Cabo Verde, or Cape Verde, an island nation on an archipelago of volcanic origin in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 570 kilometres off the north-western coast of Africa, about 600 km west of Senegal.
The Republic of Cape Verde was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Cape Verde subsequently became a trading centre for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping.
The country got its independence in 1975. Since the early 1990s, Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy, and remains one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. The capital and largest city is Praia.