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Compare Bahamas, The (2005) - Sao Tome and Principe (2001)
Compare Bahamas, The (2005) z Sao Tome and Principe (2001)
| Bahamas, The (2005) | Sao Tome and Principe (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay | 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995 |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 27.9% (male 42,142/female 42,096)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 97,865/female 101,047) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 7,616/female 11,024) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years:
47.7% (male 39,857; female 38,859) 15-64 years: 48.28% (male 38,430; female 41,246) 65 years and over: 4.02% (male 3,034; female 3,608) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | citrus, vegetables; poultry | cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish |
| Airports | 63 (2004 est.) | 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
- |
| Area | total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km |
total:
1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Connecticut | more than five times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. | 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. Although independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The first free elections were held in 1991. |
| Birth rate | 17.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 42.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY03/04) |
revenues:
$58 million expenditures: $114 million, including capital expenditures of $54 million (1993 est.) |
| Capital | Nassau | Sao Tome |
| Climate | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream | tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) |
| Coastline | 3,542 km | 209 km |
| Constitution | 10 July 1973 | approved March 1990; effective 10 September 1990 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas |
conventional long form:
Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe |
| Currency | - | dobra (STD) |
| Death rate | 8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $308.5 million (2002) | $268 million (2000) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222 |
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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
Sao Tome and Principe does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN, headed by First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA, located at 122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1604, New York, NY 10168, telephone [1] (212) 317-0533 |
| Disputes - international | have not been able to agree on the alignment of a maritime boundary with the US; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability | none |
| Economic aid - recipient | $9.8 million (1995) | $200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program |
| Economy - overview | The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. In addition to tourism and banking, the government supports the development of a "third pillar," e-commerce. | This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence 25 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. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. 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. Corruption scandals continue to weaken the economy. At the same time, progress in the economic reform program has attracted international financial institutions' support, and GDP growth will likely rise to at least 4% in 2001-02. |
| Electricity - consumption | 1.596 billion kWh (2002) | 15.8 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 1.716 billion kWh (2002) | 17 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
41.18% hydro: 58.82% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m |
| Environment - current issues | coral reef decay; solid waste disposal | deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% | 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) |
| Exchange rates | Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000) | dobras per US dollar - 2390.04 (December 2000), 7,119.0 (1999), 6,883.2 (1998), 4,552.5 (1997), 2,203.2 (1996) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
chief of state:
President Miguel TROVOADA (since 4 April 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Guilherma Posser da COSTA (since 30 December 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 30 June and 21 July 1996 (next to be held NA July 2001); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Miguel TROVOADA reelected president in Sao Tome's second multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - Miguel TROVOADA 52.74%, Manuel Pinto da COSTA 47.26% |
| Exports | transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003) | $3.2 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals; fruit and vegetables | cocoa 90%, copra, coffee, palm oil |
| Exports - partners | US 40.2%, Poland 13.3%, Spain 11.6%, Germany 5.9%, France 4.3% (2004) | Netherlands 18%, Germany 9%, Portugal 9% (1998) |
| Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side | 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; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $178 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3%
industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.) |
agriculture:
23% industry: 19% services: 58% (1997 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $17,700 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2004 est.) | 3% (2000 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 24 15 N, 76 00 W | 1 00 N, 7 00 E |
| Geography - note | strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited | - |
| Heliports | 1 (2004 est.) | - |
| Highways | total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.) |
total:
320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1996) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: 27% (2000) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center | - |
| Imports | NA | $40 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals | machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products |
| Imports - partners | US 22.4%, South Korea 18.9%, Brazil 9.2%, Japan 7.9%, Italy 7.8%, Venezuela 6.6% (2004) | Portugal 42%, US 20%, South Africa 6% (1998) |
| Independence | 10 July 1973 (from UK) | 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe | light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing; timber |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
48.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.2% (year ending September 2004) | 5% (2000 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA | 100 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) |
| Labor force | 156,000 (1999) | NA |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (1999 est.) | population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing
note: shortages of skilled workers |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 0.8%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 98.8% (2001) |
arable land:
2% permanent crops: 36% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 0% other: 61% (1993 est.) |
| Languages | English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) | Portuguese (official) |
| Legal system | based on English common law | based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4 |
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 8 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP-PSD 56%, PCD 14.5%, ADI 29%; seats by party - MLSTP-PSD 31, ADI 16, PCD 8 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 65.54 years
male: 62.11 years female: 69.04 years (2005 est.) |
total population:
65.59 years male: 64.15 years female: 67.07 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.) |
| Location | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba | Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | total: 1,119
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 183, cargo 259, chemical tanker 54, combination ore/oil 17, container 74, liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, passenger 116, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker 168, refrigerated cargo 130, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 24 foreign-owned: 968 (Angola 4, Australia 4, Belgium 17, Canada 9, China 3, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 18, Estonia 1, Finland 7, France 28, Germany 15, Greece 194, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 7, Japan 49, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 15, Netherlands 24, New Zealand 1, Nigeria 2, Norway 229, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 12, Serbia & Montenegro 2, Singapore 11, Slovenia 1, South Korea 1, Spain 6, Sweden 9, Switzerland 4, Thailand 1, Trinidad & Tobago 2, Turkey 7, UAE 12, United Kingdom 55, United States 154, Uruguay 2) registered in other countries: 35 (2005) |
total:
39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 130,843 GRT/149,048 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 21, chemical tanker 1, container 3, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military branches | Royal Bahamaian Defense Force (naval forces) (2004) | Army, Navy, Security Police |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $1 million (FY94) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 1.5% (FY94) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
34,205 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
18,043 (2001 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 10 July (1973) | Independence Day, 12 July (1975) |
| Nationality | noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian |
noun:
Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage | NA |
| Natural resources | salt, aragonite, timber, arable land | fish, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | -2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | -3.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] | Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; other small parties |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 301,790
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.) |
165,034 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 0.67% (2005 est.) | 3.18% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point | Santo Antonio, Sao Tome |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 38,000 (1997) |
| Railways | - | 0 km |
| Religions | Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census) | Christian 80% (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997) |
general assessment:
adequate facilities domestic: minimal system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 131,700 (2003) | 3,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 121,800 (2002) | 6,942 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (2004) | 2 (1997) |
| Terrain | long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills | volcanic, mountainous |
| Total fertility rate | 2.2 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 6.02 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 10.2% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| Waterways | - | none |
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