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Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

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)

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

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; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Sao Tome and Principe

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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$256 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$144 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 14.9%

industry: 14%

services: 71% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

35,050 (1991)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

54% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

19.9% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

43.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $74.59 million

expenditures: $57.25 million (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish

Industries:

light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber

Industrial production growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

18 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 41.2%

hydro: 58.8%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

16.74 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

650 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:

634.4 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$51 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.384 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 47.9%, Belgium 19%, Portugal 9.3% (2006)

Imports:

$71.2 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Portugal 48.8%, France 19.7%, Belgium 5.1%, US 5.1% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$31.9 million in December 2000 under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) program (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$34.6 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$318 million (2002)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

dobra (STD)

Currency code:

STD

Exchange rates:

dobras per US dollar - 13,700 (2007), 12,050 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), 9,902.3 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications Sao Tome and Principe

Telephones - main lines in use:

7,100 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

12,000 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate facilities

domestic: minimal system

international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

38,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2001)

Televisions:

23,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.st

Internet hosts:

996 (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

23,000 (2005)

Transportation Sao Tome and Principe

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 320 km

paved: 218 km

unpaved: 102 km (2000)

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)

Ports and terminals:

Sao Tome

Military Sao Tome and Principe

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)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 42,340

females age 16-49: 43,781 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 33,735

females age 16-49: 36,779 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

0.8% (2006)

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)

Transnational Issues Sao Tome and Principe

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

Saudi Arabia

Introduction Saudi Arabia

Background:

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. A male descendent of Ibn Saud, his son ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz, rules the country today as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong on-going campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism. King ABDALLAH has continued the cautious reform program begun when he was crown prince. To promote increased political participation, the government held elections nationwide from February through April 2005 for half the members of 179 municipal councils. In December 2005, King ABDALLAH completed the process by appointing the remaining members of the advisory municipal councils. The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds more than 20% of the world's proven oil reserves. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in December 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the kingdom. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns.

Geography Saudi Arabia

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen

Geographic coordinates:

25 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 2,149,690 sq km

land: 2,149,690 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 4,431 km

border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km

Coastline:

2,640 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 18 nm

continental shelf: not specified

Climate:

harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

Terrain:

mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Land use:

arable land: 1.67%

permanent crops: 0.09%

other: 98.24% (2005)

Irrigated land:

16,200 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

2.4 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic / industrial / agricultural):

total: 17.32 cu km/yr (10%/1%/89%)

per capita: 705 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent sand and dust storms

Environment - current issues:

desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

People Saudi Arabia

Population:

28,161,417

note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38.1% (male 5,469,641/female 5,258,508)

15-64 years: 59.5% (male 9,467,325/female 7,284,077)

65 years and over: 2.4% (male 355,173/female 326,693) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.5 years

male: 22.9 years

female: 19.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.945% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.83 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.52 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-6.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.3 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.09 male(s)/female

total population: 1.19 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 12.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.09 years

male: 74.04 years

female: 78.25 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.89 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.01% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Saudi(s)

adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups:

Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Religions:

Muslim 100%

Languages:

Arabic

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 78.8%

male: 84.7%

female: 70.8% (2003 est.)

Government Saudi Arabia

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

conventional short form: Saudi Arabia

local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

Government type:

monarchy

Capital:

name: Riyadh

geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

Independence:

23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)