions, not political or territorial claims, and they remain stable even when other profile fields change annually.