Cape Verde is made up of 10 major islands and five islets, all of volcanic origin. All are arid or semiarid though the mountainous islands of Brava, Santiago, Fogo, Santo Antao and Sao Nicolau do catch enough moisture to support grasslands along with fairly intensive agriculture. By contrast, Maio, Boa Vista, and Sal are flatter and almost entirely arid, with long, sandy beaches and moonlike interiors.

Cape Verde’s population is primarily of mixed European and African descent; most of the remainder are of purely African descent. About 40 percent of the population lives on Santiago, with about half again in or around Praia, the nation’s capital.

The single most arresting sight in Cape Verde is Mt Fogo on the island of the same name. its conical peak, clad in black cinder, tops out at 2829 meters. Santo Antao Island in the northwest is a hiker’s paradise, with a dizzying variety of microclimates including remarkably verdant valleys. At the other extreme are the moonlike landscapes of Sal, Mio and Boa Vista islands, with endless beaches, shifting sand dunes and barren peaks.