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Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe, officially the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa. It consists of two islands: So Tom and Prncipe, located about 140 kilometres apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres, respectively, off the northwestern coast of Gabon. Sao Tome, the sizable southern island, is situated just north of the equator.

 

  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
Nationality:
  • Sao Tomean(s)
  • Sao Tomean
Capital:
  • Sao Tome
  • 0 12 N, 6 39 E
  • UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Independence:
  • 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Population:
  • 212,679
Population growth rate:
  • 3.093% (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  • NA
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)  
 
 
Religions:
  • Catholic 70.3%
  • None 19.4%
  • Evangelical 3.4%
  • New Apostolic 2%
  • Adventist 1.8%
  • Other 3.1%
Languages:
  • Portuguese (official)
Literacy:
  • Ages 15 and over can read and write
  • Total literacy population 84.9%
  • Males: 92.2%
  • Females: 77.9% (2001 census)
Government type:
  • Republic
Location:
  • Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon

Area - comparative:

  • More than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

  • Total: 0 km
Climate:
  • Tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

Natural resources:

  • Fish, Hydropower

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. 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. Potential exists for the development of petroleum resources in Sao Tome'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 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 - real growth rate:
  • 5.5% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

  • $1,300 (2008 est.)
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. 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.

Environment - current issues:

  • Deforestation
  • Soil erosion and exhaustion

 

 

For more info please contact:
African Studies Center
(310) 825-3686
asc@international.ucla.edu