International airport(s) São Tomé International Airport
Official language(s) Portuguese and regional languages: Forro, Angolar and Principense
Currency Dobra (STN)
Time UTC +0
Region Atlantic and Indian Ocean
GeographyClimateEconomyCulture
São Tomé and Príncipe lies in the Gulf of Guinea, west from the coast of Central Africa with the Equator immediately south of São Tomé. The country consists of two archipelagos surrounding the two main islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, that lie about 140 km apart. It is the smallest Portuguese‐speaking country and the second‐smallest African sovereign state. Pico de São Tomé is the highest point of mountainous São Tomé, which peaks at 2 024 m. São Tomé is also the larger of the two main islands: about 50 km long and 30 km wide, while Príncipe is less than half this size. The Pico Cão Grande (Great Dog Peak) is a famous volcanic landmark in southern São Tomé.
The climate of São Tomé and Príncipe is tropical at sea level with hot and humid weather and average temperatures of 22 to 25 °C. The temperature rarely rises beyond 32 °C. The rainy season lasts from October to May. The rainy season is interrupted by a short drier period called 'Gravanito' from December to January. In higher inland the average temperature is 20 °C and nights are generally cool. Average annual rainfall in São Tomé and Príncipe is typically 2 100 mm but varies from 5 000 mm on the southwestern slopes to 1 000 mm in the northern lowlands. -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-
São Tomé and Príncipe is a lower middle income, developing, small island state with some economic vulnerabilities. Its economy is largely based on plantations. The main crop is cocoa, representing about 95 per cent of agricultural exports. According to items attribute is mandatory, other export crops include coffee, copra and palm kernels. Domestic food production is inadequate to meet local consumption, so most of the food consumed in the country is imported. Agriculture, fishing and processing of local agricultural products and production of some basic goods are the main economic activities. As a response to major difficulties in the economy in the 1980s and 1990s, many economic reforms have been carried out. The potential for tourism is high on the scenic islands, and many projects aim at improving the infrastructure to support growth in this sector. In 2019, inbound tourism expenditure reached 10 per cent over GDP.Sao Tome and Principe exports mostly to the Netherlands, Belgium and Singapore -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-.
Music is an important part of the local culture. São Toméans play ússua and socopé music, while Príncipe is home to music called dêxa beat. Tchiloli is a popular musical dance performance to tell a story. The danço‐Congo is another musical performance that combines music, dance and theatre.
Tropical fruits, for instance, avocado, bananas and pineapple, play a large role in the local diet. People also eat fish and other seafood, beans, maize and cooked banana, often with hot spices. Coffee is also used as a spice or seasoning.
Football is the most popular sport in São Tomé and Principe. The first local football association was established in 1931, with a national federation following only two years after independence.
Land areakm2
Arable land%
Forest area%
Coastline lengthkm
Exclusive economic zonekm2
Nearest neighbourkm
Economic trendsMaritime transportPopulationInternational tradeEnvironmentInformation and communications technology
Gross domestic product US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
GDP per capita
2019
US$
Productive Capacity Index
2018
Economic and environmental vulnerability index
2019
Consumer Price Index growth
2019
%
Unemployment rate
Total % Female %, Male %
Main economic sectors, 2019 Percentage of GDP
Tourist arrivals Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
External financial resources Percentage of GDP
Public debt as % of GDP
2018
%
Fleet size Number of ships
Ship type
2011
2019
Total fleet
1 407
1 407
Oil tankers
264
266
Bulk carriers
311
333
General cargo
161
77
Container ships
52
49
Other types of ships
619
682
Port performance Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Indicators
2019
SIDS Ranking
Number of port calls
0
36
Median time in port (days)
0
31
Average age of vessels
0
36
Average size (GT) of vessels
0
36
Container port throuput
2019
TEU
Bilateral connectivity index, 2019 Top 5 partners
Liner shipping connectivity index Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Total population Thousands of people, share of urban population
Population development indicators
Indicators
Period
Value
Poverty headcount (% of population)
2017
35.6
Human development index
2018
0.6
Human assets index
2020
88
Adult literacy rate (15+ years, both sexes %)
..
..
Gender inequality index
2019
0.5
Life expectancy at birth
years
Population density
2019
persons per km2
Dependency ratio
2019
Child: Old-age:
Age structure by gender, 2019 Percentage of total population
Merchandise and services trade US dollars in millions
Indicators
2005
2010
2015
2019
2019 (% of GDP)
Merchandise exports
7
11
11
13
3.1
Merchandise imports
50
112
142
148
35.1
Services exports
9
13
79
56
13.3
Services imports
11
24
67
60
14.2
Trade openness Goods and services
% of GDP
Export concentration index
2019
Food import dependency Average 2015-2019
Top 5 partners in merchandise trade, 2019 Exports in millions US dollars
Merchandise exports by product group, 2019
Services exports by category, 2019
CO2 emissions per capita Kg per capita
CO2 emissions per GDP Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Renewable energy share in total energy consumption, 2017 Percentage of total energy consumption
Material footprint per capita
2016
kg
Terrestrial protected area
2018
%
Marine protected area
2018
%
Disasters indicators
Data not available
Trade in ICT goods
Exports: % Imports: %
Trade in ICT services
Exports: % Imports: %
Share of internet users
%
Fixed broadband vs Mobile broadband subscriptions Number of subscriptions per 100 people
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