Cape Verde has close to 600,000 people. More than half live on Santiago Island. The country is made up of ten Atlantic islands. Nine of these have people living on them. About 25 per cent of the population lives in poverty. Remittances from abroad make up a big part of the economy. The official language is Portuguese. Kriolu is widely spoken. The World Cup put a spotlight on the country after Argentina beat Cape Verde in their match. Few knew the small nation before that match.