Journey to Cape Verde Trivia Quiz

Answer: Volcanic eruptions

Volcanic eruptions millions of years ago formed Cape Verde and its islands. As the volcanic rock hardened, the land that is now known as Cape Verde formed. Therefore, much of Cape Verde is rugged and covered in igneous rock.

Answer: 400 miles (640 km)

The distance from Cape Verde to the African mainland was measured by measuring the distance from Cape Verde to Dakar, Senegal (on the western tip of Africa). The distance is about the same as the distance traveled when one drives from Madrid to Barcelona.

Answer: 1/3 as tall

Mount Everest towers at an astonishing 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) high. When the height of Pico de Fogo (9,281 ft) is divided by the height of Everest (29,029 ft), the quotient is about .319 (rounded in this question to 1/3). As the name implies, Pico de Fogo is on the island of Fogo and is actually an active volcano that erupted in the mid-1990s.

Answer: Santiago

Over 200,000 people live on Santiago, Cape Verde. With the capital city of Praia there, Santiago is known to be the governmental center of Cape Verde. It has a very varied landscape, as beaches, mountainous areas, and fertile valleys are all found within the 991 square kilometer (382.6 square mile) area. Santiago is also the name of the capital city of Chile

Answer: Birds

Many birds go to Cape Verde when they migrate. Hoopoes are migratory birds that are known to forage for food on the ground. The brown booby is a bird that feeds on marine life by diving into the sea to catch prey. Ruddy turnstones are small birds that often migrate to Cape Verde when conditions in their native environments become unfit to support them.

Answer: Portugal

The Portuguese were the first to colonize Cape Verde in the mid 1400s during the Age of Exploration. When the Portuguese arrived at Cape Verde, the islands were devoid of any people. Over time, the Portuguese planted crops like cotton and sugar and established a colony on Cape Verde. This influence lives on to today, as the official language of Cape Verde is Portuguese.

Answer: Cape Verde Warbler

The Cape Verde Warbler is a species of warbler that can only be found in Cape Verde. Over time, the population of Cape Verde Warblers has decreased. This decrease has been attributed to the rising human population and the droughts often experienced in the area (therefore limiting the resources available to the warblers).

Answer: Salt

Unlike other productive African countries, Cape Verde does not produce lots of oil and does not have a lot of gold and silver. Only 11% of the land is arable, and the area has many droughts, so it is very hard to produce a surplus of crops. Therefore, over 90% of the food eaten in Cape Verde is imported.

Answer: Banana

Despite the droughts that affect the country's crops, Cape Verde continues to be one of the more stable African countries. Cape Verde's economy has grown steadily over the past couple of years and has maintained a stable government (unlike other countries).

In 2007, Cape Verde became only the second country to be promoted out of the list of the 50 least-developed countries in the world by the United Nations. The first country to be promoted out of the list was Botswana in 1994.

Answer: Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha is located on the island of Santiago. It is named for the Portuguese word for "Old City". When it was first settled, the town was called Ribeiro Grande. In the 18th century, the name was changed to Cidade Velha. Cidade Velha was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.