Petty theft and burglary are common in Cape Verde , especially in crowded areas, such as market places, festivals, and celebrations. Often the perpetrators of these crimes are gangs of street children. As of 2008, local police statistics reflect an increase in crime in Cape Verde, particularly in the cities of Praia and Mindelo. [1]
As of 2008, muggings occur more often than previously, particularly at night and in more isolated areas, and occasionally violence is associated with them. Crime associated with drugs and drug-use is also on the rise. Due to lack of lighting in many public areas and periodic blackouts, the U.S. government has advised travelers to carry small flashlights, travel with others, keep vehicle doors and windows locked, avoid dark and isolated places, and be especially vigilant in the evenings. [1]
Violent crime is also increasing in Cape Verde as of 2008. There were several murders and attempted murders between May 2007 and May 2008, mostly reported in the urban centers of Praia and Mindelo, although Sal and other islands have not been immune. [1] Allegedly the US has been deporting criminals of Cape Verdean nationality back to their country of origin and gang warfare has begun between the deportees as they are rivals for local distribution and onward transport of illegal drugs coming principally from South America. [2]
Cape Verde is known as a transit site of child trafficking and illicit drugs, such as cannabis and cocaine. Because of its strategic location between South America and Africa, and its proximity to Europe, cocaine is often smuggled through Cape Verde by South American and West African crime groups. [3]
The recorded history of Cape Verde begins with the Portuguese discovery of the island in 1458. Possible early references to Cape Verde date back at least 2,000 years.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American organized crime emerged following the first and second large-scale migration of African Americans from the Southern United States to major cities of the Northeast, Midwest, and later the West Coast. In many of these newly established communities and neighborhoods, criminal activities such as illegal gambling, speakeasies and were seen in the post-World War I and Prohibition eras. Although the majority of these businesses in African American neighborhoods were operated by African Americans, it is often unclear the extent to which these operations were run independently of the larger criminal organizations of the time.
Football is the most popular sport in Cape Verde. The league is divided into eleven divisions, of which seven of them are singles and two islands, Santiago and Santo Antão has two zones since 2000. The football association is a federation which is known as the Cape Verdean Football Federation, it became affiliated with CAF in 1986 and later with FIFA in 2001.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Cape Verde are afforded some legal protections, and Cape Verde is considered a gay tolerant country. Homosexual activity has been legal in Cape Verde since 2004. Additionally, since 2008, employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned, making Cape Verde one of the few African countries to have such protections for LGBT people. Nevertheless, Cape Verde does not recognize same-sex unions or marriages, meaning that same-sex couples may still face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are also not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Primary school education in Cape Verde is mandatory between the ages of 6–14 and free for children ages 6–12. In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 148.8%. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for Cape Verde as of 2001. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children's participation in school. Textbooks have been made available to 90% of school children, and 90% of teachers have attended in-service teacher training. Its literacy rate as of 2010 ranges from 75 to 80%, the highest in West Africa south of the Sahara.
The economy of Cape Verde is a service-oriented economy that is focused on commerce, trade, transport and public services. Cape Verde is a small archipelagic nation that lacks resources and has experienced severe droughts. Agriculture is made difficult by lack of rain and is restricted to only four islands for most of the year. Cape Verde's economy has been steadily growing since the late 1990s, and it is now officially considered a country of average development, being only the second African country to have achieved such transition, after Botswana in 1994. Cape Verde has significant cooperation with Portugal at every level of the economy, which has led it to link its currency first to the Portuguese escudo and, in 1999, to the euro.
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an archipelago and island country 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 west of Cap-Vert, the westernmost point of continental Africa. The Cape Verde islands form part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Savage Isles.
Mass media in Cape Verde includes aspects of telecommunications, television and radio.
Law enforcement in Cape Verde is carried out by the Judicial Police or National Police.
Cape Verde was a colony of the Portuguese Empire from the initial settlement of the Cape Verde Islands in 1462 until the independence of Cape Verde in 1975.
The history of the cinema of Cape Verde dates back to the arrival of filmmakers in the early twentieth century. The first picture house was established in Mindelo around 1922, called Eden Park.
Cape Verdean organized crime refers to the various criminal organizations that are active in Cape Verde & Cape Verdean diaspora communities. Cape Verde is important as a transshipment point in the cocaine trade, and the existence of sizeable Cape Verdean communities in New England, the Dutch port city of Rotterdam as well as in several cities in Portugal, France and Switzerland, led to the formation of criminal gangs in the community active in the international drug trade supplemented with other criminal activities. Cape Verdean organized crime primarily comes in the form of street gangs, with varying levels of organization and sophistication.
The 2004 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 25th of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. Its started on 8 May and finished on 10 July, earlier than the last season. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.
The 2007 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 28th of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. Its started on 12 May and finished on 21 July, earlier than the last season. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. Sporting would win their 6th title and second straight after defeating Académica do Mindelo under the away goals rule, the only time it happened, the scorer was Dário who scored their only goal at the finals during stoppage time. They would have entry to the 2008 CAF Champions League. No second place team would also participate in the 2008 CAF Confederation Cup
The 2008 Cape Verdean Football Championships season was the 29th of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. Its started on 10 May and finished on 16 August, later than the last season. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. Sporting would win their 7th title and third straight after defeating Académica do Mindelo in penalty kicks. Sporting gained entry into the 2009 CAF Champions League, it is the last club to enter to date. No second place club would participate in the 2009 CAF Confederation Cup.
The 2010 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 31st of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. Its started on 8 May, slightly later than the last season and finished on 10 July, later than last year. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. It was the second consecutive time that the final featured two clubs from the same island and city, the next time it happened would be five years later. It brought the Capital Rivalry between Sporting and Boavista to the national championships. Another club of Praia named Boavista FC winning the national title breaking Sporting Praia's consecutive title wins. A month later, Boavista Praia would become the only club to win both the championship and the cup title in the same season.
Cape Verde has risen to prominence in a number of sporting areas in recent decades.
1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – 1950s – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s
In the 2006–07 season of competitive football (soccer) in Cape Verde It was the first season that the national cup competition took place, its first winner was Académica da Praia.
The 2009 Cape Verdean Cup season was the 3rd competition of the regional football cup in Cape Verde. The season started on 20 July and finished with the cup final on 2 August. The cup competition was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. Group A matches took place at Estádio Adérito Sena in Mindelo, São Vicente and Group B matches took place at Estádio Marcelo Leitão in Espargos. The final stage containing two semifinal matches and a final were played at Estádio da Várzea. Boavista Praia won their first of two cup title.