Cape Verde, or the Republic of Cape Verde, is a former Portuguese colony that became independent in 1975. It consists of a group of nine volcanic islands with more than 500,000 inhabitants and is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Many foreigners are currently living in Cape Verde.Those who settle here enjoy a relaxed lifestyle in a warm climate and fantastic beaches.
The official language is Portuguese, but the most widely spoken language is Kriol, (Creole), which is the national language but not yet the official language. Some residents speak French and there are also large numbers of Italian emigrants throughout the archipelago. English is also widely spoken on the main tourist islands: Sal and Boavista.
Living in Cape Verde is good, there is not much income disparity. Certainly there are poor and rich people, but there is no big problem with either extreme poverty or great wealth. The vast majority of people can live normally. Cape Verde is considered a leader (on the entire African continent) in terms of civil rights, political rights and stability.
The main difference when coming from a larger and more developed country is the slow and relaxed pace of daily life. Some claim that this characteristic is found in all regions of the world with a more favorable climate, and indeed in Cape Verde the sun shines almost all year round, and temperatures rarely drop below 20° even in the coldest months. . If you think this is a consistently positive aspect, wait until you feel how slowly things get done: what takes hours in other countries, may take weeks or even months here. The sooner you embrace the proverbial patience of Cape Verdeans, the better for you if you want to live here.
The climate makes Cape Verde one of the best places to live. It is one of the few places in the world where it is neither hot nor cold. The average temperature is 24 °C during most of the year.
The quality of life is good. The only drawback is that you may not find the variety of products (food and other products) that you are used to.
Cape Verde is a relatively small country. Although the economy is growing rapidly, employment remains limited. Many Cape Verdeans are unemployed, making it much more difficult for foreigners to find jobs. The greatest opportunities are in health, education, IT and tourism. With the exception of the tourism and IT sectors, knowledge of the Portuguese language is a basic requirement for your employment opportunities. Praia, the capital, offers some job opportunities.
To live and work in Cape Verde, you need a residence and work visa and must be hired as an employee by a local company. The best chances of finding a job are mainly on the islands of Sal and Boavista. Another option for those who decide to move to Cape Verde is to start their own business.
Cape Verde’s best opportunities are in tourism. The country has seen a rapid increase in tourist numbers in recent years. Thanks to investments by numerous foreign groups, new hotels and resorts are being built on the islands’ most popular beaches. Forecasts predict that the number of tourists to Cape Verde will increase sharply in the coming years. It is only a matter of time before other islands besides Sal and Boavista become truly popular with a greater influx of tourists. As tourism increases in the country, so will more opportunities for small businesses. Since tourism is still a “fairly new sector”, there are also still many activities that can be built.
Cape Verde is not perfect: power outages are common, most hospitals do not have modern machinery, public transportation is lacking, etc.
But still, the people who live here are quite content. The opportunity to share the pleasures of life with others in the fresh air, a beer with friends in the afternoon, a chat with neighbors or a jog – all this compensates for the shortcomings of living in Cape Verde. As long as you are more interested in who you are than what you have.