1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Coastline
209 km
Comparative area
slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Environment
deforestation; soil erosion
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 1%; permanent crops 20%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 75%; other 3%
Maritime claims
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
fish
Note
located south of Nigeria and west of Gabon near the Equator in the North Atlantic Ocean
Terrain
volcanic, mountainous
Total area
960 km2; land area: 960 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
38 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
mestico, angolares (descendents of Angolan slaves), forros (descendents of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), and Europeans (primarily Portuguese)
Infant mortality rate
60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
21,096 (1981); most of population engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; labor shortages on plantations and of skilled workers; 56% of population of working age (1983)
Language
Portuguese (official)
Life expectancy at birth
64 years male, 68 years female (1991)
Literacy
57% (male 73%, female 42%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
Nationality
noun--Sao Tomean(s); adjective--Sao Tomean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
NA
Population
128,499 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
Religion
Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist
Total fertility rate
5.3 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
2 districts (concelhos, singular--concelho); Principe, Sao Tome
Capital
Sao Tome
Constitution
5 November 1975, approved 15 December 1982
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Joaquim Rafael BRANCO; Chancery (temporary) at 801 Second Avenue, Suite 1504, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 697-4211; US--Ambassador Keith L. WAUCHOPE in Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands
Elections
President--last held 3 March 1991 (next to be held March 1996); results--Miguel TROVOADA was elected without opposition in Sao Tome's first multiparty presidential election; National People's Assembly--last held 20 January 1991 (next to be held January 1996); results--PCD-GR 54.4%, MLSTP 30.5%, CODO 5.2%, FDC 1.5%, other 8.3%; seats--(55 total) PCD-GR 33, MLSTP 21, CODO 1; note--this was the first National Assembly multiparty election in Sao Tome
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
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; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Independence
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President Miguel TROVOADA (since 4 April 1991); Head of Government--Prime Minister Daniel Lima Dos Santos DAIO (since 21 January 1991)
Legal system
based on Portuguese law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral People's National Assembly (Assembleia Popular Nacional)
Long-form name
Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Political parties and leaders
Party for Democratic Convergence-Reflection Group (PCD-GR), Prime Minister Daniel Lima Dos Santos DAIO, secretary general; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP), Carlos da GRACIA; Christian Democratic Front (FDC), Alphonse Dos SANTOS; Democratic Opposition Coalition (CODO), leader NA; other small parties
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
dominant sector of economy, primary source of exports; cash crops--cocoa (85%), coconuts, palm kernels, coffee; food products--bananas, papaya, beans, poultry, fish; not self-sufficient in food grain and meat
Budget
revenues $10.2 million; expenditures $36.8 million, including capital expenditures of $22.5 million (1989)
Currency
dobra (plural--dobras); 1 dobra (Db) = 100 centimos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $8 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $59 million
Electricity
5,000 kW capacity; 12 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
dobras (Db) per US$1--122.48 (December 1988), 72.827 (1987), 36.993 (1986), 41.195 (1985)
Exports
$5.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--cocoa 85%, copra, coffee, palm oil; partners--FRG, GDR, Netherlands, China
External debt
$110 million (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$46.0 million, per capita $380; real growth rate 1.5% (1989)
Imports
$26.8 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery and electrical equipment 54%, food products 23%, other 23%; partners--Portugal, GDR, Angola, China
Industrial production
growth rate 7.1% (1986)
Industries
light construction, shirts, soap, beer, fisheries, shrimp processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
36% (1989 est.)
Overview
The economy has remained dependent on cocoa since the country gained independence nearly 15 years ago. Since then, however, cocoa production has gradually deteriorated because of drought and mismanagement, so that by 1987 output had fallen to less than 50% of its former levels. As a result, a shortage of cocoa for export has created a serious balance-of-payments problem. Production of less important crops, such as coffee, copra, and palm kernels, has also declined. The value of imports generally exceeds that of exports by a ratio of 4 to 1. The emphasis on cocoa production at the expense of other food crops has meant that Sao Tome has to import 90% of food needs. It also has to import all fuels and most manufactured goods. Over the years, Sao Tome has been unable to service its external debt, which amounts to roughly 80% of export earnings. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also implemented a Five-Year Plan covering 1986-90 to restructure the economy and reschedule external debt service payments in cooperation with the International Development Association and Western lenders.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
8 major transport aircraft
Highways
300 km (two-thirds are paved); roads on Principe are mostly unpaved and in need of repair
Ports
Sao Tome, Santo Antonio
Telecommunications
minimal system; 2,200 telephones; stations--1 AM, 2 FM, no TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, National Police
Defense expenditures
$NA, 1.6% of GDP (1980) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 28,984; 15,287 fit for military service