Conventional Long Form Name: Republic of Cabo Verde
Capital City: Praia
Type of Government: Republic
Date of Independence: July 5, 1975
National Holiday(s): Independence Day - July 5, 1975
Chief of State: President Jorge Carlos Fonseca
Head of Government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira Neves
Executive Branch: Cabinet - Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister. Elections - president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 August 2011 with a second round runoff on 21 August 2011; prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
Legislative Branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms). Elections - last held on 6 February 2011
Judicial Branch: Highest Court(s) - Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 5 judges). Judge Selection and Term of Office - judges appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and the remainder by the Supreme Council of Magistrates, a 9-member independent body presided over by the chief justice and includes the high judicial inspector, 2 presidential appointees, 3 elected by the National Assembly, and 2 by their court peers; chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court and in consultation with the Supreme Council of the Magistrates; judge tenure NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; Universal
Name of their Ambassador to the U.S.: Ambassador Maria De Fatima Lima Da Veiga
Location of their embassy in the U.S.: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washingtom, DC 20007
Location of their consulates in the U.S.: Boston
Name of U.S. Ambassador to them: Ambassador Adrienne O'Neal
Location of U.S. embassy there: Rua Abilio Macedo 6, Praia
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) there: N/A
Name of their representative to UN: Antonio Pedro Monteiro Lima
five unequal horizontal bands; the top-most band of blue - equal to one half the width of the flag - is followed by three bands of white, red, and white, each equal to 1/12 of the width, and a bottom stripe of blue equal to one quarter of the flag width; a circle of 10, yellow, five-pointed stars is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the length of the flag from the hoist side; blue stands for the sea and the sky, the circle of stars represents the 10 major islands united into a nation, the stripes symbolize the road to formation of the country through peace (white) and effort (red)
National Symbol(s): N/A
International Disputes: None
Quantity of refugees inside country and county(ies) of origin of refugees: N/A
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
Quantity of Stateless Persons: N/A
Current human trafflicking issues related to this country: N/A
Illicit Drug trafflicking/use: used as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine destined for Western Europe, particularly because of Lusophone links to Brazil, Portugal, and Guinea-Bissau; has taken steps to deter drug money laundering, including a 2002 anti-money laundering reform that criminalizes laundering the proceeds of narcotics trafficking and other crimes and the establishment in 2008 of a Financial Intelligence Unit (2008)