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 four failed non-violent coup attempts in 1995 1998 2003 and 2009. In 2012 three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA but in 2014 legislative elections returned him to the office. 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

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 964 km²
Land: 964 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 185
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 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2024 m

Natural resources: fish hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 50.7%
Forest: 28.1%
Other: 21.2%

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: 194,006 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 186
Growth rate: 1.84% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 61
Below poverty line: 66.2% (2009 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Sao Tomean
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%
Note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

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
0-14 years: 43.04%
15-24 years: 20.03%
25-54 years: 30.47%
55-64 years: 3.59%
65 years and over: 2.88% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 84.2%
Youth dependency ratio: 78.5%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.7%
Potential support ratio: 17.6%

Median age
Total: 17.9 years
Male: 17.5 years
Female: 18.4 years

Population growth rate: 1.84% (2015 est.)
Rank: 61

Birth rate: 34.23 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 27

Death rate: 7.24 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 121

Net migration rate: -8.63 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 212

Urbanization
Urban population: 65.1% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.58% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: SAO TOME (capital) 71,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male/female
55-64 years: 0.84 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 47.88 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 49.85 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 45.85 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 41

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.58 years
Male: 63.27 years
Female: 65.92 years
Rank: 178

Total fertility rate: 4.54 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 26

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 38.4% (2008/09)

Drinking water source:

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

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.78% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 52
People living with hivaids: 1000 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 119
Deaths: 100 (2014 est.)
Deaths rank: 129

Major infectious diseases
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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 10.6% (2014)
Rank: 132

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 14.4% (2009)
Rank: 50

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

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 74.9%
Male: 81.8%
Female: 68.4%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years

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

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Sao Tome
Geographic coordinates: 0 20 N 6 44 E
Time difference: UTC 0

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 2006 (2015)

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Sao Tome and Principe
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Manuel Pinto DA COSTA
Head of government: Prime Minister Patrice Emery TROVOADA
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held on 17 July and 7 August 2011 (next to be held in July 2016); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president
Election results: Manuel Pinto DA COSTA elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Manuel Pinto DA COSTA 52.9% Evaristo CARVALHO (ADI) 47.1%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional
Elections: last held on 12 October 2014
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADI 33 MLSTP-PSD 16 PCD-GR 5 other 1

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court ; 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

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AOSIS AU CD CEMAC 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) MIGA NAM OIF OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Filomeno Azevedo Agostinho das NEVES
In the us chancery: 675 Third Avenue Suite 1807 New York NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] 651-8,116
In the us FAX: [1] 651-8,117
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
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols: palm tree; national colors: green yellow red black

National anthem
Name: 'Independencia total'
Lyrics and music: Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA
Note: adopted 1975

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 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 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:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 211

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 68

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 185

Gross national saving:
Rank: 176

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 80.3%
Government consumption: 13.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 45.7%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 11.9%
Imports of goods and services: -51.2%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.8%
Industry: 16.1%
Services: 65.2%

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: 4.2% (2014 est.)
Rank: 69

Labor force: 65,000 (2014 est.)
Rank: 187
By occupation note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 143

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

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

Budget
Revenues: $87.62 million
Expenditures: $106.2 million
Surplus or deficit: -5.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 180

Taxes and other revenues: 25.9% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 113

Public debt:
Rank: 42

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 195

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 8

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 30

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 189

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 192

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 180

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:
Rank: 80

Exports:
Rank: 212
Commodities: cocoa 80% copra coffee palm oil (2010 est.)
Partners: Netherlands 25.6% Belgium 23.6% Turkey 17.9% Spain 8.6% US 6.1% Germany 5.3% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 211
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment food products petroleum products
Partners: Portugal 65.4% Gabon 6.1% China 5.3% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 168

Debt external:
Rank: 188

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 65 million kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 204
Consumption: 60.45 million kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 204
Exports: 0 kWh (2013)
Exports rank: 205
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 209
Installed generating capacity: 16,000 kW (2012 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 205
Generation sources fossil fuels: 75% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 99
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 192
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 25% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 85
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 134

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 199
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 198
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 135
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 199

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 137
Products consumption: 900 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 203
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 137
Products imports: 905.6 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 199

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 137
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 201
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 193
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 142
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 200

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 137,800 Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 205

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 6,800
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4
Fixed lines rank: 205
Mobile cellular total: 128,500
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67
Mobile cellular rank: 187

Telephone system
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 (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
Users total: 47,000
Users percent of population: 24.7%
Users rank: 186

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 total: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1

Roadways
Total: 320 km
Paved: 218 km
Unpaved: 102 km
Rank: 204

Merchant marine
Total: 3
By type: bulk carrier 1 cargo 2
Foreign owned: 2 (2010)
Rank: 138

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Sao Tome

Disputes international: none