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An archipelago off the coast of West Africa, the Republic of Cape Verde was originally found uninhabited and subsequently colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century. On July 5th, 1975, independence from Portugal was attained and a government and legal system similar to Portugal was put in place.
The chain of islands is home to a population of just over 405,000 inhabitants which 78% are Creole, 28% African, and 1% European. The life expectancy among Cape Verdean males is 66 years and among females 73 years. Literacy rates are high relative to many other African countries, with 81% of males and 64% of females, who are able to read and write. The predominant religions in the country are Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
Cape Verde's economy suffers from a poor natural resource base that is repeatedly aggravated by long and severe droughts. Therefore, much of the strength from the Cape Verdean economy lies in the service industry, which accounts for 70% of GDP. In the year 2000, per capita GDP was $1,700. Major imports to the islands include foodstuffs, industrial products, and transport equipment, while major exports include fuel, shoes, garments, fish, and bananas. Significant trading partners are Portugal, the UK, France and Spain.
In 1998, there were 52,900 telephone lines, equal to about 12.16 telephone lines for every 100 people. Overall, the telephone system is quite effective and continues to be improved. Domestically, there are both analog and digital exchanges for microwave radio relay between the islands. Furthermore, a submarine fiber-optic cable was scheduled for completion in 1998. Internationally, Cape Verde has two coaxial submarine cables, an HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, and one satellite earth station - Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean).
There is one private Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Cape
Verde as of the year 2000. 
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