Location of São Tomé and Príncipe. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia

Map of São Tomé and Príncipe. Source: CIA World Factbook

São Tomé and Príncipe is an African nation composed of the island of São Tomé and the island of Príncipe which are located in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, near the Equator, west of the nation of Gabon. The islands are part of a chain of volcanic mountains that extend from the mainland into the Gulf of Guinea known as the Cameroon Volcanic Line. Neither island has been volcanically active in modern times.  São Tomé and Príncipe has the second smallest population and area of any African nation (about 213,000 people compared to the Seychelles which has about 87,000).

São Tomé and Príncipe's major environmnetal issues include: deforestation and soil erosion and exhaustion.

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. 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 party's precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.

Geography

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

Geographic Coordinates: 1 00 N, 7 00 E

Area: 1,001 km² (1,001 km² land and 0 km² water)

arable land: 8.33%
permanent crops: 48.96%
other: 42.71% (2005) 

Land Boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 209 km

Maritime Claims (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines): Territorial sea to 12 nautical miles and an exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles. 

Natural Hazards: NA

Terrain: Volcanic, Mountainous. Its lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Pico de Sao Tome (2,024 metres)

Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

Government

Government Type: Republic

Capital: Sao Tome

Independence Date: 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

International Environmental Agreements

São Tomé and Príncipe is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.

People and Society

Population: 206,178 (July 2008 est.)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 47.1% (male 49,196/female 47,941)
15-64 years: 49.3% (male 49,326/female 52,324)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 3,350/female 4,041) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 3.116% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 39.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: 68 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 5.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Portuguese (official)

Literacy (2001 census): 84.9% (male: 92.2% - female: 77.9%)

Agriculture

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

Land Use: 100 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: fish, hydropower.

Energy

Health

Major Infectious Diseases: Degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Economy

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 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, which helped bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 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, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth exceeded 6% in 2007, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $256 million (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $144 million (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 6% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $1,600 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 14.9%
industry: 14%
services: 71% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 54% (2004 est.)

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

Exports: cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Export Partners: Belgium 24.3%, Netherlands 24.3%, France 13.2%, [[]US]] 6%, Portugal 4.3% (2006)

Imports: machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Import Partners: Portugal 60.9%, US 11.3%, Gabon 4.4% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $31.9 million in December 2000 under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) program (2005)

Currency: dobra (STD)

Ports and Terminals: Sao Tome

Further Reading

1. CIA World Factbook