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: 204,454 (2018)

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

Major Ethnic 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

  • Mon - Nov 18, 2019: IMF Staff Concludes Visit to São Tomé and Príncipe - AllAfrica News: São Tomé and Príncipe
    [IMF] End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF's Executive Board. This mission will not result in a Board discussion.