São Tomé and Príncipe

• Nominal

The island nation of São Tomé and Principe ( Portuguese " São Tomé e Príncipe " ) located in the Gulf of Guinea about 200 km off the west coast of Africa before Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The island of São Tomé is named after St. Thomas; Principe, the " island of the Princes" (or the " prince ").

• 2.1 Health
• 2.2 Education

• 6.1 General
• 6.2 State Budget

Geography and climate

São Tomé and Príncipe is to Seychelles is the second smallest state in Africa. The two eponymous islands are located between the islands belonging to Equatorial Guinea Bioko and Annobón.

About 90 % of the population live on the south, the larger island of São Tomé, which is 48 km long and 32 km wide. She is the gebirgigere of the two islands. The highest point is 2024 m high. In São Tomé is the capital of the same name. The more northern, smaller island of Príncipe is about 16 km long and 6 km wide; its highest elevation is 927 meters.

Both islands are part of a along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity caused by mountain range, which continues on the African continent in Cameroon. In São Tomé and Príncipe volcanoes are no longer active.

The southern tip of São Tomé is 2 km north of the Equator, the associated Rolas island is crossed directly from the equator.

In São Tomé and Príncipe prevails through the mountainous topography influenced hot and humid tropical climate with rainy and dry seasons. The temperature has little seasonal variation; the average annual temperature is on the coast 28 ° C, in the interior 20 ° C. The annual rainfall ranges from 1000 mm in the northern lowlands up to 5000 mm in the southwestern mountain slopes. The rainy season lasts from October to May

Cities

The largest cities are:

Rank

Population

The population of the state is composed of Mestizos, Angolares, Forros, Servicais, Tonga and Europeans (primarily Portuguese ). The annual population growth rate was estimated for 2010 to 2.4 percent.

In addition to the official language of Portuguese, which doubles as a Lingua Franca, Bantu languages ​​are on the islands still different on the Portuguese and western -based creoles spoken: Saotomensisch ( 70,000 ), Principensisch ( 1500 ) and Angolar ( 5000 ).

About 80 % of the population are Catholics, and another 10 % are Protestant, Apostolic and animists.

Health

The infant and child mortality in 2009 was 3.7 percent, life expectancy was 66 years. 2007, female life expectancy was 67.3 years and the male was 63.5. The healthy life expectancy is 54 years. The country is affected by malaria. 2006, the health expenditure of the Government 120 U.S. dollars ( purchasing power parity) per capita.

Education

In adults, the illiterate are clearly in the minority. Their share is 12.1 % ( 2009). Half of the teachers of the country is under-qualified. São Tomé and Príncipe has universities.

History

As the discoverer of the islands is considered the Portuguese navigator João de Santarém. This was in the service of the merchant Fernão Gomes, who had acquired by the Portuguese King Alfonso V the right, on behalf of the Portuguese crown to explore at their own expense a year 100 leagues African coast. On December 21, 1471, he discovered São Tomé and on January 17, 1472 Santo António (or Antão ); latter was renamed in 1502 in Principe.

1485 saw the establishment of the first Portuguese settlement. On the one hand were the islands as a transit point for the slave trade between Africa, Portugal, Brazil and the Caribbean islands, on the other hand moved to Portugal by the Inquisition Reported Portuguese Jews and prisoners hither to. 1572 São Tomé and was then Príncipe report directly to the Portuguese crown the following year. In the following years, a plantation economy with changing monocultures trained, first in the 16th to 18th century sugar cane, then in the first half of the 19th century, coffee and finally since 1850 cocoa; Beginning of the 20th century, the islands were even the largest cocoa producer in the world.

On May 29, 1919 solar eclipse expedition led by Arthur Stanley Eddington on the volcanic island of Príncipe confirmed experimentally the correctness of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

With the establishment of various liberation movements outside the country the end of the colonial era began. In Ghana in 1960, the Comité de São Tomé e Príncipe de Libertação ( CLSTP ) as a precursor of the Movimento de São Tomé e Príncipe de Libertação ( MLSTP ) was (from 1972 ) was founded. 1974, after the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, the MLSTP was recognized as the legitimate representative, which eventually led to the dismissal to independence on 12 July 1975. The MLSTP ruled the country as a single party for the first 15 years after the end of the colonial period.

1991 Miguel Trovoada was elected president of the country. In 1995 there was a coup; The following governments were found to be relatively unstable.

On 5 January 1999 Guilherme Posser da Costa appointed prime minister. However brought corruption scandals in which fake Treasury bills worth 500 million U.S. dollars played the leading role, the government quickly in distress. In March 1999, the Minister of Finance and the President of the Central Bank resigned.

In August 2001, Fradique de Menezes was elected president.

On 16 July 2003 there was a military coup led by Major Fernando Pereira. The President Fradique de Menezes was at that time a state visit to Nigeria, therefore, only the Prime Minister and several other ministers were arrested by the coup. The very next day the rebels announced a transitional government and new elections. The reason for the coup the uncertain political situation on the island was given, which was caused by oil discoveries a few years earlier and the resulting arguments. After eight days of military coup was ended without bloodshed under pressure from the international community. In a " Memorandum of Understanding " greater involvement of the population in major government decisions were granted. There was a reshuffle under whereabouts of the Prime Minister, but substitution of seven ministers.

In September 2004, there was again a government reshuffle after a bribery scandal, in which the Prime Minister Maria das Neves were involved and other ministers. In July 2006, President de Menezes was re-elected.

The presidential elections of 2011 won Manuel Pinto da Costa in the runoff election on August 7, 2011., He took over his new position on September 3, 2011. Pinto da Costa served previously as president.

Policy

The Republic is a 1990 constitution since independence in 1975.

The National Assembly ( Assembléia Nacional) has 55 members and is elected every four years by proportional representation. The president is elected every five years and may be re-elected once. Entitled to vote is every citizen over 18 years.

• ADI ( Acção Democrática Independente ) - 26 seats
• MLSTP - PSD ( Movimento de Libertação - Partido Social Democrata ) - 21 seats
• PCD -GR ( Partido de Convergència Democrática - Grupa de reflexão ) - 7 seats
• MDFM -PL ( Movimento Democrático the forcas because Mudança - Partido Liberal ) - 1 seat

São Tomé and Príncipe is one of the few states that recognize not the PRC, but the Republic of China on Taiwan in international law.

Administrative divisions

São Tomé and Príncipe is divided into two provinces, this. Again in seven districts The island of São Tomé and the surrounding islands form the province of the same name with the city of São Tomé as provincial capital. This province is divided into six districts.

Economy

Generally

In 2000, 15.3 % of households based their income from agriculture, 36.5 % in industry, trade and services, and 11.5 % in the public sector.

The still economically insignificant island nation exported almost exclusively cocoa ( share in 2009: 95%). This economic orientation inherited from the colonial era. Natural resources are important also other agricultural products, fisheries and oil resources that are not currently supported.

• Agriculture accounted for 14% ( in addition to cocoa, the production of coconuts, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, beans, vanilla and poultry) of the gross domestic product. The total cultivated area extends over 484 square kilometers.

• The industry's share of GDP was 15 % in 2009. Are produced or processed, inter alia shirts, soap, beer, fish and crab and palm oil.

• On services, especially tourism, which accounted in 2009 for 71% of gross domestic product. In recent years, support São Tomé and Príncipe strengthened private initiatives to develop tourism.

Exports worth 14 million euros compared to 2009 imports were valued at 93 million euros. Be imported, including from Portugal (43 %), France (16% ) and the UK ( 14%), food and live animals, fuels and capital goods. The main export countries are Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and the People's Republic of China.

São Tomé and Príncipe reported 2009 net no debt to foreign countries on after the foreign debt had amounted to 318 million U.S. dollars in 2002. This was achieved primarily through the sale of offshore Erdölbohrkonzessionen in Nigeria with co-managed Joint Development Zone ( JDZ ). The income therefrom to flow to 40% of São Tomé and Príncipe, while Nigeria receives 60%. The inflation rate in 2009 was 17%.

São Tomé and Príncipe gross domestic product is one of the smallest in the world and in 2009 was approximately 191 million U.S. dollars; the gross domestic product per capita in 2009 was about 1700 U.S. dollars. For the future of off-shore production of oil and gas is expected. The geostrategic situation in West Africa, which is considered the future of the Bohrstätten has led may for the first oil political race between the People's Republic of China and the United States. Both endeavor to time strengthened diplomatically to exploration and drilling rights to related companies. In this context, the U.S. seems keen to build on São Tomé a naval base. Since the 90s, suspected geologists also about eleven million barrels of oil under and around the islands. 2003, the Group Chevron offered an advance of $ 49.2 million, to investigate the exploration blocks. The oil company Total announced on rights for the first new exploration blocks. However, no test wells have been drilled since the group doubted the success.

São Tomé and Príncipe is not a member of the World Trade Organization ( WTO)

State budget

The state budget included expenditures in 2009 of the equivalent of 57.5 million U.S. dollars, partially offset by revenue equivalent to 48.8 million U.S. dollars. This results in a budget deficit of 4.5% of GDP.

In 2006, the share of government expenditure (% of GDP ) the following areas:

• Health: 6.3%
• Education: NA
• Military: 0.8 %