Cape Verde is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean about 500km outside Africa’s east coast. It forms part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, Canary Islands and Madeira. Cape Verde has few natural resources. Only five of the ten main islands normally support significant agricultural production and over 90% of all food consumed in Cape Verde is imported. Despite that the country has seen significant economical growth and development. Tourism has been an important part in that. The small island of Sal, which means salt, is largely covered in sand. During my visit the beaches were slowly taken over by construction sites for new hotels. Despite that the local culture remained prominent, at least when I made my visit. The island of Santiago is an opposite ecologically, very green and with high mountains. Because of the islands isolated location it has a handful of endemic birds and unique wildlife.
