I | INTRODUCTION |
São Tomé and
Príncipe, republic, located off the western coast of Africa, in the Gulf
of Guinea (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). The republic comprises the islands of
São Tomé, Príncipe, and several small islets. It covers an area of 1,001 sq km
(386 sq mi).
II | LAND AND RESOURCES |
The islands are volcanic in origin, with
mountainous interiors and fertile soils. The highest point is Pico de São Tomé
(2,024 m/6,640 ft) on São Tomé. Lowlands flank the northeastern and southwestern
coasts of the islands. The climate is tropical with virtually no seasonal
temperature variations. The average annual temperature is 25°C (77°F) in the
lowlands and about 18°C (65°F) in the highlands. The average annual rainfall
varies greatly with elevation, from 5,100 mm (about 200 in) on the southwestern
mountain slopes to 1,020 mm (about 40 in) in the northeastern lowlands. A dry
season lasts from June to September.
Uncontrolled logging is a continuing problem
in the country’s primary forests. Soil exhaustion and erosion are additional
problems.
III | PEOPLE |
The total population of São Tomé and Príncipe
was estimated at 205,901 in 2008. The capital and principal port is São Tomé
(population, 2003 estimate, 54,000), located on the northeastern coast of São
Tomé island. The population, descendants of peoples who came to the islands
beginning in the late 1400s, is composed of six identifiable groups:
mestiço, or mixed-blood; angolares, descendants of Angolan slaves;
forros, descendants of freed slaves; serviçais, contract laborers
from nearby African countries; tongas, children of serviçais born on the
islands; and Europeans, mostly from Portugal. Portuguese is the official
language, but 90 percent of the people speak Fang, a Bantu language. Most of the
people are Christians; 75 percent are Roman Catholic.
IV | ECONOMY AND GOVERNMENT |
The economy of São Tomé and Príncipe is
dependent on plantation agriculture, particularly cacao production. The major
plantations were nationalized after independence in 1975. In 2006 the gross
domestic product, which measures the total value of goods and services produced
in the country, was $122.6 million, or $790.60 per inhabitant. The leading
agricultural products are cacao, coconuts, copra, melons, and bananas. Cacao
accounted for 60 percent of export earnings in the early 1990s. Because
agriculture is dominated by export crops, 90 percent of the country’s food must
be imported. The unit of currency is the dobra (12,445 dobra equal
U.S.$1; 2006 average).
Under São Tomé and Príncipe’s 2003
constitution, the country is a multiparty democracy. The chief executive is a
president, elected to a five-year term, renewable once. Legislative power is
vested in the National Assembly, whose 55 members are elected to four-year
terms.
In 1994 the legislature approved a bill
granting autonomy to Príncipe. Príncipe assumed this status after holding
elections in March 1995 for a five-member regional government and a seven-member
regional assembly. The government of Príncipe is under the authority of a
minister appointed by the president of the republic of São Tomé and
Príncipe.
V | HISTORY |
The islands were probably uninhabited when
first visited by Portuguese navigators in the early 1470s. From 1485 the
Portuguese settled convicts and exiled Jews on the islands and developed a
thriving slave trade and sugar-growing economy. Cacao was introduced in 1822,
and by 1900 São Tomé and Príncipe was a leading world producer. In 1951, São
Tomé and Príncipe became an overseas province of Portugal. On July 12, 1975, the
country attained independence under the rule of the Movement for the Liberation
of São Tomé and Príncipe.
The nation’s first president, Manuel Pinto da
Costa, served until 1991, when Miguel Trovoada was elected. On August 15, 1995,
Trovoada was deposed in a bloodless coup led by army officers. He was
reinstated, however, on August 22, after agreeing to pardon the soldiers who
participated in the coup. International threats to cut off aid to the country
hastened the restoration of the government. In 1996 Trovoada was reelected to
another five-year term. He stepped down in 2001 and Fradique de Menezes, a
businessman and former foreign minister, was elected to succeed him.
De Menezes was ousted in a military coup in
2003, but the coup lasted only a week. After fleeing the country, de Menezes
returned when the coup leaders agreed to restore democratic rule. In
presidential elections in 2006, de Menezes was reelected to another term.
No comments:
Post a Comment