Cape Verde:
Cape Verde is a collection of small islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Senegal. No-one lived on these islands until the Portuguese came along and claimed them, bringing African slaves to work the land. Now the majority of the 400,000 people are of mixed descent, and this has ruled out any ethnic tensions. Independence from Portugal came in 1975, followed by one-party rule, and then mutiparty elections in 1991.
Not a lot of tourists go to Cape Verde, but there are mountains and volcanoes to climb and beaches to hang out on. The quality of life in Cape Verde is better than in most African countries. The main problem in this country is the debilitating droughts; the islands tend to be very dry. Major reforestation efforts have tried to improve this situation and encourage rainfall.
Music: Cape Verde's most famous citizen is singer Cesaria Evora, whose amazingly soulful voice and poignant folk songs conjure up images of what it's like to live on these unique islands.