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 parties 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.

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

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

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

volcanic, mountainous

deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion

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

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)

Portuguese (official)

Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)

183,176 (July 2012 est.)

37.02 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

7.93 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-9.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

SAO TOME (capital) 60,000 (2009)

70 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

4.94 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.49 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

3.2 beds/1,000 population (2006)

2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990

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

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

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly); Constitutional Court (five judges appointed by the National Assembly for five year terms); Court of First Instance; Audit Court

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

Association of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs or FONG

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, 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, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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

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

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 and Principe has to import fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome and Principe 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, the government signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. 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. 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 and Principe''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 the country''s receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Maintaining control of inflation, fiscal discipline, and increasing flows of foreign direct investment into the oil sector, are the major economic problems facing the country.

$383.9 million (2011 est.)

$366.2 million (2010 est.)

$350.5 million (2009 est.)

$248 million (2011 est.)

45.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

30.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

-17.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

16% (31 December 2009)

28% (31 December 2008)

26.95% (31 December 2011 est.)

20% (31 December 2010 est.)

$57.88 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$30.67 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$80.88 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$77.3 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$47.6 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$79.93 million (31 December 2010 est.)

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

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

-$77.5 million (2011 est.)

-$107.4 million (2010 est.)

$12.5 million (2011 est.)

$12.05 million (2010 est.)

cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Netherlands 24%, Belgium 22.5%, Egypt 19.1%, US 7.1% (2011)

$112.1 million (2011 est.)

$99.42 million (2010 est.)

machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Portugal 55.3%, Malaysia 14.3%, US 5.2%, Gabon 4% (2011)

$51.47 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$49.43 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$266 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$206.6 million (31 December 2010 est.)

dobras (STD) per US dollar -

32 million kWh (2009 est.)

29.76 million kWh (2009 est.)

14,000 kW (2009 est.)

57.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

42.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

904 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

889 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

150,300 Mt (2010 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)

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), Presidential Guard (2010)

18 years of age (est.) (2004)

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 staff (2005)