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Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2007) - Aruba (2008)

Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2007) z Aruba (2008)

 Sao Tome and Principe (2007)Aruba (2008)
 Sao Tome and PrincipeAruba
Administrative divisions 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome


note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Age structure 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.)
0-14 years: 19.7% (male 9,943/female 9,761)


15-64 years: 70.2% (male 33,553/female 36,661)


65 years and over: 10.1% (male 4,046/female 6,054) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish aloes; livestock; fish
Airports 2 (2007) 1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 1,001 sq km


land: 1,001 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 193 sq km


land: 193 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative more than five times the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than Washington, DC
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. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. Although 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 promises to have a significant impact on the country's economy. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
Birth rate 39.72 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 12.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $42.96 million


expenditures: $59.61 million (2006 est.)
revenues: $507.9 million


expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)
Capital name: Sao Tome


geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Oranjestad


geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 209 km 68.5 km
Constitution approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 1 January 1986
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: none


conventional short form: Aruba
Death rate 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $318 million (2002) $478.6 million (2005 est.)
Dependency status - member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
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 the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
Diplomatic representation in the US 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
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $31.9 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program (2005) $11.3 million (2004)
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, 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 4% in 2006, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment. Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the country's oil refinery reopened in 1993, providing a major source of employment, foreign exchange earnings, and growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.
Electricity - consumption 16.74 million kWh (2005) 716.1 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 18 million kWh (2005) 770 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion NA
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 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) mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
Exchange rates dobras per US dollar - 12,050 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), NA 9,902.3 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002) Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ (since 21 April 2006)


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%
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held in 2005 (next to be held by 2009)


election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
Exports NA bbl/day 230,600 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Exports - partners Netherlands 47.9%, Belgium 19%, Portugal 9.3% (2006) Netherlands 27.7%, Panama 25.5%, Colombia 12.8%, Venezuela 11.1%, US 9.4%, Netherlands Antilles 7.1% (2006)
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 blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 15%


industry: 13.7%


services: 71.3% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 0.4%


industry: 33.3%


services: 66.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.4% (2006 est.) 2.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 1 00 N, 7 00 E 12 30 N, 69 58 W
Geography - note the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine
Imports NA bbl/day 235,000 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners Portugal 48.8%, France 19.7%, Belgium 5.1%, US 5.1% (2006) US 53.6%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.6% (2006)
Independence 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Infant mortality rate 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.)
total: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 19.59 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 23.1% (2006 est.) 3.4% (2005)
International organization participation 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) Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO
Irrigated land 100 sq km (2003) 0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch)
Labor force 35,050 (1991) 41,500 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%


note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 8.33%


permanent crops: 48.96%


other: 42.71% (2005)
arable land: 10.53%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 89.47% (2005)
Languages Portuguese (official) Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
Legal system based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch 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
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 67.64 years


male: 66.03 years


female: 69.3 years (2007 est.)
total population: 74.83 years


male: 71.8 years


female: 77.91 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 84.9%


male: 92.2%


female: 77.9% (2001 census)
definition: NA


total population: 97.3%


male: 97.5%


female: 97.1% (2000 census)
Location Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 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 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) defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Navy, Presidential Guard (2007) no regular indigenous military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2005)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.8% (2006) -
National holiday Independence Day, 12 July (1975) Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
Nationality noun: Sao Tomean(s)


adjective: Sao Tomean
noun: Aruban(s)


adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Natural hazards NA lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Natural resources fish, hydropower NEGL; white sandy beaches
Net migration rate -2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM; 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]; New Way Movement or NR; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 199,579 (July 2007 est.) 100,018


note: estimate based on a revision of the base population, fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-1999 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 54% (2004 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 3.13% (2007 est.) 1.522% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001) AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census) Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, other (includes Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 10%
Sex ratio 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.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.915 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.668 male(s)/female


total population: 0.906 male(s)/female (2007 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: modern fully automatic telecommunications system


domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed


international: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 7,100 (2005) 38,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 12,000 (2005) 108,200 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2001) 1 (1997)
Terrain volcanic, mountainous flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Total fertility rate 5.53 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.85 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 6.9% (2005 est.)
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