Republica Democratica de São Tomé e Principe

Origin of Name São Tomé was named after Saint Thomas the Apostle by the Portuguese who discovered the island on December 21, 1470 (or 1471), the saint's feast day; Principe is a shortening of the original Portuguese name of "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince), referring to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid

Location about 150 miles off the western coast of Africa
Nearest Mainland Neighbor Gabon

Total Area 372 sq mi (964 sq km)
Highest Point Pico de São Tomé; 6,640 ft (2,024 m)
Lowest Point sea level
Natural Resources fish, hydropower

Nationality São Toméan
Population (July 2015 est) 194,006
Largest City São Tomé
Ethnic Groups mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cabo Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese), Asians (mostly Chinese)
Languages Portuguese (official), Forro, Cabo Verdian, French, Angolar, English, Lunguie
Religions Catholic, none, Adventist, Assembly of God, New Apostolic, Mana, Universal Kingdom of God, Jehovah's Witnesses

Capital São Tomé
Form of Government semi-presidential republic
Present Constitution Adopted November 5, 1975
Chief of State President Evaristo Carvalho (since August 7, 2016)
Head of Government Prime Minister Patrice Emery Trovoada (since November 29, 2014)
Cabinet Council of Ministers; proposed by the Prime Minister, appointed by the President
Legislature unicameral National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional)
Judiciary Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Local Administration 2 provinces

Currency Dobra (STD)
Per Capita Income $3,200
Industries light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber
Agricultural Products cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish
Export Commodities cocoa, copra, coffee, palm oil
Import Commodities machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Independence from Portugal Achieved July 12, 1975
National Holiday Independence Day; July 12
Flag three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; green stands for the country's rich vegetation, red recalls the struggle for independence, and yellow represents cocoa, one of the country's main agricultural products; the two stars symbolize the two main islands

Gabon

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