Cape Verde is an island country that is located in the central Atlantic Ocean. Any tourist visiting this country must be aware of the standard voltage, electrical outlet, and plugs in this country. This will not only spare a tourist from all the delays and problems caused by electronic gadgets and appliances, but will also enable safe and efficient use of these. In Cape Verde, the standard voltage is 220-240 V while the primary electrical outlet types are the Type E European CEE 7/4, Type C European CEE 7/16, and Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko.

In cases wherein the plug of the electronic gadget or appliance is not compatible with the shape of the electrical outlet present in Cape Verde, there are adapters that can be used by a tourist. There are different kinds of adapters and the most ideal is the universal adapter that could be used in almost all kinds of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Cape Verde or another country. In addition, there are also voltage converters that are designed to make the 110-120 V of other appliances compatible with the 220-240 V used in the electrical outlets present in Cape Verde. Examples of the voltage converters are the network-resistor converter, step-up and step-down transformer, and the combination voltage converter. These could be purchased in hardware shops around the globe.

Type E European CEE 7/4 Adapter Plug and Electrical Outlet

Type E plug and outlet

The Type E European CEE 7/4 electrical outlet and plug is the standard in France, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, and other European countries including Cape Verde. However, the Type E European CEE 7/4 is not compatible with the Type F of Germany, the Netherlands, and other continental countries of Europe because of the round male pin in the socket. For the electrical outlet and plug of the Type E European CEE 7/4, the male pin is installed upwards in the electrical outlet, with the live connection on the left and neutral connection on the right.

Type E adapter

 The specifications of this Type E plugs used in Cape Verde are two round pins spaced 19mm apart with a hole for the male grounding pin in the electrical socket. The Type E European CEE 7/4 electrical outlet could also be used with Type C plugs while the Type E European CEE 7/4 plugs will work along with Type F electrical outlet in Cape Verde.

Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug Electrical Outlet and Adapter

Type C plug and outlet

The Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug is also known as the CEE 7/16 (Europlug 2.5 A/250 V unearthed), which is a bit similar, only slightly smaller, to the CEE 7/17 and it is one of the most commonly used electrical outlet and plug types in Cape Verde. The plug end of the Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug is compatible as well with the other types of sockets used in Europe, like that of the grounded “Type F” German and “Type E” French Schuko socket, “Type L” Italian socket, “Type H” Israeli socket, “Type J” Swiss socket, and “Type K” Danish socket, although connections to some of these sockets are non-grounded. The pins of this Type C Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced apart by 19mm. In using appliances and gadgets in Cape Verde, the Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug could also be safely used along with the Type C, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. This plug in Cape Verde is also non-polarized and non-grounded.

Type C adapter

In most developing countries where modern electrical structure is lacking, the usual electrical outlet used is the Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug. Aside from Cape Verde, there are also countries in Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim region, Central and South America, and the Caribbean that use this kind of adapter. The Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug alters the shape of the appliance’s plug so that it could be used into a “Type C” European CEE 7/16 Class II non-grounded Europlug socket or a Soviet-era Russian GOST 7396 Class II non-grounded socket often used in Cape Verde. Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug.

Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko Electrical Outlet, Plug, and Adapter

Type F plug and outlet

The Type F CEE 7/7 Schuko is used for the “Type F” CEE 7/4 Schuko style electrical socket of Germany or to a “Type E” CEE 7/5 socket of France. The receptacle end of Type F CEE 7/7 Schuko is compatible with most sockets except the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546) plug and the non-grounded CEE 7/16 Europlug Socket because of its 4.0mm pin receptacles that are too small for the 4.8mm pins of the Type F CEE 7/7 Schuko. On the other hand, the plug end of Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko is compatible with the variations of the Schuko electrical outlet for France and Germany. The pins of this adapter are 4.8mm in diameter, 19mm long, and spaced 19mm apart. They have both side-grounding clips and a receptacle for the male grounding pin which is found in Schuko sockets of France.This electrical outlet in Cape Verde is also similar to the Type E with the difference being its two earth clips are on the side instead of the female earth contact.

Type F adapter

This Schuko plug and receptacle in Cape Verde also has side grounding contacts which allow symmetrical connection system for live and neutral to be reversed. If the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in Cape Verde is already a Schuko, there is no need to use the Type F CEE 7/7 Schuko adapter for the electrical outlet. Commonly known as the Schuko plug, the Type F Schuko plug and electrical outlet was derived from the German word “Schukostecker” which means “protective contact plug.”  The Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko is the standard in countries part of the European Union as well as those which adhere to CENELEC (Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique) standards. Most European countries including Cape Verde use the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko except Denmark, Italy, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus that have their own standard electrical outlet.

Voltage Converters and Universal Adapter

There are three kinds of voltage converters available: the transformer, the network-resistor converter, and the combination of these two. For laptop computers, cameras, mp3 players, and charging of batteries in Cape Verde, the recommended voltage converter to be used is the transformer as it has a lower maximum watt rating of 50 to 100 watts and it could be used continuously although it could be heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires inside. The resistor-network converter could support 50-1600 watts and are often used for a short period of time and in light-weight electrical appliances like hair dryers and iron. The combination network-resistor converter and transformer device usually comes with a switch so a tourist using it in Scotland to convert voltage could just choose which mode to use. In a tourist’s trip to Cape Verde, if the the wrong plug is inserted in the wrong electrical outlet or the voltage does not match, there could be some real damage to the appliance or electronic gadget. In worse cases, this might even cause electrocution.

Combination Voltage Converter

Transformer

Universal Adapter

There is also a universal adapter that is compatible to almost all kinds of electrical outlet and plug. This will be very handy in a tourist’s trip to Cape Verde. It is important to know the proper voltage, electrical outlet, plugs, and adapters to use when visiting Cape Verde and other countries because sometimes these electric requirements vary depending on the location.

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