On your vacation in Cape Verde, you will not only find exotic beaches and incredible islands, it also has a valuable historical legacy that we invite you to discover in this post. Discover the history of Cape Verde Portugal!
BEFORE TRAVELLING! Remember to hire the Best Travel Insurance for Cape Verde. Click here to find it!
Cape Verde: Portuguese colony since the fifteenth century
The history of Cape Verde Portugal practically began to be written with the arrival of the first human beings in this archipelago, about 550 years ago .
During the years between 1434 and 1475, in the fifteenth century, the Portuguese explorers began to tour the Gulf of Guinea and when they returned they arrived at the Cape Verde Islands when it was 1460 , settling two years later on the island of Santiago.
The Portuguese immediately recognized that this place had a convenient strategic location, so they used it to establish their first settlement in the tropics and from where the slave trade within the Atlantic was facilitated.
This is how Cape Verde Portugal appeared in history, a very prosperous colony throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, which in turn attracted a large number of corsairs, merchants and even pirates.
Cape Verde Portugal radically changed its status as a virgin island to become a commercial center and a point of interest as a stopover for supplies when traveling through the main maritime routes.
When did they become independent from Portugal?
Identified as the Overseas Province of Cape Verde since 1951, the destiny of this territory was in the hands of the Portuguese Empire practically since the discovery of its islands around the year 1462.
However, on July 5, 1975, it achieved its independence, becoming the Republic of Cape Verde. This victory was made possible through a struggle for his release, with the support of soldiers from Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
Cape Verde–Portugal War
When the Portuguese empire arrived in Cape Verde, it showed an interest in turning it into a rich and prosperous colony. It quickly promoted its occupation and development, granting permission to its settlers to traffic in slaves from the island of Santiago.
However, when slavery was abolished in 1876, Cape Verde Portugal lost some of its commercial relevance.
Although a large number of ships continued to navigate its waters and transport oil, the majority of Cape Verdeans lived under miserable conditions , with famines that motivated them to emigrate especially to the metropolis and Europe.
By the year 1926 a dictatorship at the head of the Portuguese government took office, the Cape Verdeans then began to be repressed and their only way out was the rebellion that had popular support, thus triggering the war in Cape Verde Portugal.
Many students from Portuguese colonies established themselves as anti-colonial fighters in Lisbon, an example of this was Amílcar Cabral, who years later founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, identified by the acronym PAIGC.
In 1961, guerrilla movements began on the African continent, led by hundreds of Cape Verdeans who became increasingly stronger and more intrepid with the support of the PAIGC and even the international community, especially after the assassination of Cabral in 1973.
In 1974 the Carnation Revolution took place in Portugal , one of its consequences being the fall of the colonial regime when the independence of the territory of Cape Verde was proclaimed, which became governed by the PAIGC.
What relationship do Cape Verde and Portugal currently have?
Both nations maintain foreign diplomatic relations as members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries and the United Nations.
This has been favored by the fact that during the Portuguese colonial war that triggered the autonomy of the islands and Cape Verde, Portugal did not present an armed conflict but rather a bilateral negotiation.
Since then, Cape Verde-Portugal relations remain strong and maintain many cultural similarities as many Cape Verdeans have Portuguese ancestry.
These two countries receive visits from senior leaders and work closely together for their political, economic and social development within the CPLP.
Embassy of Cape Verde in Portugal
The Embaixada de Cabo Verde Portugal is a Cape Verdean territorial space located at Av. do Restelo 33, 1449-025 Lisbon, Portugal ; that provides services to all its citizens and it is possible to access its web portal by clicking here .
In this digital space, all interested parties can identify themselves, specify their Cape Verdean nationality, obtain visas, passports, permits, records of civil procedures, validate documents and much more.
Its consular section is operational from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm; providing attention to its visitors through a password that is withdrawn at the entrance.
The ambassador in charge of this entity is Eurico Correia Monteiro since 2017, a lawyer and legal consultant who is also the author of numerous bills, born in S. Tomé in 1955 and of Cape Verdean nationality.
This political personality supervised the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Cape Verde in 1992, in addition to being the co-author of other important projects that have allowed the rise and growth of his nation.