The Republic of Cape Verde is a small drought-scourged West African country located 480 kilometers (300 miles) due west of the westernmost point of Africa. This archipelago of fifteen islands and islets was colonized by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. Due to its strategic location, Cape Verde became a major trading center for the Euro-African slave trade and later served as an important refueling site and communication center. Of the islands' estimated 412,137 inhabitants, the majority are of European and African descent. Following independence in 1975, after more than five hundred years of colonial rule, a one-party state was established and maintained until multiparty elections were held in 1990. Despite economic hardship due to poor natural resources and impending drought conditions, Cape Verde exhibits one of Africa's most stable and democratic governments.

In the 1950s, Cape Verde was linked with Guinea-Bissau under a unified nationalist movement, the African Party of...