Sao Tome and Principe

Internet country code

.st

Internet hosts

1,069 (2003)

Internet users

15,000 (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)

Telephone system

general assessment: adequate facilities domestic: minimal system international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

7,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4,800 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

2 (2002)

Agriculture - products

cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish

Budget

revenues: $27.94 million expenditures: $43.91 million, including capital expenditures of $54 million (2004 est.)

Currency (code)

dobra (STD)

Current account balance

$-31.5 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external

$318 million (2002)

Economic aid - recipient

$200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program

Economy - overview

This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings in 2003. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, but lacking a formal poverty reduction program with the IMF, it has not benefited from subsequent HIPC debt reductions. Sao Tome's external debt stands at over $300 million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea. The first production license was sold to a consortium led by US-based oil firms. Much of the 2005 budget is dependent upon the sale of additional production licenses.

Electricity - consumption

15.81 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

17 million kWh (2002)

Exchange rates

dobras per US dollar - 9,900.4 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002), 8,842.1 (2001), 7,978.2 (2000)

Exports

$6.7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Exports - partners

Netherlands 35.9%, China 12.3%, Belgium 7.4%, Germany 6.3%, Poland 5.1%, France 4.8%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$214 million (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16.5% industry: 15.4% services: 68.1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$41 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Imports - partners

Portugal 52.3%, Germany 9.5%, US 6%, Netherlands 4.8%, South Africa 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2004)

Industrial production growth rate

NA

Industries

light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing; timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

14% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

31.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Labor force

NA

Labor force - by occupation

population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing note: shortages of skilled workers

Oil - consumption

700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

54% (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$29.78 million (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA

Area

total: 1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

Coastline

209 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

1 00 N, 7 00 E

Geography - note

the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous

Irrigated land

100 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 6.25% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 44.79% (2001)

Location

Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

fish, hydropower

Terrain

volcanic, mountainous

Administrative divisions

2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995

Capital

Sao Tome

Constitution

approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990

Country name

conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands

Diplomatic representation in the US

Sao Tome and Principe does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN, headed by First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA, located at 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone [1] (212) 317-0580

Executive branch

chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Maria do Carmo SILVEIRA (since 7 June 2005); Damiao Vaz DE ALMEIDA resigned 2 June 2005 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held July 2006); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in Sao Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - NA%

Flag description

three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Government type

republic

Independence

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)

Legal system

based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23, Ue-Kedadji coalition 8

National holiday

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement [leader NA]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader NA]; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's economy.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 33,438 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 25,950 (2005 est.)

Military - note

Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resouces at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as intial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is excersized from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)

Military branches

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard, Presidential Guard (2004)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$700,000 (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.8% (2004)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Age structure

0-14 years: 47.6% (male 45,145/female 44,007) 15-64 years: 48.6% (male 43,996/female 47,011) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 3,333/female 3,918) (2005 est.)

Birth rate

40.8 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate

6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Ethnic groups

mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

total: 43.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 45.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Languages

Portuguese (official)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.99 years male: 65.43 years female: 68.59 years (2005 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.3% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2004)

Median age

total: 16.12 years male: 15.53 years female: 16.71 years (2005 est.)

Nationality

noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean

Net migration rate

-2.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Population

187,410 (July 2005 est.)

Population growth rate

3.16% (2005 est.)

Religions

Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.71 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 79,490 GRT/97,077 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 11, chemical tanker 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Egypt 1, Greece 1) (2005)

Ports and harbors

Sao Tome