World Country Sao Tome and Principe

About the world country Sao Tome and Principe, its location, size, population, and who is in power.

NATIONS OF THE WORLD

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE

Location: Two major islands in the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean), about 125 mi. west of Gabon. Size: 372 sq. mi. (964 sq. km.). Population: 85,000.

Who Really Rules: Since it declared independence from Portugal in 1975, the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP) has governed the islands. The Movement, which led the fight against colonialism for 15 years, is the only legal political party, but it does not persecute former opposition groups. The MLSTP nationalized Portuguese cacao plantations when it took over, but Portugal is still the islands' number-one trade partner. Cacao still represents about 90% of exports.