Sao Tome and Principe
Country Guide

Explore Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe with its capital Sao Tome is located in Africa (Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea). It covers some 965 square kilometers (more than five times the size of Washington, DC) with 201,025 citizens. Portuguese is the language commonly spoken used by the people in Sao Tome and Principe. This country shares no land borders with another country.

Sao Tome and Principe is a small island nation off the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, located in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon. Sao Tome & Principe were both uninhabited prior to colonization by the Portuguese. Since then, much of the landscape has remained unchanged or, where former plantations once stood, reclaimed by the rainforests. The islands are covered by lush rainforests and with a small population and very few tourists, it remains a veritible tropical paradise.he waters around Sao Tome are clear and rich with life. Consequently, diving, fishing and boat tours provide much to see. One of the few operators that offers these activities is Club Maxel.

Popular Destinations in Sao Tome and Principe

Administrative regions of Sao Tome and Principe

• Principe
• Sao Tome

About the country

The landscape is volcanic, mountainous. The average density of population is about 209 per km². The climate in Sao Tome and Principe can be described as tropicalhot, humid, one rainy season (October to May). Potential threats by nature are flooding.

To reach someone Sao Tome and Principe dial +239 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 3G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".st". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 230 V - 50 Hz (plugs: C, F). The sign for the locally used currency Dobra is STD.

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.

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.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 185)	964	sq km
Land (World Rank: 182)	964	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 187)	1.00	%
Comparative	more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
209
Elevation
Highest point (World Rank: 123)	2,024	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 68)	50.70	%
Arable (World Rank: 120)	9.10	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 3)	40.60	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 187)	1.00	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 142)	100	sq km
Map reference
Africa
Environment
Issues	- deforestation - soil erosion and exhaustion
Agreement party	- Biodiversity - Climate Change - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol - Desertification - Endangered Species - Environmental Modification - Law of the Sea - Ozone Layer Protection - Ship Pollution - Wetlands
Hazzards	flooding
Location
Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Terrain
volcanic, mountainous

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 183)	201,025
Deathrate (World Rank: 136)	0.68	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 31)	3.24	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 60)	1.72	%
Migration rate (World Rank: 172)	-0.83	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 30)	4.25	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 210)	18.00
Female (World Rank: 208)	18.80
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 177)	42,781
0 14 female (World Rank: 175)	41,354
15 24 male (World Rank: 182)	21,070
15 24 female (World Rank: 182)	20,507
25 54 male (World Rank: 186)	30,454
25 54 female (World Rank: 185)	31,509
55 64 male (World Rank: 202)	3,515
55 64 female (World Rank: 198)	4,140
65 x male (World Rank: 205)	2,523
65 x female (World Rank: 204)	3,172
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 40)	4.53	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 175)	65	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 180)	67	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 172)	64	years
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 74)	2.90
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 176)	34.70	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 133)	12.40	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 92)	97.10	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 202)	66,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 201)	61,380,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 91)	80.00	%
Source nuclear (World Rank: 85)	20.00	%
Refined products
Consumption (World Rank: 204)	1,000	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 199)	1,001	bbl / day
Natural gas
Consumption (World Rank: 157)	9	m³
Carbon footprint
100000

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Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 112)	4	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 48)	8	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 135)	-4	% of GDP
National symbol
palm tree
National colours
yellow
Adjective
Sao Tomean
Noun
Sao Tomean(s)
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. 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.
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

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 208)	638,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 61)	4.10	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 189)	3,100	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 79)	12.10	%
Source industry (World Rank: 179)	14.80	%
Source service (World Rank: 54)	73.20	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 184)	67,870
In poverty (World Rank: 8)	66.20	%
Products
Industries	- beer - fish processing - light construction - soap - textiles - timber
Agriculture	- bananas - beans - cinnamon - cocoa - coconuts - coffee - copra - fish - palm kernels - papayas - pepper - poultry
Exports	- cocoa - coffee - copra - palm oil
Imports	- electrical equipment - food products - machinery - petroleum products

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 200)	5,733
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 170)	3.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 186)	68.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 191)	50,000
Population (World Rank: 166)	25.80	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 178)	2.00
Road
Total length (World Rank: 204)	320
Paved length (World Rank: 167)	218.00
Unpaved length (World Rank: 146)	102.00

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