STD

$NA

Currency (code):

dobra (STD)

Currency code:

Exchange rates:

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

Communications
Sao Tome and Principe

Telephones - main lines in use:

7,700 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

30,100 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 20 telephones per 100 persons 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:

1,355 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

23,000 (2007)

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: 6 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 5 foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) (2008)

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.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,437 female: 2,394 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.8% of GDP (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 18 December, 2008

@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: