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 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. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N 7 00 E

Area
Rank: 185
Land: 964 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: more than five times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 209 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Terrain: volcanic mountainous

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2024 m

Natural resources: fish hydropower

Land use
Permanent crops: 40.62%
Other: 50.31% (2011)

Irrigated land: 97 km² (2003)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Population: 190,428 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 186
Growth rate: 1.89% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 60
Below poverty line: 66.2% (2009 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Sao Tomean

Ethnic groups: 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)

Languages: Portuguese 98.4% (official) Forro 36.2% Cabo Verdian 8.5% French 6.8% Angolar 6.6% English 4.9% Lunguie 1% other (including sign language) 2.4%

Religions: Catholic 55.7% Adventist 4.1% Assembly of God 3.4% New Apostolic 2.9% Mana 2.3% Universal Kingdom of God 2% Jehovah's Witness 1.2% other 6.2% none 21.2% unspecified 1% (2012 est.)

Age structure
15-24 years: 19.8% (male 19,085/female 18,573)
25-54 years: 30.3% (male 28,232/female 29,410)
55-64 years: 3.5% (male 3,010/female 3,612)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,523/female 3,063) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 75.3 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 6 %
Potential support ratio: 16.7 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 17.3 years
Female: 18.2 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.89% (2014 est.)
Rank: 60

Birth rate: 35.12 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 24

Death rate: 7.45 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 114

Net migration rate: -8.79 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 210

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 3.01% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: SAO TOME (capital) 64,000 (2011)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
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: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.4

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 41
Male: 51.16 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 47.1 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 177
Male: 62.94 years
Female: 65.53 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.67 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 25

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 38.4% (2008/09)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.49 physicians/1000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1% (2012 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 46
People living with hivaids: 1400 (2012 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 141
Deaths: 100 (2012 est.)
Deaths rank: 154

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 9.5% (2008)
Rank: 132

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 14.4% (2009)
Rank: 52

Education expenditures: 9.5% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 6

Literacy
Total population: 69.5%
Male: 80.3%
Female: 60.1% (2008 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2012)

Country name
Conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe
Local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
Local short form: Sao Tome e Principe

Government type: republic

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 0 20 N 6 44 E
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 2 provinces; Principe Sao Tome

Independence: 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day 12 July (1975)

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

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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%

Legislative branch: 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

Judicial branch
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

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: 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)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 1211 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 300 Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 775-2,075 2,076
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 775-2,077
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

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; 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

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA

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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 217

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 68

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 191

Gross national saving:
Rank: 18

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 12%
Investment in fixed capital: 53.1%
Investment in inventories: -1.4%
Exports of goods and services: 13.2%
Imports of goods and services: -114.5%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 19.5%
Services: 66.8% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: cocoa coconuts palm kernels copra cinnamon pepper coffee bananas papayas beans; poultry; fish

Industries: light construction textiles soap beer fish processing timber

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2013 est.)
Rank: 72

Labor force: 52,490 (2007)
Rank: 190

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 66.2% (2009 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Expenditures: $120.3 million (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -11.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 208

Taxes and other revenues: 27% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 109

Public debt: 75.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 44

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 10.6% (2012 est.)
Rank: 200

Central bank discount rate: 28% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 4

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 26% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 11

Stock of narrow money: $38.63 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 185

Stock of broad money: $99.74 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 191

Stock of domestic credit: $94.99 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 176

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$58.7 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 71

Exports: $12.2 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 212
Commodities: cocoa 80% copra coffee palm oil
Partners: Netherlands 33.3% Belgium 21.8% Spain 11% Nigeria 5.6% US 5.1% (2012)

Imports: $115.1 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 212
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment food products petroleum products
Partners: Portugal 63.1% Gabon 5.4% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $51.59 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 168

Debt external: $313.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 180

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 30 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 212
Consumption: 27.9 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 212
Exports: 0 kWh (2012)
Exports rank: 203
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 207
Installed generating capacity: 14,000 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 203
Generation sources fossil fuels: 57.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 138
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 189
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 42.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 56
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 130

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 138
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 192
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 129
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 197

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 200
Products consumption: 904 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 207
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 136
Products imports: 889 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 196

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 199
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 200
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 193
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 137
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 200

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 151,600 Mt (2011 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 8,000 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 204
Mobile cellular: 122,000 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 190

Telephone system
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)

Broadcast media: 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)

Internet
Country code: .st
Hosts: 1678 (2012)
Hosts rank: 165
Users: 26,700 (2009)
Users rank: 184

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

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 206
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2013)

Roadways
Rank: 202
Paved: 218 km
Unpaved: 102 km (2000)

Merchant marine
Rank: 139
By type: bulk carrier 1 cargo 2
Foreign owned: 2 (China 1 Greece 1) (2010)

Disputes international: none