Sao Tome and Principe

total: 1,479 (2017 est.) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)

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)

.st

total: 50,000 (July 2016 est.) | percent of population: 25.8% (July 2016 est.)

general assessment: local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches (2016) | domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 70 telephones per 100 persons (2016) | international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)

total subscriptions: 5,569 (2017 est.) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions: 173,646 (2017 est.) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 86 (2017 est.)

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

revenues: 103 million (2017 est.) | expenditures: 112.4 million (2017 est.)

-2.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

16% (31 December 2009) | 28% (31 December 2008)

19.61% (31 December 2017 est.) | 19.59% (31 December 2016 est.)

-$32 million (2017 est.) | -$23 million (2016 est.)

$292.9 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $308.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)

30.8 (2010 est.) | 32.1 (2000 est.)

The economy of São Tomé and Príncipe is small, based mainly on agricultural production, and, since independence in 1975, increasingly dependent on the export of cocoa beans. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement. Sao Tome depends heavily on imports of food, fuels, most manufactured goods, and consumer goods, and changes in commodity prices affect the country’s inflation rate. Maintaining control of inflation, fiscal discipline, and increasing flows of foreign direct investment into the nascent oil sector are major economic problems facing the country. In recent years the government has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. In 2017, several business-related laws were enacted that aim to improve the business climate. São Tomé and Príncipe has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. 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. In 2016, Sao Tome and Portugal signed a five-year cooperation agreement worth approximately $64 million, some of which will be provided as loans. In 2017, China and São Tomé signed a mutual cooperation agreement in areas such as infrastructure, health, and agriculture worth approximately $146 million over five years. Considerable potential exists for development of tourism, and the government has taken steps to expand tourist facilities in recent years. Potential also exists for the development of petroleum resources in São Tomé and Príncipe's territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, some of which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria, but production is at least several years off. Volatile aid and investment inflows have limited growth, and poverty remains high. Restricteded capacity at the main port increases the periodic risk of shortages of consumer goods. Contract enforcement in the country’s judicial system is difficult. The IMF in late 2016 expressed concern about vulnerabilities in the country’s banking sector, although the country plans some austerity measures in line with IMF recommendations under their three year extended credit facility. Deforestation, coastal erosion, poor waste management, and misuse of natural resources also are challenging issues.

dobras (STD) per US dollar - | 22,689 (2017 est.) | 21,797 (2016 est.) | 22,149 (2015 est.) | 22,091 (2014 est.) | 18,466 (2013 est.)

$15.6 million (2017 est.) | $9.31 million (2016 est.)

cocoa 68%, copra, coffee, palm oil (2010 est.)

Guyana 43.7%, Germany 23.6%, Portugal 6%, Netherlands 5.5%, Poland 4.4% (2017)

calendar year

$393 million (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

$686 million (2017 est.) | $660.4 million (2016 est.) | $633.9 million (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

household consumption: 81.4% (2017 est.) | government consumption: 17.6% (2017 est.) | investment in fixed capital: 33.4% (2017 est.) | investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.) | exports of goods and services: 7.9% (2017 est.) | imports of goods and services: -40.4% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 11.8% (2017 est.) | industry: 14.8% (2017 est.) | services: 73.4% (2017 est.)

$3,200 (2017 est.) | $3,200 (2016 est.) | $3,100 (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

3.9% (2017 est.) | 4.2% (2016 est.) | 3.8% (2015 est.)

18.7% of GDP (2017 est.) | 21% of GDP (2016 est.) | 19.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

lowest 10%: NA | highest 10%: NA

$127.7 million (2017 est.) | $119.1 million (2016 est.)

machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Portugal 54.7%, Angola 16.5%, China 5.6% (2017)

5% (2017 est.)

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

5.7% (2017 est.) | 5.4% (2016 est.)

72,600 (2017 est.)

agriculture: 26.1% | industry: 21.4% | services: 52.5% (2014 est.)

NA

66.2% (2009 est.)

88.4% of GDP (2017 est.) | 93.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

$58.95 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $61.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$75.38 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $64.95 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.98 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $2.2 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$469.5 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $430.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$96.03 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $73.35 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$75.38 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $64.95 million (31 December 2016 est.)

26.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

12.2% (2017 est.) | 12.6% (2016 est.)

148,100 Mt (2017 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2018)

61.38 million kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016)

88% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

18,100 kW (2016 est.)

66 million kWh (2016 est.)

population without electricity: 100,000 (2013) | electrification - total population: 59% (2013) | electrification - urban areas: 70% (2013) | electrification - rural areas: 40% (2013)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

1,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

1,027 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

total: 964 sq km | land: 964 sq km | water: 0 sq km

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

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

209 km

0 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean | 2024 highest point: Pico de Sao Tome

deforestation and illegal logging; soil erosion and exhaustion; inadequate sewage treatment in cities; biodiversity preservation

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

1 00 N, 7 00 E

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

100 sq km (2012)

0 km

agricultural land: 50.7% (2011 est.) | arable land: 9.1% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 40.6% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 1% (2011 est.) | forest: 28.1% (2011 est.) | other: 21.2% (2011 est.)

Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon

Africa

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

flooding

fish, hydropower

Sao Tome, the capital city, has roughly a quarter of the nation's population; Santo Antonio is the largest town on Principe; the northern areas of both islands have the highest population densities

volcanic, mountainous

6 districts (distritos, singular - distrito), 1 autonomous region* (regiao autonoma); Agua Grande, Cantagalo, Caue, Lemba, Lobata, Me-Zochi, Principe*

name: Sao Tome | geographic coordinates: 0 20 N, 6 44 E | time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

history: approved 5 November 1975 (2017) | amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; the Assembly can propose to the president of the republic that an amendment be submitted to a referendum; revised several times, last in 2006 (2017)

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 | etymology: Sao Tome was named after Saint THOMAS the Apostle by the Portuguese who discovered the island on 21 December 1470 (or 1471), the saint's feast day; Principe is a shortening of the original Portuguese name of "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince) referring to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid

the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the US Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Filomeno Azevedo Agostinho das NEVES (since 3 December 2013) | chancery: 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807, New York, NY 10017 | telephone: [1] (212) 651-8116 | FAX: [1] (212) 651-8117

chief of state: President Evaristo CARVALHO (since 3 September 2016) | head of government: Prime Minister Jorge Bom JESUS (since 3 December 2018) | cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 July 2016 and 7 August 2016 (next to be held in July 2021); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president | election results: Evaristo CARVALHO elected president; percent of vote - Evaristo CARVALHO (ADI) 49.8%, Manuel Pinto DA COSTA (independent) 24.8%, Maria DAS NEVES (MLSTP-PSD) 24.1%; note - first round results for CARVALHO were revised downward from just over 50%, prompting the 7 August runoff; however, on 1 August 2016 DA COSTA withdrew from the runoff, citing voting irregularities, and CARVALHO was declared the winner

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

semi-presidential republic

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

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)

highest courts: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal Justica (consists of 5 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 5 judges, 3 of whom 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 and elected by the National Assembly for 5-year terms | subordinate courts: Court of First Instance; Audit Court

mixed legal system of civil law based on the Portuguese model and customary law

description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022) | election results: percent of vote by party - ADI 41.8%, MLSTP/PSD 40.3%, PCD-GR 9.5%, MCISTP 2.1%, other 6.3%; seats by party - ADI 25, MLSTP-PSD 23, PCD-MDFM-UDD 5, MCISTP 2

name: "Independencia total" (Total Independence) | lyrics/music: Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA | note: adopted 1975

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

palm tree; national colors: green, yellow, red, black

Force for Democratic Change Movement or MDFM [Fradique Bandeira Melo DE MENEZES] Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Patrice TROVOADA] Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Aurelio MARTINS] Party for Democratic Convergence-Reflection Group or PCD-GR [Leonel Mario D'ALVA] other small parties

18 years of age; universal

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. President Evaristo CARVALHO, of the same political party as Prime Minister TROVOADA, was elected in September 2016, marking a rare instance in which the positions of president and prime minister are held by the same party. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.

Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay, working conditions, and alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers have been problems in the past, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance aimed at improving the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces (infantry, technical issues) and the Chief of the General Staff (logistics, administration, finances) (2012)

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (Forcas Armadas de Sao Tome e Principe, FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP; also called "Navy"), Presidential Guard, National Guard (2015)

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

0-14 years: 41.2% (male 42,825 /female 41,403) | 15-24 years: 21.01% (male 21,767 /female 21,188) | 25-54 years: 31.03% (male 31,218 /female 32,229) | 55-64 years: 3.93% (male 3,708 /female 4,332) | 65 years and over: 2.83% (male 2,545 /female 3,239) (2018 est.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Africa :: Sao Tome and Principe Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Sao Tome and Principe. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

31.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

8.8% (2014)

40.6% (2014)

6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe’s youthful age structure – more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25 – and high fertility rate ensure future population growth. Although Sao Tome has a net negative international migration rate, emigration is not a sufficient safety valve to reduce already high levels of unemployment and poverty. While literacy and primary school attendance have improved in recent years, Sao Tome still struggles to improve its educational quality and to increase its secondary school completion rate. Despite some improvements in education and access to healthcare, Sao Tome and Principe has much to do to decrease its high poverty rate, create jobs, and increase its economic growth. The population of Sao Tome and Principe descends primarily from the islands’ colonial Portuguese settlers, who first arrived in the late 15th century, and the much larger number of African slaves brought in for sugar production and the slave trade. For about 100 years after the abolition of slavery in 1876, the population was further shaped by the widespread use of imported unskilled contract laborers from Portugal’s other African colonies, who worked on coffee and cocoa plantations. In the first decades after abolition, most workers were brought from Angola under a system similar to slavery. While Angolan laborers were technically free, they were forced or coerced into long contracts that were automatically renewed and extended to their children. Other contract workers from Mozambique and famine-stricken Cape Verde first arrived in the early 20th century under short-term contracts and had the option of repatriation, although some chose to remain in Sao Tome and Principe. Today’s Sao Tomean population consists of mesticos (creole descendants of the European immigrants and African slaves that first inhabited the islands), forros (descendants of freed African slaves), angolares (descendants of runaway African slaves that formed a community in the south of Sao Tome Island and today are fishermen), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (locally born children of contract laborers), and lesser numbers of Europeans and Asians.

total dependency ratio: 86.7 (2015 est.) | youth dependency ratio: 81.1 (2015 est.) | elderly dependency ratio: 5.6 (2015 est.) | potential support ratio: 17.8 (2015 est.)

improved: urban: 98.9% of population | rural: 93.6% of population | total: 97.1% of population | unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population | rural: 6.4% of population | total: 2.9% of population (2015 est.)

3.7% of GDP (2014)

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)

NA

NA

NA

8.4% of GDP (2014)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)

total: 44.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) | male: 46 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) | female: 42.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

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% (2012 est.) | note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

total population: 65.7 years (2018 est.) | male: 64.3 years (2018 est.) | female: 67.1 years (2018 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) | total population: 74.9% (2015 est.) | male: 81.8% (2015 est.) | female: 68.4% (2015 est.)

degree of risk: high (2016) | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016) | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever (2016) | water contact diseases: schistosomiasis (2016)

80,000 SAO TOME (capital) (2018)

156 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

total: 18.7 years | male: 18.3 years | female: 19.1 years (2018 est.)

19.4 years (2008/09 est.) | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

noun: Sao Tomean(s) | adjective: Sao Tomean

-8.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

12.4% (2016)

204,454 (July 2018 est.)

Sao Tome, the capital city, has roughly a quarter of the nation's population; Santo Antonio is the largest town on Principe; the northern areas of both islands have the highest population densities

1.66% (2018 est.)

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.)

improved: urban: 40.8% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 23.3% of population (2015 est.) | total: 34.7% of population (2015 est.) | unimproved: urban: 59.2% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 76.7% of population (2015 est.) | total: 65.3% of population (2015 est.)

total: 13 years (2015) | male: 13 years (2015) | female: 13 years (2015)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.) | 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.) | 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.) | 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.) | 55-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female (2017 est.) | 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.) | total population: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

4.11 children born/woman (2018 est.)

total: 20.8% (2012 est.) | male: NA (2012 est.) | female: NA (2012 est.)

urban population: 72.8% of total population (2018) | rate of urbanization: 3.33% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

none

2 (2013)

total: 2 (2017) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2017) | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2017)

S9 (2016)

total: 16 (2017) | by type: general cargo 12, other 4 (2017)

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015) | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015) | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 50,716 (2015) | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)

major seaport(s): Sao Tome

total: 320 km (2000) | paved: 218 km (2000) | unpaved: 102 km (2000)