Sao Tome and Principe

República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Coat of arms of São Tomé and Príncipe Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Independência total
Capital	São Tomé 0°20′N 6°44′E
Largest city	capital
Official languages	Portuguese
Government	Republic
- President	Fradique de Menezes
- Prime Minister	Tomé Vera Cruz
Independence	from Portugal
- Date	12 July 1975
Area
- Total	964 km² (183rd) 372 sq mi
- Water (%)	0
Population
- 2005 estimate	157,000
- Density	171/km² 454/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
- Total	$0.214 billion
- Per capita	$1,266
HDI  (2004)	0.607 (medium)
Currency	Dobra (STD)
Time zone	UTC (UTC+0)
Internet TLD	.st
Calling code	+239

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, Both part of an extinct volcanic mountain range. São Tomé, the sizable southern island, was named after Saint Thomas by Portuguese explorers who discovered the island on his feast day.

São Tomé and Príncipe is the second smallest (in terms of population) African country (larger only than Seychelles). It is also the smallest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.

Geography

Map of São Tomé and Príncipe

File:Sao tome and principe.png

Satellite image of São Tomé and Príncipe, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, situated in the equatorial Atlantic about 200 and 150 miles (300 and 250 km), respectively, off the northwest coast of Gabon, constitute Africa's smallest country. Both are part of the Cameroon volcanic mountain line, which also includes the islands of Annobón to the southwest, Bioko to the northeast (both part of Equatorial Guinea), and Mount Cameroon on the African west coast. São Tomé is 31 miles (50 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) wide and the more mountainous of the two islands. Its peaks reach 6,640 ft (2,024 m). Príncipe is about 19 miles (30 km) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide. Swift streams radiating down the mountains through lush forest and cropland to the sea cross both islands. The country is more than five times the size of Washington, DC.

Climate

At sea level, the climate is tropical—hot and humid with average yearly temperatures of about 80°F (27°C) and little daily variation. The temperature rarely rises beyond 32°C. At the interior's higher altitudes, the average yearly temperature is 20°C (68°F), and nights are generally cool. Annual rainfall varies from 200 inches (5 m) on the southwestern slopes to 40 in (1 m) in the northern lowlands. The rainy season runs from October to May.

• The island of São Tomé is 20 by 30 miles (32 by 48 km) in size and the more mountainous of the two islands. The capital, also named São Tomé, lies on this island.
• The island of Príncipe is 4 by 10 miles (6 by 16 km) in size.

The equator lies immediately south of São Tomé Island, passing through or near the islet named Ilhéu das Rolas.

Flora and fauna

The Obô, an Atlantic rain forest of high altitude, covers about 30 percent of the country and is crossed by rivers and waterfalls. In 1988 scientists classified the forests of Sao Tomé and Principe as the second most important in terms of biological interest of the 75 forests of Africa. The Obô contains the majority of the fauna and flora that gave Sao Tomé and Principe this classification.

Of the about 700 plant species existing on the archipelago, hundreds are endemic, such as the giant begonia that reaches 9 feet (3 m) in height, a treelike fern, and various orchids.

Of the 55 existing species of birds in Sao Tomé and Principe, between 15 and 26 are endemic and others are considered rare. The Sao Tomé Grosbeak (Neospiza concolor) was only seen twice: in 1888 and 1991. The Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor), has been seen again after 65 years, as well as the Dwarf Olive Ibis (Bostrychia bocagei), which has been spotted in an area of abandoned plantations. The maroon pigeon or Sao Tomé Olive Pigeon (Columba thomensis) as well as the Sao Tomé Giant Sunbird (Dreptes thomensis) have also been seen.

As the area of the Obô has not yet been fully analyzed, it may be that the forests still hide other ornithological and botanical treasures that await discovery.

History

The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime between 1469 and 1471. The islands were discovered by Fernão do Pó and bore his name until the twentieth century. Portuguese navigators explored the islands and decided that they would be good locations for bases to trade with the mainland.

The first successful settlement of São Tomé was established in 1493 by Álvaro Caminha, who received the land as a grant from the crown. Príncipe was settled in 1500 under a similar arrangement. Attracting settlers proved difficult, however, and most of the earliest inhabitants were "undesirables" sent from Portugal, mostly Jews. In time these settlers found the excellent volcanic soil of the region suitable for agriculture, especially the growing of sugar.

The cultivation of sugar was a labor-intensive process and the Portuguese began to import large numbers of slaves from the mainland. By the mid-1500s the Portuguese settlers had turned the islands into Africa's foremost exporter of sugar. São Tomé and Príncipe were taken over and administered by the Portuguese crown in 1522 and 1573, respectively.

However, superior sugar colonies in the Western Hemisphere began to hurt the islands. The large slave population also proved difficult to control, with Portugal unable to invest many resources in the effort. Sugar cultivation thus declined over the next hundred years, and by the mid-1600s, the islands had become primarily a transit point for ships engaged in the slave trade between the West and continental Africa.

In the early 1800s, two new cash crops, coffee and cocoa, were introduced. The rich volcanic soils proved well suited to the new cash crop industry, and soon extensive plantations (roças), owned by Portuguese companies or absentee landlords, occupied almost all of the good farmland. By 1908, São Tomé had become the world's largest producer of cocoa, which remains the country's most important crop.

The roças system, which gave the plantation managers a high degree of authority, led to abuses against the African farm workers. Although Portugal officially abolished slavery in 1876, the practice of forced paid labor continued. In the early 1900s, an internationally publicized controversy arose over charges that Angolan contract workers were being subjected to forced labor and unsatisfactory working conditions. Sporadic labor unrest and dissatisfaction continued well into the twentieth century, culminating in an outbreak of riots in 1953 in which several hundred African laborers were killed in a clash with their Portuguese rulers. This "Batepá Massacre" remains a major event in the colonial history of the islands, and its anniversary is officially observed by the government.

By the late 1950s, when other emerging nations across the African continent were demanding independence, a small group of São Toméans had formed the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), which eventually established its base in nearby Gabon. Picking up momentum in the 1960s, events moved quickly after the overthrow of the dictatorship in Portugal in April 1974. The new Portuguese regime was committed to the dissolution of its overseas colonies; in November 1974, its representatives met with the MLSTP in Algiers and worked out an agreement for the transfer of sovereignty. After a period of transitional government, São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on July 12, 1975, choosing as the first president the MLSTP Secretary General Manuel Pinto da Costa.

In 1990, São Tomé became one of the first African countries to embrace democratic reform, and changes to the constitution — the legalization of opposition political parties — led to elections in 1991 that were nonviolent, free, and transparent. Miguel Trovoada, a former prime minister who had been in exile since 1986, returned as an independent candidate and was elected president. Trovoada was re-elected in São Tomé's second multiparty presidential election in 1996. The Party of Democratic Convergence (PCD) overtook the MLSTP to take a majority of seats in the National Assembly, with the MLSTP becoming an important and vocal minority party. Municipal elections followed in late 1992, in which the MLSTP came back to win a majority of seats on five of seven regional councils. In early legislative elections in October 1994, the MLSTP won a plurality of seats in the Assembly. It regained an outright majority of seats in the November 1998 elections.

The government of São Tomé fully functions under a multiparty system. Presidential elections were held in July 2001. The candidate backed by the Independent Democratic Action party, Fradique de Menezes, was elected in the first round and inaugurated on September 3. Parliamentary elections were held in March 2002. For the next four years, a series of short-lived opposition-led governments were formed.

The army seized power for one week in July 2003, complaining of corruption and that forthcoming oil revenues would not be divided fairly. An accord was negotiated under which President de Menezes was returned to office.

The cohabitation period ended in March 2006, when a pro-presidential coalition won enough seats in National Assembly elections to form and head a new government.

In the July 30, 2006, presidential election, Fradique de Menezes easily won a second five-year term in office, defeating two other candidates: Patrice Trovoada (son of former President Miguel Trovoada) and independent Nilo Guimarães. Local elections, the first since 1992, took place on August 27, 2006, and were dominated by members of the ruling coalition.

Politics

São Tomé has functioned under a multiparty system since 1990. The president of the republic is elected to a five-year term by direct universal suffrage and a secret ballot and must gain an outright majority to be elected. The president may hold up to two consecutive terms. The prime minister is named by the president, and the fourteen members of cabinet are chosen by the prime minister.

The National Assembly, the supreme organ of the state and the highest legislative body, is made up of 55 members, who are elected for a four-year term and meet semiannually. Justice is administered at the highest level by the Supreme Court. The judiciary is independent under the current constitution.

With regards to human rights, freedom of speech and the freedom to form opposition political parties both are present.

Administrative divisions

File:SaoTomePrincipe48081.jpeg

Palace of congress

São Tomé and Príncipe is divided into two provinces: Príncipe and São Tomé. The provinces are further divided into seven districts, six on São Tomé and one on Príncipe. Príncipe has had self-government since April 29, 1995.

Economy

Since the 1800s, the economy of São Tomé and Príncipe has been based on plantation agriculture. At the time of independence, Portuguese-owned plantations occupied 90 percent of the cultivated area. After independence, control of these plantations passed to various state-owned agricultural enterprises, which have since been privatized. The dominant crop on São Tomé is cocoa, representing about 95 percent of exports. Other export crops include copra, palm kernels, and coffee.

Domestic food-crop production is inadequate to meet local consumption, so the country imports some of its food. The government has made efforts in recent years to expand food production, and several projects have been undertaken, largely financed by foreign donors.

Other than agriculture, the main economic activities are fishing and a small industrial sector engaged in processing local agricultural products and producing a few basic consumer goods. The scenic islands have potential for tourism, and the government is attempting to improve its rudimentary tourist industry infrastructure. The government sector accounts for about 11 percent of employment.

Over the last few years, an increasing interest has been shown in eco-tourism, but the sector is still in its beginning. Trekking is now organized on various levels and in combination with staying overnight at the old plantations (the 'roças').

Following independence, the country had a centrally directed economy with most means of production owned and controlled by the state. The original constitution guaranteed a "mixed economy," with privately owned cooperatives combined with publicly owned property and means of production. In the 1980s and 1990s, the economy of São Tomé encountered major difficulties. Economic growth stagnated, and cocoa exports dropped in both value and volume, creating large balance-of-payments deficits. Efforts to redistribute plantation land resulted in decreased cocoa production. At the same time, the international price of cocoa slumped.

In response to its economic downturn, the government undertook a series of far-reaching economic reforms. In 1987, the government implemented an International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment program and invited greater private participation in management of the parastatals, as well as in the agricultural, commercial, banking, and tourism sectors. The focus of economic reform since the early 1990s has been widespread privatization, especially of the state-run agricultural and industrial sectors.

The São Toméan government has traditionally obtained foreign assistance from various donors, including the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, the European Union (EU), Portugal, Taiwan, and the African Development Bank. In April 2000, in association with the central bank, the Banco National São Tomé e Príncipe, the IMF approved a poverty reduction and growth facility for São Tomé aimed at reducing inflation to 3 percent for 2001, raising ideal growth to 4 percent, and reducing the fiscal deficit. In late 2000, São Tomé qualified for significant debt reduction under the IMF-World Bank’s heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. The reduction is currently being reevaluated by the IMF, due to the attempted coup d’etat in July 2003 and subsequent emergency spending. Following the truce, the IMF decided sent a mission to São Tomé to evaluate the macroeconomic state of the country. This evaluation is ongoing, reportedly pending oil legislation to determine how the government will manage incoming oil revenues.

Portugal remains one of São Tomé's major trading partners, particularly as a source of imports. Food, manufactured articles, machinery, and transportation equipment are imported primarily from the EU.

Petroleum exploration

In 2001, São Tomé and Nigeria reached agreement on joint exploration for petroleum in waters claimed by the two countries of the Niger Delta geologic province. After a lengthy series of negotiations, in April 2003 the joint development zone (JDZ) was opened for bids by international oil firms. The JDZ was divided into nine blocks; the winning bids for block one, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, and the Norwegian firm Equity Energy, were announced in April 2004, with São Tomé to take in 40 percent of the $123 million bid, and Nigeria the other 60 percent. São Tomé stands to gain significant revenue both from the bidding process and from follow-on production, should reserves in the area match expectations.

Demographics

Of São Tomé and Príncipe's total population of 199,579 (July 2007 est.), the majortiuy live on São Tomé and 6,000 on Príncipe. All are descended from various ethnic groups that have migrated to the islands since 1485. Six groups are identifiable:

• Mestiços, or mixed-blood, descendants of Portuguese colonists and African slaves brought to the islands during the early years of settlement from Benin, Gabon, and Congo (these people also are known as filhos da terra or "sons of the land");
• Angolares, reputedly descendants of Angolan slaves who survived a 1540 shipwreck and now earn their livelihood fishing;
• Forros, descendants of freed slaves when slavery was abolished;
• Serviçais, contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde, living temporarily on the islands;
• Tongas, children of serviçais born on the islands; and
• Europeans, primarily Portuguese.
• Asians, mostly Chinese minority, including Macanese people of mixed Portuguese and Chinese blood from Macau.

Life expectancy for the total population is 67.64 years, with females slightly higher.

In the 1970s, there were two significant population movements: the exodus of most of the four thousand Portuguese residents and the influx of several hundred São Toméan refugees from Angola. The islanders have been absorbed largely into a common Luso-African culture. Almost all belong to the Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, or Seventh-day Adventist Churches, with a small but growing Muslim population.

Although a small country, São Tomé and Príncipe has four national languages: Portuguese (the official language, spoken by 95 percent), and the Portuguese-based creoles Forro (85 percent), Angolar (3 percent) and Principense (0.1 percent). French is also learned in schools, as the country is a member of Francophonie.

Most of the population age 15 and over can read and write (85 percent), with the number for males (92 percent) much higher than for females (78 percent).

Culture

The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and Príncipe. The shadow points SW indicating that the Sun is several degrees north likely late April or early August about 1-2 hours before noon.

Culturally, the people are African but have been highly influenced by the former Portuguese rulers of the islands.

São Toméans are known for ússua and socopé rhythms, while Principe is home to the dêxa beat. Portuguese ballroom dancing may have played an integral part in the development of these rhythms and their associated dances.

Tchiloli is a musical dance performance that tells a dramatic story. The danço-congo is similarly a combination of music, dance, and theater.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Cutter, Charles Hickman. 2006. Africa, 2006. World Today series. Harpers Ferry, WV: Stryker-Post Publications. ISBN 1887985727 and ISBN 9781887985727
• Gailey, Harry A. 1989. History of Africa: Volume III, From 1945 to present. Malabar. FL: Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0894642960
• Fitzpatrick,Mary et al. 2002. West Africa, 5th ed. Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 1740592492

External links

Government

• Presidência da República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe - President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (official site, Portuguese)
• Assembleia Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe - National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe (official site, Portuguese)
• Instituto Nacional de Estatística - National statistics institute (Portuguese)
• São Tomé and Príncipe Government & Political Resources Page

News

• allAfrica - São Tomé and Príncipe
• Reuters on U.S. Navy in Sao Tome

Overviews

• BBC News - Country Profile: Sao Tome and Principe
• CIA World Factbook - São Tomé and Príncipe
• Open Directory Project - Sao Tome and Principe directory category

Economy

• Nations Encyclopedia::Sao Tome and Principe::Banking and Securities

Tourism

• São Tomé e Príncipe

Local travel agency Navetur-Equatour [1]

Environment

• Gulf of Guinea Conservation Group

Other

• Article on recent politics: [2][3]

Credits

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