Cape Verde

The Republic of Cape Verde, is an island country, spanning an archipelago located in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa.

The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century . In the 16th century, the archipelago prospered from the transatlantic slave trade. With the decline in the slave trade, 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 harbor, Mindelo (on the island of São Vicente) became an important commercial center during the 19th century. Portugal changed Cape Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in 1951 in an attempt to blunt growing nationalism. Cape Verde attained independence from Portugal in 1975.

As of 2007, Cape Verde is classified as a developing country after being promoted from Least Developed Countries status.