Cape Verde: country facts, travel advice and health

EASE: government site to register before arrival for faster passport control.CV Interilhas: ferry operator with timetables and ticket booking for island hops.CV Sky: domestic airline linking most islands, bookable online.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 2 of 5: Cash is used for most payments, so carry enough escudos.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Cape Verde

Cape Verdean Escudo · CVE

On Sal and Boa Vista euros are usually accepted, but change comes back in escudos.

Inter-island flights can be cheaper when bought after arriving in the country.

The escudo is pegged at 110 to the euro, which makes conversions easy.

Santiago is the cheapest island to stay on.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Cape Verdean Escudo in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Natal

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Ano Novo

Wed, 13 Jan 2027 · Democracy Day Dia da Democracia

Wed, 20 Jan 2027 · Heroes' Day Dia da Heróis Nacional

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Dia do Trabalhador

Tue, 1 Jun 2027 · Youth Day Dia Mundial da Criança

Mon, 5 Jul 2027 · Independence Day Dia da Independência Nacional

Sun, 15 Aug 2027 · Assumption Day Dia da Assunção

Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · All Saints' Day Dia de Todos os Santos

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Cape Verde say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise normal precautions

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Level 1 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 17 Dec 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 28 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine vaccines plus hepatitis A and B and typhoid advised; altitude sickness possible on Fogo.

Vaccinations

Keep routine vaccines current; CDC also recommends hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid for most travellers.

Altitude

Altitude sickness can affect visitors on Fogo.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

€4.99once · all countries

Pay once. No subscription. All countries, yours forever.

Must-see · 1Mindelo

São Vicente harbour town, often called the liveliest spot

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

In 2013 the government ruled the name must not be translated, so it is Cabo Verde in every language.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Cântico da Liberdade. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

1 World Heritage site in Cape Verde, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $3.1 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $5,796Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	fish, refined petroleum, railway cargo containers, shellfish, garments (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	527,326Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	29.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	74.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Roman Catholic 72.5%, Protestant 4% (includes Adventist 1.9%, Nazarene 1.8%, Assembly of God 0.2%, God is Love 0.1%), Christian Rationalism 1.7%, Muslim 1.3%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, Church of Jesus Christ 1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 1.2%, none 15.6%, no response 0.4% (2021 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2021 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	4,033 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erraticSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	steep, rugged, rocky, volcanicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	parliamentary republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+238Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).