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GovernmentCountry name
Conventional long form
Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe Conventional short form Sao Tome and PrincipeLocal long form Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe Local short form Sao Tome e PrincipeGovernment type
Republic
Capital
Name Sao Tome
Geographic coordinates 0 20 N, 6 44 E Time difference UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions
2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome Note Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995 Independence
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution
Approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 Legal system
Mixed legal system of civil law base on the Portuguese model and customary law International law organization participation
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state
President Manuel Pinto DA COSTA (since 3 September 2011) Head of government Prime Minister Patrice Emery TROVOADA (since 14 August 2010) 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 on 17 July and 7 August 2011 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president Election results Manuel PINTO DA COSTA elected president in a run-off election; percent of vote - Manuel PINTO DA COSTA 52.9%, Evaristo CARVALHO 47.1% Legislative branch
Unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) Elections Last held on 1 August 2010 (next to be held in 2014) Election results Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADI 26, MLSTP-PSD 21, PCD 7, MDFM 1 Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly); Constitutional Court (five judges appointed by the National Assembly for five year terms); Court of First Instance; Audit Court 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 Political pressure groups and leaders
Association of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs or FONG Other The mediaInternational organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the us
Chief of mission
Ambassador Ovidio Manuel Barbosa PEQUENO Chancery 1211 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036 Telephone [1] (202) 775-2075, 2076FAX [1] (202) 775-2077 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 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; green stands for the country's rich vegetation, red recalls the struggle for independence, and yellow represents cocoa, one of the country's main agricultural products; the two stars symbolize the two main islands Note Uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia National anthem
Name
"Independencia total" (Total Independence) Lyrics/music Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA Note Adopted 1975
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Sao Tome And Principe (Sao Tome):
 
GPS points from Sao Tome And Principe (Sao Tome)
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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.