The Republic of Cape Verde (in Portuguese, Republica de Cabo Verde) is a small West African country consisting of ten volcanic islands and five islets 300 miles due west of the westernmost point of Africa. The archipelago features two island groups. The Barlevento group on the north includes Santo Antão, São Vincento, Santa Luzia (uninhabited), São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista, along with the islets Raso and Branco. The Sotavento group on the south includes Maio, São Tiago, Fogo, and Brava, and the islets of Grande, Luís, Carneiro, and Cima. Praia on São Tiago is the capital and main town of the Sotavento islands, while Mindelo on São Vincente is the main town in the north.

The majority of the population is Crioulo (Creole) or mestiço, the result of early relationships between slave owners and their female slaves. The people of Cape Verde descended from both European and African ancestry, developing a Luso-African culture.

The official language of Cape Verde is Portuguese. However, it is Crioulo that is the mother tongue and national language. Crioulo expresses the saudade (soul) of Cape Verde and is the defining linguistic feature of cultural identity. Crioulo, consisting of antiquated Portuguese modified through contact with various African languages, emerged in the sixteenth century. It initially served as the lingua franca for Portuguese and African slave traders, a hybrid language of commerce.