Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2008) - Equatorial Guinea (2005)

Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2008) z Equatorial Guinea (2005)

	Sao Tome and Principe (2008)	Equatorial Guinea (2005)

Administrative divisions	2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995	7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas
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: 41.7% (male 112,326/female 111,244) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 140,568/female 151,500) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,900/female 11,343) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish	coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber
Airports	2 (2007)	4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	more than five times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Maryland
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. 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.	Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country for over two decades since seizing power from his uncle, then President MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being flawed. The president controls most opposition parties through the judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the country's living standards.
Birth rate	39.72 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	36.18 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $74.11 million expenditures: $57.71 million (2007 est.)	revenues: $813.2 million expenditures: $375.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 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)	Malabo
Climate	tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)	tropical; always hot, humid
Coastline	209 km	296 km
Constitution	approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990	approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995
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: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial former: Spanish Guinea
Death rate	6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	12 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$318 million (2002)	$248 million (2000 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	the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department is considering opening a Consulate Agency in Malabo
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	chief of mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
Disputes - international	none	in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has been pressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay
Economic aid - recipient	$31.9 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program (2005)	$33.8 million (1995)
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. 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.	The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been unsuccessfully trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth presumably remained strong in 2004, led by oil.
Electricity - consumption	16.74 million kWh (2005)	24.82 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	18 million kWh (2005)	26.69 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion	tap water is not potable; deforestation
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	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution 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)	Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
Exchange rates	dobras per US dollar - 13,700 (2007), 12,050 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), 9,902.3 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Executive branch	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%	chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 15 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	NA
Exports - commodities	cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil	petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa
Exports - partners	Netherlands 47.9%, Belgium 19%, Portugal 9.3% (2006)	US 29.3%, China 22.8%, Spain 16%, Taiwan 14.9%, Canada 6.8% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 January - 31 December
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 green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 14.8% industry: 14.2% services: 71% (2007 est.)	agriculture: 3% industry: 95.7% services: 1.3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6.5% (2007 est.)	20% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	1 00 N, 7 00 E	2 00 N, 10 00 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	insular and continental regions rather widely separated
Highways	-	total: 2,880 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	634.4 bbl/day (2004)	NA
Imports - commodities	machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products	petroleum sector equipment, other equipment
Imports - partners	Portugal 48.8%, France 19.7%, Belgium 5.1%, US 5.1% (2006)	US 26.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 21.4%, Spain 13.6%, France 8.8%, UK 7.8%, Italy 4.4% (2004)
Independence	12 July 1975 (from Portugal)	12 October 1968 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate	8.5% (2007 est.)	30% (2002 est.)
Industries	light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber	petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas
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: 85.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91.28 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	17% (2007 est.)	8.5% (2004 est.)
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)	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land	100 sq km (2003)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)	Supreme Tribunal
Labor force	35,050 (1991)	NA
Labor force - by occupation	note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers	-
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Land use	arable land: 8.33% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 42.71% (2005)	arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2001)
Languages	Portuguese (official)	Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Legal system	based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
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 House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, NA 2 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 67.64 years male: 66.03 years female: 69.3 years (2007 est.)	total population: 49.7 years male: 48.01 years female: 51.44 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.9% male: 92.2% female: 77.9% (2001 census)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.7% male: 93.3% female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location	Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Map references	Africa	Africa
Maritime claims	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	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)	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)
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)	-
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)	Army, Navy, Air Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$126.2 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.8% (2006)	2.5% (2004)
National holiday	Independence Day, 12 July (1975)	Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Nationality	noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean	noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Natural hazards	NA	violent windstorms, flash floods
Natural resources	fish, hydropower	petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay
Net migration rate	-2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	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	Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	199,579 (July 2007 est.)	535,881 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	54% (2004 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	3.13% (2007 est.)	2.42% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Malabo
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)	AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)
Religions	Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)	nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices
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: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal adult
Telephone system	general assessment: adequate facilities domestic: minimal system international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: poor system with adequate government services domestic: NA international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	7,100 (2005)	9,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	12,000 (2005)	41,500 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	2 (2001)	1 (2002)
Terrain	volcanic, mountainous	coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Total fertility rate	5.53 children born/woman (2007 est.)	4.62 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	30% (1998 est.)

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