Compare Christmas Island (2006) - Sao Tome and Principe (2008)

Compare Christmas Island (2006) z Sao Tome and Principe (2008)

	Christmas Island (2006)	Sao Tome and Principe (2008)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of Australia)	2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 47.3% (male 47,796/female 46,589) 15-64 years: 49% (male 47,386/female 50,412) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 3,383/female 4,013) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	NA	cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish
Airports	1 (2006)	2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC	more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.	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. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.
Birth rate	NA	39.72 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	revenues: $74.11 million expenditures: $57.71 million (2007 est.)
Capital	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Sao Tome geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April)	tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Coastline	138.9 km	209 km
Constitution	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992	approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island	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
Death rate	NA	6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	-	$318 million (2002)
Dependency status	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	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	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580 FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348 consulate(s): Atlanta
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$31.9 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program (2005)
Economy - overview	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future.	This small, poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily 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, which helped bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. 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. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth exceeded 6% in 2007, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment.
Electricity - consumption	-	16.74 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	-	18 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Environment - current issues	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining	deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)	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	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)	dobras per US dollar - 13,700 (2007), 12,050 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), 9,902.3 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia	chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA (since 14 February 2008) 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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5%
Exports	$NA	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	phosphate	cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil
Exports - partners	Australia, NZ (2004)	Netherlands 47.9%, Belgium 19%, Portugal 9.3% (2006)
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	calendar year
Flag description	territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes	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 - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 14.8% industry: 14.2% services: 71% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	6.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates	10 30 S, 105 40 E	1 00 N, 7 00 E
Geography - note	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean	the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	$NA	634.4 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	consumer goods	machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products
Imports - partners	principally Australia (2004)	Portugal 48.8%, France 19.7%, Belgium 5.1%, US 5.1% (2006)
Independence	none (territory of Australia)	12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Industrial production growth rate	-	8.5% (2007 est.)
Industries	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)	light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	total: 40.54 deaths/1,000 live births male: 42.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 38.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	17% (2007 est.)
International organization participation	none	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land	NA	100 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court	Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)
Labor force	NA	35,050 (1991)
Labor force - by occupation	-	note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)	arable land: 8.33% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 42.71% (2005)
Languages	English (official), Chinese, Malay	Portuguese (official)
Legal system	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law	based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9	unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 26 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP 28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, others 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD 23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA male: NA female: NA	total population: 67.64 years male: 66.03 years female: 69.3 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	NA	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.9% male: 92.2% female: 77.9% (2001 census)
Location	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia	Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 20,455 GRT/27,871 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 6 foreign-owned: 2 (Egypt 1, Greece 1) (2007)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia	Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay, working conditions, and alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers have been problems in the past, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance aimed at improving the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)
Military branches	-	Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP), Presidential Guard (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	0.8% (2006)
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)	Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Nationality	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island	noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	NA
Natural resources	phosphate, beaches	fish, hydropower
Net migration rate	NA	-2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	none	Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM [Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [[Patrice TROVOADA]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Rafael BRANCO]; New Way Movement or NR; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Delfim NEVES]; Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	1,493 (July 2006 est.)	199,579 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	54% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate	0% (2006 est.)	3.13% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)
Religions	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)	Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)
Sex ratio	NA	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.026 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.843 male(s)/female total population: 0.976 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)	general assessment: adequate facilities domestic: minimal system international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	7,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	12,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006)	2 (2001)
Terrain	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau	volcanic, mountainous
Total fertility rate	NA	5.53 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NA%

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.