🇨🇻 Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde is a volcanic archipelago of 10 islands 570 km off West Africa's coast, home to about 590,000 people. GDP is around $2.4 billion. Despite having almost no natural resources and limited arable land (only 10% of the territory), it's one of Africa's most stable democracies and a middle-income country. The diaspora is larger than the resident population — an estimated 700,000 Cabo Verdeans live abroad, mostly in the US, Portugal, and France. The music genre morna, made famous by Cesária Évora, is UNESCO-recognized. The country changed its name from Cape Verde to Cabo Verde in 2013.

Tourism accounts for about 25% of GDP, with European visitors (especially Portuguese, British, and German) dominating arrivals. Remittances contribute another 12% of GDP. Fish and shellfish are the main exports. The country has a currency pegged to the euro, providing monetary stability. Cabo Verde imports over 80% of its food, making it vulnerable to global price shocks.

Cabo Verde has never had a famine despite being one of the driest countries in Africa — a remarkable achievement given that droughts are frequent. The islands were uninhabited until Portuguese colonizers arrived in the 15th century, making the entire population descended from settlers and enslaved Africans. Charles Darwin visited in 1832 and called it his first "real" scientific experience.

Cabo Verde is a governance success story in a tough neighborhood, but its tiny size and resource scarcity cap the upside. The blue economy — fisheries, marine tourism, ocean energy — is the logical growth path.