Sao Tome and Principe
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Country name - conventional short form : Sao Tome and Principe
Country name - local long form : Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
Country name - local short form : Sao Tome e Principe
Government type : republic
Capital - name : Sao Tome
Capital - time difference : UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Population : 206,178 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Sao Tomean(s)
Nationality - adjective : Sao Tomean
Languages : Portuguese (official)
Currency (code) : dobra (STD)
Currency code : STD
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : high
Sao Tome and Principe is located Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon. The climate is tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May). The terrain is volcanic, mountainous.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.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 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.
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