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Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2005) - Slovakia (2005)

Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2005) z Slovakia (2005)

 Sao Tome and Principe (2005)Slovakia (2005)
 Sao Tome and PrincipeSlovakia
Administrative divisions 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome


note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995
8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
Age structure 0-14 years: 47.6% (male 45,145/female 44,007)


15-64 years: 48.6% (male 43,996/female 47,011)


65 years and over: 3.9% (male 3,333/female 3,918) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 475,263/female 453,340)


15-64 years: 71% (male 1,919,222/female 1,939,097)


65 years and over: 11.9% (male 241,610/female 402,831) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products
Airports 2 (2004 est.) 34 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 17


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 17


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Area total: 1,001 sq km


land: 1,001 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 48,845 sq km


land: 48,800 sq km


water: 45 sq km
Area - comparative more than five times the size of Washington, DC about twice the size of New Hampshire
Background 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. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's economy. In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate 40.8 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.62 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $27.94 million


expenditures: $43.91 million, including capital expenditures of $54 million (2004 est.)
revenues: $15.44 billion


expenditures: $16.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Sao Tome Bratislava
Climate tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Coastline 209 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership
Country name 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
conventional long form: Slovak Republic


conventional short form: Slovakia


local long form: Slovenska Republika


local short form: Slovensko
Death rate 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 9.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $318 million (2002) $19.54 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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 chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N. THAYER


embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava


mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava


telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338


FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096
Diplomatic representation in the US 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 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone [1] (212) 317-0580 chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER


chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054


FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Disputes - international none Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Economic aid - recipient $200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program $2.2 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)
Economy - overview 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, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings in 2003. 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, but lacking a formal poverty reduction program with the IMF, it has not benefited from subsequent HIPC debt reductions. Sao Tome's external debt stands at over $300 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. The first production license was sold to a consortium led by US-based oil firms. Much of the 2005 budget is dependent upon the sale of additional production licenses. Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-04, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
Electricity - consumption 15.81 million kWh (2002) 28.89 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 8 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 6 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 17 million kWh (2002) 31.15 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m


highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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) Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Exchange rates dobras per US dollar - 9,900.4 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002), 8,842.1 (2001), 7,978.2 (2000) koruny per US dollar - 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001), 46.035 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister Maria do Carmo SILVEIRA (since 7 June 2005); Damiao Vaz DE ALMEIDA resigned 2 June 2005


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 29 July 2001 (next to be held July 2006); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president


election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in Sao Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - NA%
chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president


election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002


note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO
Exports NA NA
Exports - commodities cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4%% (2004 est.)
Exports - partners Netherlands 35.9%, China 12.3%, Belgium 7.4%, Germany 6.3%, Poland 5.1%, France 4.8%, Thailand 4.1% (2004) Germany 34.4%, Czech Republic 14.7%, Austria 8.2%, Italy 5.8%, Poland 5.3%, US 4.5%, Hungary 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 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 three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 16.5%


industry: 15.4%


services: 68.1% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 3.5%


industry: 30.1%


services: 66.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2004 est.) 5.3% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 1 00 N, 7 00 E 48 40 N, 19 30 E
Geography - note the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 320 km


paved: 218 km


unpaved: 102 km (1999 est.)
total: 42,970 km


paved: 37,698 km (including 302 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,272 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 5.1%


highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market
Imports NA NA
Imports - commodities machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)
Imports - partners Portugal 52.3%, Germany 9.5%, US 6%, Netherlands 4.8%, South Africa 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2004) Germany 26.1%, Czech Republic 21.3%, Russia 9.1%, Austria 6.6%, Poland 4.9%, Italy 4.9% (2004)
Independence 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Industrial production growth rate NA 5.1% (2004 est.)
Industries light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing; timber metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products
Infant mortality rate total: 43.11 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 45.06 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 41.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 7.41 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 14% (2004 est.) 7.5% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 100 sq km (1998 est.) 1,740 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council)
Labor force NA 2.2 million (3rd quarter, 2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing


note: shortages of skilled workers
agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,524 km


border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km
Land use arable land: 6.25%


permanent crops: 48.96%


other: 44.79% (2001)
arable land: 30.16%


permanent crops: 2.62%


other: 67.22% (2001)
Languages Portuguese (official) Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
Legal system based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23, Ue-Kedadji coalition 8
unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU 15.1%, Smer 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12), opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union 5, and independents 10)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 66.99 years


male: 65.43 years


female: 68.59 years (2005 est.)
total population: 74.5 years


male: 70.52 years


female: 78.68 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 79.3%


male: 85%


female: 62% (1991 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.7%


female: 99.6% (2001 est.)
Location Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon Central Europe, south of Poland
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 79,490 GRT/97,077 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 11, chemical tanker 2


foreign-owned: 2 (Egypt 1, Greece 1) (2005)
total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1


foreign-owned: 18 (Bulgaria 8, Estonia 1, Greece 1, Syria 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 1) (2005)
Military - note Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resouces 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 and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as intial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is excersized 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, Presidential Guard (2004) Army of the Slovak Republic (Armady Slovenskej Republika): Land Command, Air Forces (Vozdushne Sily), Training and Support Command, Logistics Command (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $700,000 (2004) $406 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.8% (2004) 1.89% (2002)
National holiday Independence Day, 12 July (1975) Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)
Nationality noun: Sao Tomean(s)


adjective: Sao Tomean
noun: Slovak(s)


adjective: Slovak
Natural hazards NA NA
Natural resources fish, hydropower brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land
Net migration rate -2.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement [leader NA]; 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]; Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader NA]; other small parties Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction (Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Movement for a Democratic Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Peter SULOVSKY]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG
Population 187,410 (July 2005 est.) 5,431,363 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 54% (2004 est.) NA
Population growth rate 3.16% (2005 est.) 0.15% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Sao Tome Bratislava, Komarno
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways - total: 3,662 km


broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge


standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2004)
Religions Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census) Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: adequate facilities


domestic: minimal system


international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality


domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added


international: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services
Telephones - main lines in use 7,000 (2003) 1,294,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,800 (2003) 3,678,800 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2002) 6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)
Terrain volcanic, mountainous rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south
Total fertility rate 5.71 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 13.1% (31 December 2004 est.)
Waterways - 172 km (on Danube River) (2004)
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