The archipelago forming the Republic of Cape Verde consists of 21 islands and inlets, 9 of which are inhabited. First discovered by Portuguese sailors around 1455, the islands were set up as a strategically secure base for trade along the West African coast and became stopover points for such famous navigators as Vasco Da Gama and Christopher Columbus. This small nation achieved independence from Portuguese rule in 1975, first as a nationalist one-party state and then in 1991 transforming into a plural democracy. Since independence, its growing tourism business has improved the living conditions of this once poor and undeveloped nation into the promising up-and-coming country it is today.

This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cape Verde offers a comprehensive history of the country, linking the pre-colonial and colonial past with postcolonial events. Through newly created maps, a detailed chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, appendixes, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important political and cultural events, historical figures, places, political organizations, and cultural groups as well as abstract cultural, social, political, and economic topics, this valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, professionals, and teachers of African studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to providing the most extensive and up-to-date assessment of Cape Verde history available.