Official name: Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Capital city: São Tomé
Internet country code: .st
Flag description: Three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Geographical description: Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon
Total area: 386 sq. mi. (1,001 sq. km.)
Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Nationality: noun: Sao Tomean (s); adjective: Sao Tomean
Population: 199,579 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: mestico (mixed African Europeanz), 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)
Languages spoken: Portuguese (official)
Religions: Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4%
| Agricultural Reform Day | Sep 30 |
| Armed Forces Day | Sep 6 |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25 |
| Independence Day | Jul 12 |
| Labor Day | May 1 |
| Martyrs' Day | Feb 3 |
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 |
| Sao Tome Day | Dec 21 |
(São Tomé e Príncipe, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe), a state located on several islands in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa. The main islands are São Tomé (836 sq km) and Príncipe (128 sq km). Area, 964 sq km. Population, 80,000 (1974). The capital is São Tomé.
Constitution and government. São Tomé and Príncipe is a republic. The president of the republic is head of state and government. The Constituent Assembly has legislative power.
Natural features. The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, composed mainly of basalts, have volcanic cones reaching a maximum elevation of 2,024 m on São Tomé. There are small lakes in the craters. Whereas Príncipe has an equatorial humid climate throughout the year, São Tomé’s climate is intermediate between equatorial and tropical, with a rainy season (October to May) and a dry season (June to September). The mean monthly temperature is 23°–27°C, and the annual precipitation ranges from 1,000 mm to 2,000–3,000 mm. The natural vegetation consists of dense, humid equatorial forests and, at the mouths of rivers, mangrove thickets.
Population. Most of the people are descendants of the some 1,200 Africans brought here in the 15th and 16th centuries from Angola, Mozambique, and the Cape Verde Islands to work on European, mainly Portuguese, plantations. In 1970 urban dwellers constituted about 10 percent of the population. Portuguese is the official language, and Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion. The Gregorian calendar is used.
Historical survey. The islands were discovered by the Portuguese in the 15th century and became a Portuguese possession. Large numbers of African slaves were brought here to work on sugar plantations. In the 16th and 17th centuries São Tomé was an important entrepôt in the slave trade between Africa, the West Indies, and Brazil. Every year the Portuguese authorities, who used forced African labor on the islands on a large scale, recruited under contract thousands of workers from Angola and Mozambique. The struggle of the people of São Tomé and Príncipe against the Portuguese colonialists began in the early 16th century. An uprising broke out on São Tomé in 1517 and on both islands in the late 16th century.
The largest rebellion in the 20th century was the uprising of 1953. The liberation struggle was headed by the Committee for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe, founded in 1960 and reorganized in 1972 as the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe. In November 1974 delegates from the Movement and representatives of the Portuguese government that had assumed power after the revolutionary coup of 1974 signed an agreement granting independence to São Tomé and Príncipe. A transitional government that included representatives of both the Movement and Portugal was formed in December 1974. On July 12, 1975, the day after the parliamentary elections, the National Assembly proclaimed São Tomé and Príncipe an independent democratic republic.
Economy. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. About one-third of the country’s territory is under cultivation. The chief crops, grown for export, are cocoa (33,000 hectares, 10,000 tons in 1972), coffee (500 ha, 140 tons in 1972), palm kernels (2,500 tons of kernels, 1,000 tons of oil), coconuts (49,000 tons of nuts, 6,500 tons of copra), bananas, and cinchona. Millet, manioc, corn, and yams are also grown. Animal husbandry is poorly developed. In 1972 the livestock population included 3,000 head of cattle, 3,000 pigs, 2,000 sheep, 1,000 goats, 5,000 chickens, and 1,000 turkeys. The fish catch totaled 900 tons in 1972. Turtles and octopuses are also caught.
Industry is represented mainly by enterprises that process agricultural raw materials, including flour mills and factories producing soap and palm oil. The electric power output was 5.4 million kilowatt-hours in 1972. There are 340 km of highways (1972). The country exports agricultural raw materials and imports manufactured goods, petroleum products, and cement. Portugal is the main trading partner. The monetary unit is the São Tomé escudo.
Health and social welfare. In 1970 the birth rate was 53.7 and the death rate 15.1 per 1,000 population; the infant mortality rate was 35.1 per 1,000 live births. Infectious and parasitic diseases are widespread. More than 7,000 cases of malaria were recorded in 1968. In 1969 the islands had 18 doctors (one per 3,300 inhabitants), 13 of whom worked for the state health service, and about 100 medical assistants. There are 50 hospitals with 1,900 beds (30 beds per 1,000 population), including 427 beds in 14 state hospitals. Outpatient care is provided by polyclinics attached to the hospitals, a dispensary, 21 medical stations, and a mobile medical team. The country has a school for training nurses. In 1970 public health appropriations amounted to 11.4 percent of the state budget.
Education. More than 85 percent of the inhabitants are illiterate. Compulsory education has been instituted for children between the ages of six and 12, but in the mid-1960’s fewer than 25 percent of the children attended school. More than half of the schools belong to private individuals or to Catholic missions. At the age of seven, children are enrolled in a four-year primary school. The five-year secondary school consists of two cycles of two and three years each. Portuguese is the language of instruction. In the 1971–72 school year there were 44 primary schools with more than 9,000 pupils and two secondary schools with about 1,460 pupils. Those who have completed the primary school or primary school plus the first two years of secondary school may enroll in a vocational school. In the 1971–72 school year the country’s four vocational schools had an enrollment of 112 students. Primary school teachers are trained at teachers colleges, which are open to graduates of the first cycle of the secondary school.
Press and radio. In 1974 two weeklies were published: Boletin oficial, founded in 1836, and A Voz de São Tomé. Radio broadcasting was initiated in 1958.