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 African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.

Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon

1 00 N, 7 00 E

Africa

total: 964 sq km
country comparison to the world: 185
land: 964 sq km
water: 0 sq km

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

209 km

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

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

volcanic, mountainous

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

fish, hydropower

arable land: 9.06%
permanent crops: 40.62%
other: 50.31% (2011)

97 sq km (2003)

NA

deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion

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

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

noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean

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

Portuguese (official)

Catholic 55.7%, Evangelical 5.7%, Adventist 4.1%, New Apostolic 2.9%, other 5%, none 21.2%, undeclared 1% (2012 est.)

186,817 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186

0-14 years: 44% (male 41,791/female 40,381)
15-24 years: 19.6% (male 18,552/female 18,054)
25-54 years: 30% (male 27,448/female 28,667)
55-64 years: 3.4% (male 2,863/female 3,452)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,550/female 3,059) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 81.8 %
youth dependency ratio: 75.6 %
elderly dependency ratio: 6.1 %
potential support ratio: 16.3 (2013)

total: 17.6 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 18.1 years (2013 est.)

1.94% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59

36.05 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22

7.68 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111

-8.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209

urban population: 62.7% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 3.01% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

SAO TOME (capital) 60,000 (2009)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

19.4
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2009 est.)

70 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 89

total: 50.48 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 42
male: 52.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 48.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 63.86 years
country comparison to the world: 177
male: 62.61 years
female: 65.14 years (2013 est.)

4.81 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23

38.4% (2008/09)

7.7% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 69

0.49 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)

NA

NA

NA

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)

9.5% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 132

14.4% (2009)
country comparison to the world: 53

NA

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.5%
male: 80.3%
female: 60.1% (2008 est.)

total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2010)

total number: 3,235
percentage: 8 % (2006 est.)

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

republic

name: Sao Tome
geographic coordinates: 0 20 N, 6 44 E
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

approved 5 November 1975; revised several times, last in 2003 (2012)

mixed legal system of civil law base on the Portuguese model and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Manuel Pinto DA COSTA (since 3 September 2011)
head of government: Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA (since 12 December 2012)
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 (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 July and 7 August 2011 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president
election results: Manuel Pinto DA COSTA elected president in a run-off election; percent of vote - Manuel Pinto DA COSTA 52.9%, Evaristo CARVALHO 47.1%

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 August 2010 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADI 26, MLSTP-PSD 21, PCD 7, MDFM 1

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 5 judges, 3 of which are from the Supreme Court)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president of the republic and elected by the National Assembly for 5-year terms
subordinate courts: Court of First Instance; Audit Court

Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM [Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ]

Association of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs or FONG
other: the media

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CPLP, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Filomeno Azevedo AGOSTINHO das Neves (since 3 December 2013)
chancery: 1211 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 775-2075, 2076
FAX: [1] (202) 775-2077

the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon, currently Charge d'Affaires Dante PARADISO, is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands

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; green stands for the country's rich vegetation, red recalls the struggle for independence, and yellow represents cocoa, one of the country's main agricultural products; the two stars symbolize the two main islands
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

name: "Independencia total" (Total Independence)
lyrics/music: Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA
note: adopted 1975

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. Sao Tome and Principe has to import fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome and Principe benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, which helped bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005, the government signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. In April 2011 the country completed a Threshold Country Program with The Millennium Challenge Corporation to help increase tax revenues, reform customs, and improve the business environment. 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. Potential exists for the development of petroleum resources in Sao Tome and Principe's territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria, but any actual production is at least several years off. The first production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed the country''s receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Maintaining control of inflation, fiscal discipline, and increasing flows of foreign direct investment into the oil sector are the major economic problems facing the country.

$397 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$259.4 million (2012 est.)

4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85

$2,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

27.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35

household consumption: 132.9%
government consumption: 12.4%
investment in fixed capital: 51.3%
investment in inventories: -1.6%
exports of goods and services: 15.5%
imports of goods and services: -110.5%

agriculture: 13.9%
industry: 19.4%
services: 66.6% (2012 est.)

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

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

5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56

52,490 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 189

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

NA%

66.2% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

revenues: $88.38 million
expenditures: $116.7 million (2012 est.)

34.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72

-10.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

75.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33

calendar year

10.6% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

16% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 4

26% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9

$38.63 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187

$80.55 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190

$94.99 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

$NA

$-58.7 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70

$12.2 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209

cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Netherlands 33.3%, Belgium 21.8%, Spain 11%, Nigeria 5.6%, US 5.1% (2012)

$115.1 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211

machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Portugal 63.1%, Gabon 5.4% (2012)

$51.59 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167

$313.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182

dobras (STD) per US dollar -

30 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211

27.9 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211

0 kWh (2012)
country comparison to the world: 138

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141

14,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201

57.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188

42.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129

0 bbl (1 January 2010 es)
country comparison to the world: 194

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135

903.5 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135

889 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 199

151,600 Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199

8,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 204

122,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 190

general assessment: local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 65 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

1 government-owned TV station; 1 government-owned radio station; 3 independent local radio stations authorized in 2005 with 2 operating at the end of 2006; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

.st

1,678 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 165

26,700 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 184

2 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 206

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

total: 320 km
country comparison to the world: 204
paved: 218 km
unpaved: 102 km (2000)

total: 3
country comparison to the world: 139
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 2
foreign-owned: 2 (China 1, Greece 1) (2010)

major seaport(s): Sao Tome

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (Forcas Armadas de Sao Tome e Principe, FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP); also called "Navy"), Presidential Guard (2013)

18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service; 17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service (2012)

males age 16-49: 39,182
females age 16-49: 39,845 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 27,310
females age 16-49: 29,279 (2010 est.)

male: 2,076
female: 2,003 (2010 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources 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, working conditions, and alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers have been problems in the past, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance aimed at improving the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)