Sao Tome and Principe
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CountrySao Tome and Principe
Flag
Capitalname: Sao Tome
geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Population199,579 (July 2007 est.)
GMTGMT
LocationWestern Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon

see map
Areatotal: 1,001 sq km
land: 1,001 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Ethnic groupsmestico, 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)
ReligionsCatholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)
LanguagesPortuguese (official)
Government typerepublic
National holidayIndependence Day, 12 July (1975)
Constitutionapproved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990
Legal systembased on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
BackgroundDiscovered 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. Although the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to have a significant impact on the country's economy.
Internet
country code
.st
LAST UPDATED ON 17 JUNE 2007