The archipelago off West Africa that was a Portuguese colony and is now an independent country is Cape Verde. Officially called the Republic of Cabo Verde, it is a volcanic island country in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Portuguese explorers settled the previously uninhabited islands in the 15th century. Their location made Cape Verde an important stop in Atlantic shipping and a major center connected to the transatlantic slave trade. The islands also became valuable for resupplying ships sailing between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal on 5 July 1975. Its ten main islands are divided into the Barlavento, or Windward, group and the Sotavento, or Leeward, group. Santiago is the largest island and contains Praia, the capital.
A common mix-up is with Madeira, the Canary Islands, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Those are also Atlantic island groups with Portuguese or Spanish connections, but Cape Verde is the independent West African archipelagic country described here.