Sao+Tome+and+Principe

Overview Writing this wiki page was a fun and educational opportunity to learn more about the world. Sao Tome and Principe are two islands with lots of labor problems, but it also seems like a prosperous place compared to some other counttries. I learned a lot about Africa on this project, for example, that Sao Tome and Principe is the smallest country in Africa. I would like to learn a lot more about Sao Tome and Principe, and intend to continue learning about it after this is all over.

Statistics Population: (2005) -157,000 -density: 171/km2 (454 sq mi) Human Development Index:

Gross Domestic Product: (2007 estimate) -total: $145 million - Per Capita: $922 Area: -total: 964 km2 -water: 0
 * ▲ 0.654 ( medium ) ||

Geography The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, situated in the equatorial Atlantic about 300 and 250 kilometers (200 and 150 miles), respectively, off the northwest coast of Gabon, constitute Africa's smallest country. Both are part of the Cameroon volcanic mountain line, which also includes the islands of Annobón to the southwest, Bioko to the northeast (both part of Equatorial Guinea), and Mount Cameroon on the African west coast. São Tomé is 50 kilometers (31 miles) long and 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide and the more mountainous of the two islands. Its peaks reach 2,024 meters (6,640 ft). Príncipe is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) long and 6 kilometers (4 miles) wide. Swift streams radiating down the mountains through lush forest and cropland to the sea cross both islands. At sea level, the climate is tropical—hot and humid with average yearly temperatures of about 27°C (80°F) and little daily variation. The temperature rarely rises beyond 32°C. At the interior's higher altitudes, the average yearly temperature is 20°C (68°F), and nights are generally cool. Annual rainfall varies from 5 m (200 inches) on the southwestern slopes to 1 m (40 in) in the northern lowlands. The rainy season runs from October to May. The equator lies immediately south of São Tomé Island, passing through or near the islet named Ilhéu das Rolas.

Map: media type="googlemap" key="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=sao+tome+and+principe&sll=0.18636,6.613081&sspn=179.49179,360&ie=UTF8&ll=0.18636,6.613081&spn=1.367721,1.757813&t=k&z=9&output=embed&s=AARTsJpfjidkH85-iMxQVVBigH8dAxlH_g" width="425" height="350"

 History The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were uninhabited before the arrival of Portugese settlers around 1470 C.E (A.D). They were discovered by João de Santarem and Pedro Escobar. The islands were explored by the settlers, who decided they would be good bases for trade with the mainland. The first settlement of Sao Tome was in 1493 by Alvaro Caminha, and Principe was settled similarly in 1500. But the attraction of settlers proved difficult, and most of the early inhabitants of the islands were "undesireables" sent from Portugal, mostly Jews. The settlers discovered the volcanic ash was good for the growing of sugar cane, and by the mid-1500's the islands were Africa's foremost producer of sugar. Larger sugar producers began to hurt the island, however, and the population declined over the next 100 years.

In the 1900's the cash crops cocoa and coffee were introduced to the island, and the ash again proved to be a good producer. By 1908, Sao Tome was the worlds largest cocoa producer, and cocoa remains its most important crop.

By the late 1950s, when other emerging nations across the African Continent were demanding independence, a small group of São Toméans had formed the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Principe (MLSTP), which eventually established its base in nearby Gabon. Picking up momentum in the 1960s, events moved quickly after the overthrow of the Caetano dictatorship in Portugal in April 1974. The new Portuguese regime was committed to the dissolution of its overseas colonies; in November 1974, their representatives met with the MLSTP in Algiers and worked out an agreement for the transfer of sovereignty. After a period of transitional government, São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on July 12, 1975, choosing as the first president the MLSTP Secretary General Manuel Pinto da Costa.

In 1990, Sao Tome became one of the first African countries to embrace democratic reform, and changes to the constitution — the legalization of opposition political parties — led to elections in 1991 that were nonviolent, free, and transparent. Miguel Trovoada, a former prime minister who had been in exile since 1986, returned as an independent candidate and was elected president. Trovoada was re-elected in São Tomé's second multi-party presidential election in 1996. The Party of Democratic Convergence (PCD) overtook the MLSTP to take a majority of seats in the National Assembly, with the MLSTP becoming an important and vocal minority party. Municipal elections followed in late 1992, in which the MLSTP came back to win a majority of seats on five of seven regional councils. In early legislative elections in October 1994, the MLSTP won a plurality of seats in the Assembly. It regained an outright majority of seats in the November 1998 elections. The Government of São Tomé fully functions under a multi-party system. Presidential elections were held in July 2001. The candidate backed by the Independent Democratic Action party, Fradique de Menezes, was elected in the first round and inaugurated on September 3. Parliamentary elections were held in March 2002. For the next four years, a series of short-lived opposition-led governments were formed.

The army seized power for one week in July 2003, complaining of corruption and that forthcoming oil revenues would not be divided fairly. An accord was negotiated under which President de Menezes was returned to office. The cohabitation period ended in March 2006, when a pro-presidential coalition won enough seats in National Assembly elections to form and head a new government. In the 30 July 2006 presidential election, Fradique de Menezes easily won a second five-year term in office, defeating two other candidates Patrice Trovoada (son of former President Miguel Trovoada) and independent Nilo Guimarães. Local elections, the first since 1992, took place on 27 August 2006 and were dominated by members of the ruling coalition. On February 12, 2009, there has been an attempted coup d'etat to overthrow President Fradique de Menezes according sources of autorities.

Economy Since the 1800's, the economy of Sao Tome and Principe have been based on plantation agriculture. At the time of independence, Portuguese-owned plantations occupied 90% of the cultivated area. After independence, control of these plantations passed to various state-owned agricultural enterprises. The main crop on São Tomé is cocoa, representing about 95% of exports. Other export crops include copra, palm kernels, and coffee. Domestic food-crop production is inadequate to meet local consumption, so the country imports some of its food. Efforts have been made by the government in recent years to expand food production, and several projects have been undertaken, largely financed by foreign donors. Other than agriculture, the main economic activities are fishing and a small industrial sector engaged in processing local agricultural products and producing a few basic consumer goods. The scenic islands have potential for tourism, and the government is attempting to improve its rudimentary tourist industry infrastructure. The government sector accounts for about 11% of employment. Following independence, the country had a centrally directed economy with most means of production owned and controlled by the state. The original constitution guaranteed a “mixed economy,” with privately owned cooperatives combined with publicly owned property and means of production. In the 1980s and 1990s, the economy of São Tomé encountered major difficulties. Economic growth stagnated, and cocoa exports dropped in both value and volume, creating large balance-of-payments deficits. Efforts to redistribute plantation land resulted in decreased cocoa production. At the same time, the international price of cocoa slumped. In response to its economic downturn, the government undertook a series of far-reaching economic reforms. In 1987, the government implemented an International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment program, and invited greater private participation in management of the parastatals, as well as in the agricultural, commercial, banking, and tourism sectors. The focus of economic reform since the early 1990s has been widespread privatization, especially of the state-run agricultural and industrial sectors. The São Toméan Government has traditionally obtained foreign assistance from various donors, including the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, the European Union (EU), Portugal, Taiwan, and the African Development Bank. In April 2000, in association with the Banco Central de São Tomé e Príncipe, the IMF approved a poverty reduction and growth facility for São Tomé aimed at reducing inflation to 3% for 2001, raising ideal growth to 4%, and reducing the fiscal deficit. In late 2000, São Tomé qualified for significant debt reduction under the IMF-World Bank’s Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The reduction is currently being reevaluated by the IMF, due to the attempted coup d’etat in July 2003 and subsequent emergency spending. Following the truce, the IMF decided to send a mission to São Tomé to evaluate the macroeconomic state of the country. This evaluation is ongoing, reportedly pending oil legislation to determine how the government will manage incoming oil revenues. Portugal remains one of São Tomé's major trading partners, particularly as a source of imports. Food, manufactured articles, machinery, and transportation equipment are imported primarily from the EU.



Government The politics of São Tomé and Príncipe takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of São Tomé and Príncipe is head of state and the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe is head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. São Tomé has functioned under a multiparty system since 1990. Following the promulgation of a new constitution in 1990, São Tomé and Príncipe held multiparty elections for the first time since independence. Shortly after the constitution took effect, the National Assembly formally legalized opposition parties. Independent candidates also were permitted to participate in the January 1991 legislative elections.

//Executive Branch:// Main office holders||~ Office ||~ Name ||~ Party ||~ Since || The president of the republic is elected to a 5-year term by direct universal suffrage and a secret ballot, and may hold up to two consecutive terms. Candidates are chosen at their party's national conference (or individuals may run independently). A presidential candidate must obtain an outright majority of the popular vote in either a first or second round of voting in order to be elected president. The prime minister is named by the president but must be ratified by the majority party and thus normally comes from a list of its choosing. The prime minister, in turn, names the 14 members of the cabinet.
 * President || Fradique de Menezes || MDFM-PL || 3 September 2001 (interrupted 16 July-23 July 2003) ||
 * Prime Minister || Joaquim Rafael Branco || MLSTP/PSD || 22 June 2008 ||

//Legislative Branch:// The National Assembly (//Assembleia Nacional//) has 55 members, elected for a four year term in seven multi-member constituencies by proportional representation. It is the supreme organ of the state and the highest legislative body, and meets twice a year.

//Political Parties: Parliamentary Parties: //
 * MDFM-PCD coalition
 * Force for Change Democratic Movement-Liberal Party (//Movimento Democrático das Forças da Mudança-Partido Liberal//)
 * Democratic Convergence Party-Reflection Group (//Partido de Convergência Democrática-Grupa de Reflexão//)
 * Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party (//Movimento de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe//)
 * Independent Democratic Action (//Acção Democrática Independente//)
 * New Way Movement (//Movimento Novo Rumo//)

Other Parties:
 * Christian Democratic Front (//Frente Democrática Cristã//)
 * Generation Hope (//Geração Esperança//)
 * São Toméan Workers Party (//Partido Trabalhista Santomense//)
 * Social Liberal Party (//Partido Liberal Social//)
 * Uê Kédadji coalition
 * Democratic Renovation Party (//Partido da Renovação Democrática//)
 * National Union for Democracy and Progress (//União Nacional para a Democracia e Progresso//)
 * Opposition Democratic Coalition (//Coligaçao Democrático da Oposiçao//)
 * People's Party of Progress (//Partido Popular do Progresso//)
 * Social Renewal Party (//Partido da Renovação Social//)
 * Union of Democrats for Citizenship and Development (//União dos Democratas para Cidadania e Desenvolvimento//)

Exiled political parties: >  > > > Religion > > The most popular religions of Sao Tome and Principe are Islam and Roman Catholism. > > > Culture > Sao Tomean culture is a mixture of African and Portugese influences. Sao Tome is known for its ussua and socope rythyms and principe for the dexta beat. Portugese ballroom dancing is thought to play an important role in the development of both musical types. > media type="youtube" key="QIz_9ErUEYk" height="344" width="425" > > Social Problems > The social problems of Sao Tome and Principe are mostly not with other countries, but within themselves. These problems are numerous and include harsh prison conditions, prolonged detention before trial, political influence on the judiciary, corruption of official, poverty, unemployment, child labor, descrimination against women, and harsh labor conditions. > [|Human Rights Report of Sao Tome and Principe] > > Other > Demographics: Asians, mostly Chinese minority, including Macanese people of mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry from Macau
 * Independent Democratic Union of São Tomé and Príncipe (//União Democrãtica Independente de São Tomé e Príncipe//)
 * National Democratic Action of São Tomé and Príncipe (//Acção Democrática Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe//)
 * National Resistance Front of São Tomé and Príncipe (//Frente de Resistência Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe//)
 * National Resistance Front of São Tomé and Príncipe-Renewal (//Frente de Resistência Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe-Renovada//)
 * //Mestiços//, or mixed-blood, descendants of Portuguese colonists and African slaves brought to the islands during the early years of settlement from Benin, Gabon, and Congo (these people are also known as //filhos da terra// or "sons of the land")
 * //Angolares//, reputedly descendants of Angolan slaves who survived a 1540 shipwreck and now work as fishermen
 * //Forros//, descendants of freed slaves when slavery was abolished
 * //Serviçais//, contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde, living temporarily on the islands
 * //Tongas//, children of //serviçais// born on the islands
 * Europeans, primarily Portuguese

Language: Portugese, Forro, Angolar, and Principense

Independance: from Portugal: 12th of July, 1975

Sao Tome and Principe is the smallest country in the world that was never a British overseas territory, a former United States trusteeship, or one of the European microstates. It is also the smallest Portuguese-speaking country. It is the second smallest country in terms of population.

National anthem: media type="youtube" key="jtFtp__dLyc" height="295" width="480" code PORTUGUESE LYRICS

CHORUS: Independência total, Glorioso canto do porvo, Independência total, Hino sagrado de combate. Dinamismo Na luta nacional, Juramento eterno No pais soberano de São Tomé e Príncipe.

Guerrilheiro da guerra sem armas na mão, Chama viva na alma do porvo, Congregando os filhos das ilhas Em redor da Pátria Imortal.

Independência total, total e completa, Costruindo, no progresso e na paz, A nação ditosa da Terra, Com os braços heróicos do povo.

CHORUS: Independência total, Glorioso canto do porvo, Independência total, Hino sagrado de combate.

Trabalhando, lutando, presente em vencendo, Caminhamos a passos gigantes Na cruzada dos povos africanos, Hasteando a bandeira nacional.

Voz do porvo, presente, presente em conjunto, Vibra rijo no coro da esperança Ser herói no hora do perigo, Ser herói no ressurgir do País.

CHORUS: Independência total, Glorioso canto do porvo, Independência total, Hino sagrado de combate. Dinamismo Na luta nacional, Juramento eterno No pais soberano de São Tomé e Príncipe.

--- ENGLISH TRANSLATION

CHORUS: Total independence, Glorious song of the people, Total independence, Sacred hymn of combat. Dynamism In the national struggle, Eternal oath To the sovereign country of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Warriors in the war without weapons, Live flame in the soul of the people, Congregating the sons of the islands Around the Immortal Fatherland.

Total independence, total and complete, Building, in progress and peace, With the heroic hands of the people, The happiest nation on earth.

CHORUS: Total independence, Glorious song of the people, Total independence, Sacred hymn of combat.

Working, struggling, struggling and conquering, We go ahead with giant steps In the crusade of the African peoples, Raising the national flag.

Voice of the people, present, present and united, Strong beat in the heart of hope To be a hero in the hour of peril, A hero of the Nation's resurgence.

CHORUS: Total independence, Glorious song of the people, Total independence, Sacred hymn of combat. Dynamism In the national struggle, Eternal oath To the sovereign country of São Tomé and Príncipe. code

Bibliography:[|Wikipedia Article: Sao Tome and Principe] [|Social Problems] [|Google Maps] [|Youtube.com] [|Anthem]