São Tomé and Príncipe

COUNTRY FLAG

COAT OF ARMS
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LOCATION MAP

AREA MAP
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INFORMATION

Capital: São Tomé

Government: Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic

Current President: Evaristo Carvalho

Economy:

  • Increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975.
  • Being an island country, São Tomé and Príncipe has to import fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices.
  • Potential exists for the development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years.
  • 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.

Population: 190,428 (2014)

Land Size: 1,001 sq km (386 sq miles)

Major Ethic Groups:

  • 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)
 Religions:

  • Catholic: 70.3%
  • Evangelical: 3.4%
  • New Apostolic: 2%
  • Adventist: 1.8%
  • Other: 3.1%
  • None: 19.4%

Language(s):

  • Portuguese (official)

Links:

RECENT NEWS

  • Sun - May 28, 2017: How African Countries Can Harness the Huge Potential of Their Oceans - AllAfrica News: São Tomé and Príncipe
    [The Conversation Africa] Over the past decade there's been a steady rise across Africa in the attention given to the responsible use of the oceans to contribute to economic growth - or what's known as the Blue Economy. The opportunities around Africa's blue economies are enormous with significant potential to create jobs and improve livelihoods.