$NA
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Communications ::San Marino
Telephones - main lines in use:
21,300 (2008) country comparison to the world: 193
Telephones - mobile cellular:
17,700 (2008) country comparison to the world: 208
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity 130 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997)
Internet country code:
.sm
Internet hosts:
6,734 (2009) country comparison to the world: 132
Internet users:
17,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 193
Transportation ::San Marino
Roadways:
total: 292 km country comparison to the world: 202 paved: 292 km (2006)
Military ::San Marino
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police support functions (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,613 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,343
females age 16-49: 6,048 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 161
female: 160 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy
Transnational Issues ::San Marino
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
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@Sao Tome and Principe (Africa)
Introduction ::Sao Tome and Principe
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 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 party's precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.
Geography ::Sao Tome and Principe
Location:
Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the
Equator, west of Gabon
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 7 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 964 sq km country comparison to the world: 184 land: 964 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - 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
highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Natural resources:
fish, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 8.33%
permanent crops: 48.96%
other: 42.71% (2005)
Irrigated land:
100 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion
Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are mountainous
People ::Sao Tome and Principe
Population:
212,679 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 186
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.9% (male 50,475/female 49,188)
15-64 years: 49.7% (male 51,325/female 54,289)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 3,335/female 4,067) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.4 years
male: 15.9 years
female: 17 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.093% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Birth rate:
38.54 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Death rate:
5.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Net migration rate:
-1.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
Urbanization:
urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 37.12 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 68 male: 38.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.32 years country comparison to the world: 149 male: 66.65 years
female: 70.04 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.33 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean
Ethnic groups:
mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)
Religions:
Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)
Languages:
Portuguese (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.9%
male: 92.2%
female: 77.9% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 10 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Sao Tome and Principe
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 12 N, 6 39 E
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995
Independence:
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Constitution:
approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990
Legal system:
based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fradique Bandiera Melo DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Joachim Rafael BRANCO (since 22 June 2008)
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 30 July 2006 (next to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president
election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 26 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP 28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, others 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD 23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM [Tome Soares da VERA
CRUZ]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Patrice TROVOADA];
Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social
Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Rafael BRANCO]; New Way Movement or
NR; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Delfim NEVES];
Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs or FONG
other: the media
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union
Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580
FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348
Diplomatic representation 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; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy ::Sao Tome and Principe
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 has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome 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, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. 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'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 Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth averaged about 6% in 2006-08, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$277.1 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 213 $262.7 million (2007 est.)
$247.8 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$175 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 74 6% (2007 est.)
6.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 205 $1,300 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.6%
industry: 14.6%
services: 70.8% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
52,490 (2007) country comparison to the world: 182
Labor force - by occupation:
note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
54% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
38.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Budget:
revenues: $47.65 million
expenditures: $51.48 million (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
26% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 215 18% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
28% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 3 28% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
32.4% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 5 32.4% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$27.84 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 118 $19.99 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$36.95 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 125 $33.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$20.42 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 127 $31.84 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: