NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Italy

Transnational Issues
San Marino

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

@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: