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Description Sao Tome and Principe by rbd.me
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Discovered 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. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.
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Location
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Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon
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Area - comparative
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more than five times the size of Washington, DC
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Natural resources Sao Tome and Principe
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tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
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Population Sao Tome and Principe
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the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are mountainous
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Religions Sao Tome and Principe
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mestico, 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)
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Languages
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Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)
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Education Sao Tome and Principe expenditures
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Portuguese (official)
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Government Sao Tome and Principe type
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NA
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Independence
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2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
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Sao Tome and Principe Economy - overview
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the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands
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Investment Sao Tome and Principe
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54% (2004 est.)
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Industries Sao Tome and Principe
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cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish
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Airports Sao Tome and Principe
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24,800 (2008)
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