Cape Verde when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Ideally located for the Atlantic slave trade, the islands grew prosperous throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants, privateers, and pirates. The end of slavery in the 19th century led to economic decline and emigration. Cape Verde gradually recovered as an important commercial center and stopover for shipping routes. Incorporated as an overseas department of Portugal in 1951, the islands continued to campaign for independence, which was peacefully achieved in 1975. Since the early 1990s, Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy,
National Library of Cape Verde percent of adult Cape Verdeans are literate. The project also works to disperse texts throughout the country and support national authors. The library has a partnership with the country's municipal libraries to create National Network Public Libraries, a national bibliographic digital database and online public access catalog. National Library of Cape Verde The National Library of Cape Verde () is located in Praia, Cape Verde. The library was established in 1999. The library maintains the National Bibliography, contains the country's historical archives and the theses and dissertation bank and is a legal deposit. It also serves as the public library