Administrative divisions:
9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle
Independence:
3 September AD 301
National holiday:
Founding of the Republic, 3 September (AD 301)
Constitution:
8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution
Legal system:
based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Co-chiefs of State Captain Regent Federico Pedini AMATI and Captain Regent Rosa ZAFFERANI (for the period 1 April-30 September 2008)
head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006)
cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term
elections: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in September 2007 (next to be held in March 2008); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term; election last held 27 July 2006 (next to be held by 2011)
election results: Mirko TOMASSONI and Alberto SELVA elected captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fiorenzo STOLFI elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA
note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (co-chiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some prime ministerial roles
Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 32.9%, Party of Socialists and Democrats 31.9%, AP 11.9%, United Left 8.7%, New Socialist Party 5.4%, other parties 9.2%; seats by party - PDCS 21, Party of Socialists and Democrats 20, AP 7, United Left 5, New Socialist Party 3, others 4; note - following a government reshuffle on 28 NOvember 2007, a splinter party of the PDCS joined the center-left coalition formed by the Party of Socialists and Democrats, the APDS, and the United Left strengthening the government's parliamentary majority to 36 seats out of 60
Judicial branch:
Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII
Political parties and leaders:
Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN [Glauco SANSOVINI]; New Socialist Party [Augusto CASALI]; Party of Socialists and Democrats [Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Pier Marino MENICUCCI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or AP [Roberto GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; United Left
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
San Marino does not have an embassy in the US
honorary consulate(s) general: New York, Washington, DC
honorary consulate(s): Detroit, Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty)
Economy San Marino
Economy - overview:
The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2006 more than 2.1 million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are banking, clothing and apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$850 million (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.048 billion (2004)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$34,100 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
20,470 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 0.2%
industry: 40.1%
services: 59.7% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.8% (2004)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-1.5% (2006)
Budget:
revenues: $709.6 million
expenditures: $672.3 million (2004)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides
Industries:
tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine
Industrial production growth rate:
5.6% (2005 est.)
Exports:
$1.291 billion (2004)
Exports - commodities:
building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics
Imports:
$2.035 billion (2004)
Imports - commodities:
wide variety of consumer manufactures, food
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Debt - external:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications San Marino
Telephones - main lines in use:
21,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
17,390 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
16,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997)
Televisions:
9,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sm
Internet hosts:
3,344 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
15,400 (2006)
Transportation San Marino
Roadways:
total: 104 km
paved: 104 km (2003)
Military San Marino
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police functions (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,613 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,345 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
males age 16-49: 156 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy
Transnational Issues San Marino
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008
The World Factbook
Sao Tome and Principe
Introduction Sao Tome and Principe
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.
Geography Sao Tome and Principe
Location:
Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 7 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,001 sq km
land: 1,001 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
209 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Natural resources:
fish, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 8.33%
permanent crops: 48.96%
other: 42.71% (2005)
Irrigated land:
100 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
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
Geography - note:
the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are mountainous
People Sao Tome and Principe
Population:
206,178 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.1% (male 49,196/female 47,941)
15-64 years: 49.3% (male 49,326/female 52,324)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 3,350/female 4,041) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.3 years
male: 15.8 years
female: 16.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.116% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
39.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 40.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 36.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68 years
male: 66.35 years
female: 69.69 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean
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)
Religions:
Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)
Languages:
Portuguese (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.9%
male: 92.2%
female: 77.9% (2001 census)
Government Sao Tome and Principe
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
Government type:
republic
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)
Administrative divisions:
2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995
Independence:
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Constitution:
approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990
Legal system:
based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Rafael BRANCO (since 22 June 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%
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
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)
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