SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE

INTRODUCTION

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE is Africa's smallest country. The first successful settlement in São Tomé dates to 1493, under the Portuguese crown. By the mid-1500s, the Portuguese settlers, with slave labor, turned the islands into Africa's largest sugar producer. The farming technology and plantation system utilized by the Portuguese in São Tomé later served as the model used in Brazil and the Caribbean. During the 1600s, São Tomé's sugar industry declined as new colonies in the Americas were developed, and the island was only used as a port. The plantation system was used later to grow coffee and cocoa, and that system led to abuses against the African farm workers. Labor unrest continued well into the 20th century. Although slavery formally ended in 1869, in the early 1900s forced labor and poor work conditions were still common. In 1953, Portuguese soldiers fired upon striking plantation workers, killing 1,032. On July 12, 1975, after a period of transitional government, São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence from Portugal. The country allied itself with the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Cuba in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1990s, the government became more politically open and conducted direct multiparty elections.

MAJOR CITY

São Tomé

São Tomé is the capital city, with a population of about 57,000. Most of the island's population lives in the capital area. In 1493, Álvaro da Caminha, a member of Portugal's royal household, was given generous privileges to help rejuvenate the ailing colony. He brought many settlers to the wide bay of Ana de Chaves where the city of São Tomé now stands. The city was founded in about 1500 and serves as the trading and shipping center for the country. São Tomé was used as a penal colony by Portugal until 1881.

Recreation and Entertainment

Two sports facilities opened in 1992. Sports have a cultural and patriotic importance to São Tomé. During the 1950s, many residents joined cultural and recreational associations such as the pro-nationalist Sporting Club do São Tomé.

São Tomé and Príncipe's scenic beauty, wildlife, and unique historic architecture have the potential to attract tourists, but tourist facilities are restricted largely to the port areas. The first tourist hotel opened in 1986.

The town center of São Tomé dates back to the late 19th century. At that time, rich plantation owners had many fancy buildings constructed. São Tomé's historical buildings follow one of two architectural styles: colonial, with verandas, high ceilings, colonnades, and courtyard gardens; and French, with mansard roofs and shutters. The Portuguese planters had stately mansions built, many of which are still in good condition (some are still well-maintained). Vista Alegre, Boa Entrada, São Nicolau, Água-Izé, and Nova Moca all have plantation houses. The most elegant is probably the Rio d'Ouru plantation house, which is controlled by Empresa Agrícola Agostinho Neto, São Tomé's largest agricultural plantation company. The plantation houses exhibit tropical colonial, oriental, and alpine architectural styles. Although São Tomé does not have a developed tourist industry, the pruned gardens, ornate architecture, and exotic scenery of the old plantation houses could become a tourist attraction.

COUNTRY PROFILE

Geography and Climate

São Tomé and Príncipe, the smallest country in Africa, lies in the Gulf of Guinea about 225 off the west coast of Gabon. The country's total area is 371 square miles, of which the island of São Tomé occupies 330 square miles and the island of Príncipe covers 42 square miles. The islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanos and are both very mountainous. São Tomé's highest peak is Pico de São Tomé, at 6,640 feet. Along the south coast of the island, there are dramatic geological features such as Cão Grande and Cão Pequeno, two precipitous towering spires of volcanic rock. São Tomé's rich vegetation tends to conceal some of its volcanic topography. The islands are tropical, but temperatures vary with altitude. Coastal temperatures average around 81° F, but the mountain regions average only 68° F. Seasons are distinguished more by a change in rainfall than by a change in temperature. Between May and October, the islands receive 150-200 inches of rain, most of it falling on the southern windward areas. Northern areas receive only 40-60 inches of rain.

Population

São Tomé and Príncipe has an estimated population of 160,000, with about 94% of the total residing on the island of São Tomé. Most of the islands' permanent residents are mestiços, descendants of the Portuguese (colonists, deported criminals, and orphans) and the African slaves who came from Gabon and the Guinea coast. Along the southeast coast of São Tomé lives a group known as the Angolares, the descendants of Angolan slaves, shipwrecked in the 16th century, who established independent fishing communities. Other ethnic groups include the forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), and Europeans (primarily Portuguese). During the persecution of Iberian Jews in 1492, 2,000 Jewish children were taken from their parents' custody and shipped off to São Tomé as settlers. By 1500, only 600 remained alive (and by 1532, only 50-60) and presumably came to form a unique element of the island's population. Today's forros population traces its origins to the resettled Portuguese convicts and the Jewish orphans of the 15th century. Roman Catholicism is the majority religion, with professing Catholics estimated at over 80% of the population. There are smaller numbers of Evangelical Protestants and Seventh-Day Adventists. São Tomé's population speaks a centuries-old dialect of Portuguese; the Creole dialect also reveals the heavy influence of African Bantu languages.

Government

São Tomé became a Portuguese concession in 1485, and was taken over by the Portuguese crown in 1522 (Príncipe followed in 1573). Plantation slavery was the basis of island labor for centuries, and even when slavery ended in 1869, plantations used slavelike contract laborers from other areas of Portuguese-speaking Africa. In 1953, the governor of São Tomé ordered Portuguese troops to open fire on striking plantation workers, killing over 1,000. The massacre sparked a nationalist passion that gained momentum. A liberation group for São Tomé and Príncipe went into exile to Gabon in 1960 and remained there until 1974, when Portugal recognized it as the sole representative of the people of São Tomé and Príncipe. On July 12, 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe became an independent republic. Under the constitution adopted in 1990, a president is chosen by a multiparty election for a maximum of two five-year terms. The legislative body, known as the People's Assembly, is composed of 55 members elected to four-year terms. Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the People's Assembly. After a short-lived 1995 bloodless coup, in 1996 a government of national unity headed by Prime Minister Armindo Vaz d'Almeida was inaugurated. In elections in 2001, Fradique de Menzes was elected president. Manuel Pinto da Costa is the current prime minister.

The flag consists of three unequal horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and green; there is a red triangle at the hoist, and two black stars on the yellow stripe.

Arts, Science, Education

Schooling is compulsory for only four years; many children do not complete elementary school. Secondary education has two stages: the first four years are followed by three years.

Commerce and Industry

São Tomé and Príncipe has one of the poorest economies in the world. The country imports about 90% of its food, and is reliant on cocoa-producing plantations for its foreign earnings. Cocoa accounts for most of the country's foreign exchange earnings—changes in the price of cocoa on the world market can create serious economic problems. Drought and mismanagement have caused cocoa production to decline in recent years, resulting in a poor balance of trade and increased foreign debt. The government has implemented businesslike fiscal and economic policies since 1991, which have slowly started to improve the economy. In December 2000, the country received $200 million in debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries program.

Transportation

Roads on São Tomé and Príncipe reflect the plantation economy and serve principally to bring export crops to the port towns. Schooners are the main form of transport for people living too far from town. Although there are ports at São Tomé and Santo António, large freighters must be unloaded from their anchorage by barge because the ports are not deep enough to accommodate them. The international airport at São Tomé is serviced mainly by the Angolan airline Transportes Aéreos de Angola. Equatorial Airline of São Tomé and Príncipe flies to Príncipe and Libreville, Gabon.

National roads are limited but adequate. Public transportation and emergency road service are unavailable.

Communications

There is a national radio station that broadcasts in Portuguese, and a television station that broadcasts two days a week. Two weekly newspapers are published: Diario da República and Noticias São Tomé e Príncipe. There are over 3,000 telephones in use.

Health

Malaria and outbreaks of smallpox were major health problems in São Tomé until the early 20th century. There have been problems with malnutrition, but the government has promoted crop diversification to help alleviate the circumstances.

Outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles have occurred in the 1990s.

Medical care in São Tomé and Príncipe are extremely limited. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. The Medicare/Medicaid program does not provide for payment of medical services outside of the United States. Travelers have found that supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas and medical evacuation coverage has proven useful. For additional health information, travelers can contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's international travelers hotline, telephone (404) 332-4559. Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov.

NOTES FOR TRAVELERS

Travelers should obtain latest information and details from the Permanent Mission of São Tomé and Príncipe, 122 East 42nd St., Suite 1604, New York, N.Y. 10168, telephone (212) 697-4211. Overseas, inquiries should be made to the nearest Sao Tomean diplomatic mission.

There is no U.S. Embassy in São Tomé and Príncipe. U.S. citizens in São Tomé and Príncipe needing assistance may contact the U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon, located on the Boulevard de la Mer. The mailing address is b.p. 4000, Libreville, Gabon. The telephone is (241) 762003/4 or 743492.

LOCAL HOLIDAYS

Jan. 1 …New Year's Day

Feb. 4 …Martyrs' Day

May 1…Labor Day

July 12 …Independence Day

Sept. (first week) …Armed Forces Day^*

Sept. 30 …Farmers' Day

Dec. 25 …Christmas & Family Day

^*variable

RECOMMENDED READING

Hodges, Tony and Malyn Newitt.

São Tomé and Príncipe: From Plantation Colony to Microstate. Boulder, Col.: Westview Press, 1988.