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| Sao Tome and Principe Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see x Sao Tome and Principe are two small islands close to the coast of West Africa. They are very beautiful and hardly see tourists. That should be enough reason to go there, don't you think. Sao Tome is a small island, and the capital city, also called Sao Tome only has 25,000 inhabitants; Principe is even smaller. Sao tome is of volcanic origin and the cloud capped volcanoes, thick jungle and empty beaches are stunningly beautiful. Principe is flatter but the beaches are somewhat better and the chances of meeting fellow foreigners are even slimmer. __________History Edit This The islands were first discovered by Portuguese navigators between 1469 and 1472. The first successful settlement of Sao Tome was established in 1493 by Avaro Caminha who received the land as a grant from the Portuguese crown. Principe was settled in 1500 under a similar arrangement. By the mid-1500s with the help of slave labor the Portuguese settlers had turned the islands into Africa's foremost exporter of sugar. Sao Tome and Principe were taken over and administered by the Portuguese crown in 1522 and 1573 respectively. Sugar cultivation declined over the next 100 years and by the mid-1600s Sao Tome was little more than a port of call for bunkering ships. In the early 1800s two new cash crops coffee and cocoa were introduced. The rich volcanic soils proved well suited to the new cash crop industry and soon extensive plantations (rocas) owned by Portuguese companies or absentee landlords occupied almost all of the good farmland. By 1908 Sao Tome had become the world's largest producer of cocoa still the country's most important crop. The rocas system which gave the plantation managers a high degree of authority led to abuses against the African farm workers. Although Portugal officially abolished slavery in 1876 the practice of forced paid labor continued. In the early 1900s an internationally publicized controversy arose over charges that Angolan contract workers were being subjected to forced labor and unsatisfactory working conditions. Sporadic labor unrest and dissatisfaction continued well into the 20th century culminating in an outbreak of riots in 1953 in which several hundred African laborers were killed in a clash with their Portuguese rulers. This "Batepa Massacre" remains a major event in the colonial history of the islands and its anniversary is officially observed by the government. By the late 1950s when other emerging nations across the African continent were demanding independence a small group of Sao Tomeans had formed the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome 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 Sao Tome and Principe achieved independence on July 12 1975 choosing as its 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 and was re-elected in Sao Tome's second multiparty presidential election in 1996. The Party of Democratic Convergence (PCD) toppled 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 and retained a plurality in the 1996 elections. The Government of Sao Tome fully functions under a multiparty system. GOVERNMENT Under the new constitution passed by the National Assembly in April 1990 which was approved in an August public referendum and promulgated in September Sao Tome and Principe held multiparty elections for the first time since independence. Shortly after the constitution took effect the National Assembly formally legalized opposition parties and permitted independent candidates to participate in the January 1991 legislative elections. The National Assembly is the supreme organ of the state and the highest legislative body. Its members are elected for a four-year term and meet semi-annually. The president of the republic is elected to a 5-year term by direct universal suffrage and a secret ballot. 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 tour 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. The National Assembly is made up of 55 members all of whom must stand for reelection every five years. Justice is administered at the highest level by the Supreme Tribunal. Formerly responsible to the National Assembly the judiciary is now independent under the new constitution. Administratively the country is divided into seven municipal districts six on Sao Tome and one comprising Principe. Governing councils in each district maintain a limited number of autonomous decision-making powers and are reelected every five years. Principal Government Officials President--Miguel Trovoada Prime Minister--Raul Wagner Conceicao Braganca Neto Deputy Prime Minister--Armindo Vaz D'Almeida Charge d'affaires--Domingo Ferreira Ambassador to the United Nations--Domingo Ferreira Ministers Justice Labor and Public Administration--Amaro Pereira De Couto Foreign Affairs and Sao Tomean Communities Overseas--Homero Jeronimo Salvaterra Defense and Internal Order--Captain Joao Quaresma Viegas Bexigas Planning and Finances--Acacio Elba Bonfim Education Culture and Sports--Albertino Homem dos Santos Sequeira Braganca Equipment and the Environment--Arlindo Afonso de Carvalho Health--Dr. Eduardo do Carmo Ferreira de Matos Agriculture and Fisheries--Hermenilgido de Assuncao Sousa e Santos Commerce Industry and Tourism--Cosme Afonso da Trindade Rita The Sao Tome and Principe Mission to the United States which also is the Sao Tomean Embassy to the United Nations is located at 801 Second Avenue Suite 1604 New York New York 10017 (tel. __________Practical Information Edit This Credit cards are accepted at only a few businesses. Check with your planned accommodations and vehicle providers to confirm your card's acceptability. Currencies may be exchanged at the banks or on the street. Know the exchange rate if you choose the latter. _________Economy Edit This Economy—overview: This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence over 20 years ago. However cocoa production has substantially declined because of drought and mismanagement. The resulting shortage of cocoa for export has created a persistent balance-of-payments problem. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods and a significant amount of food. Over the years it has been unable to service its external debt and has had to depend on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies but economic growth has remained sluggish. Sao Tome is also optimistic that significant petroleum discoveries are forthcoming in its territorial waters in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea. GDP: purchasing power parity—$154 million (1996 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 1.5% (1996 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1 000 (1996 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 21% industry: 26% services: 53% (1995 est.) Inflation rate—consumer price index: 60% (1996 est.) Labor force: most of population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; there are shortages of skilled workers Unemployment rate: 28% (1996 est.) Budget: revenues: $58 million expenditures: $114 million including capital expenditures of $54 million (1993 est.) Industries: light construction textiles soap beer; fish processing; timber Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity—capacity: 6 000 kW (1995) Electricity—production: 16 million kWh (1995) Electricity—consumption per capita: 114 kWh (1995) Agriculture—products: cocoa coconuts palm kernels copra cinnamon pepper coffee bananas papaya beans; poultry; fish Exports: total value: $4.9 million (f.o.b. 1996 est.) commodities: cocoa 95% copra coffee palm oil partners: Netherlands 75.7% Germany 1.2% Portugal 1.1% Imports: total value: $19.6 million (c.i.f. 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and electrical equipment food products petroleum products partners: Portugal 32.2% France 16.8% Belgium 6.6% Japan Angola Debt—external: $266 million (1996) Economic aid: recipient: ODA $NA Currency: 1 dobra (Db) = 100 centimos Exchange rates: dobras (Db) per US$1—7 003.9 (December 1997) 4 552.5 (1997) 2 203.2 (1996) 1 420.3 (1995) 732.6 (1994) 429.9 (1993) Fiscal year: calendar year ___________People Edit This Population: 150 123 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (male 36 127; female 35 253) 15-64 years: 48% (male 34 980; female 37 555) 65 years and over: 4% (male 2 813; female 3 395) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: 3.1% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 43.48 births/1 000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 8.31 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: -4.15 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 54.55 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.34 years male: 62.87 years female: 65.86 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.19 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean Ethnic groups: 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) Religions: Roman Catholic Evangelical Protestant Seventh-Day Adventist Languages: Portuguese (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.) :::::::Principe Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Principe is the smaller of the two islands. To get there you can either catch a boat from S. Tome which takes all night or fly on local national airlines in a small two motor plane that gets you there in 40 minutes. The Capital there is S. Antonio. It has great beaches and lots of birds. In the forest you may see some monkeys. The Vegetation is awsome and the land very fertile. You will find coconut trees, fruta-pao, papaia, and several kinds of bananas. :::::::Sao tome Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Sao Tome is the bigger island. It is not only the name of the island but also of the capital and of the highest mountain. The cathedral and the fort of St. Sebastian are the main sights. Just 15km from town you find the Casa de Repouso from where you get a great panoramic view over the island. Great beaches are all around the island, but the best ones are found at prai das Pombas. |