(since 14 April 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Agbeyome KODJO
(since 29 August 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president and the prime minister elections: president elected by popular
vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1998 (next to
be held NA 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election
results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent of vote -
Gnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%, Gilchrist OLYMPIO 34.12%, other 13.75%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held
21 March 1999 (next was tentatively scheduled for March 2002, however,
it was postponed with no new date given) note: Togo's main opposition
parties boycotted the election because of EYADEMA's alleged manipulation
of 1998 presidential polling; in March of 1999, opposition parties
entered into negotiations with the president over the establishment
of an independent electoral commission and a new round of legislative
elections election results: Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour
d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Action Committee for Renewal or CAR
[Yawovi AGBOYIBO]; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles or CFN [Joseph
KOFFIGOH]; Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Leopold
GNININVI]; Party for Democracy and Renewal or PDR [Zarifou AYEVA];
Patriotic Pan-African Convergence or CPP [Edem KODJO]; Rally of the
Togolese People or RPT [President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA]; Union of
Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile), Jean Pierre
FABRE, general secretary in Togo]; Union of Independent Liberals or ULI
[Jacques AMOUZOU] note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by
President EYADEMA, was the only party until the formation of multiple
parties was legalized 12 April 1991
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU,
OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Akoussoulelou BODJONA FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190 telephone: [1] (202)
234-4212 chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Karl HOFMANN embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou
B. P. 852, Lome telephone:
Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom)
alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red
square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African
colors of Ethiopia
Economy Togo
Economy - overview: This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily
dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which
provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs
must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about
40% of export earnings, with cotton being the most significant cash
crop despite falling prices on the world market. Political unrest,
including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993,
jeopardized the reform program, shrunk the tax base, and disrupted vital
economic activity. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of the XOF currency
by 50% provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment.
In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is by far the most important
activity. Togo is the world's fourth largest producer, and geological
advantages keep production costs low. The recently privatized mining
operation, Office Togolais des Phosphates (OTP), is slowly recovering
from a steep fall in prices in the early 1990's, but continues to face
the challenge of tough foreign competition, exacerbated by weakening
demand. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. It
continues to expand its duty-free export-processing zone (EPZ), launched
in 1989, which has attracted enterprises from France, Italy, Scandinavia,
the US, India, and China and created jobs for Togolese nationals. The
government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF,
to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and
bring revenues in line with expenditures has stalled. Progress depends
on following through on privatization, increased openness in government
financial operations, progress towards legislative elections, and possible
downsizing of the military, on which the regime has depended to stay in
place. Lack of large-scale foreign aid, deterioration of the financial
sector, energy shortages, and depressed commodity prices continue to
constrain economic growth. The takeover of the national power company
by a Franco-Canadian consortium in 2000 should ease the energy crisis.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.6 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42% industry: 21% services:
37% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 32% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.74 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30%
(1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $232 million expenditures: $252 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement;
handicrafts, textiles, beverages
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 97 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 97.94% other: 0%
(2000) hydro: 2.06% nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 525.21 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 435 million kWh note: electricity supplied by
Ghana (2000)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca),
corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Exports: $306 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
Exports - partners: Benin 12%, Nigeria 9%, Belgium 5%, Ghana 4% (2000)
Imports: $420 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products
Imports - partners: Ghana 26%, France 11%, China 7%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%
(2000)
Debt - external: $1.5 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $201.1 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 741.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70
(1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the
XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Togo
Telephones - main lines in use: 25,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,995 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system based on a network of
microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile
cellular system domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for
conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 73,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .tg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2001)
Internet users: 20,000 (2001)
Transportation Togo
Railways: total: 525 km narrow gauge: 525 km 1.000-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1996)
Waterways: 50 km (Mono river)
Ports and harbors: Kpeme, Lome
Merchant marine: total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,603
GRT/2,800 DWT ships by type: specialized tanker 1 note: includes a
foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 1
(2002 est.)
Airports: 9 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m:
2 (2001)
Military Togo
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,220,758 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 640,280
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $21.9 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Togo
Disputes - international: Benin accuses Togo of moving boundary markers
and stationing troops in its territory
Illicit drugs: transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
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. Although independence was achieved in
1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The
first free elections were held in 1991.
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 water: 0 sq km land: 1,001 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: 2% permanent crops: 41% other: 57% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1998 est.)
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 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 fairly mountainous
People Sao Tome and Principe
Population: 170,372 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.7% (male 41,159; female 40,125) 15-64
years: 48.3% (male 39,701; female 42,586) 65 years and over: 4% (male
3,115; female 3,686) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.18% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 42.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 7.32 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 47.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 67.45 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 5.95 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
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: Christian 80% (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant,
Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages: Portuguese (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 79.3% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.)
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 short
form: Sao Tome e Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao
Tome e Principe
Government type: republic
Capital: Sao Tome
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) election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in
Sao Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - NA%
elections: 29 July 2001 (next to be held NA July 2006); prime minister
chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president head of
government: cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
on the proposal of the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional
(55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year
terms) elections: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for
Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats by
party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23, Ue-Kedadji
coalition 8
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National
Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo
GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement [leader NA]; Independent
Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation
of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel
Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA];
Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader NA]; other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEEAC,
CEMAC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Sao Tome and Principe does not
have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN,
headed by First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA, located at 400 Park
Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone [1] (212) 317-0580
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 26 years ago. However,
cocoa production has substantially declined because of drought and
mismanagement. The resulting shortage of cocoa for export has created a
persistent balance-of-payments problem. Sao Tome has to import all fuels,
most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of
food. Over the years, it has been unable to service its external debt
and has had to depend 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. Sao Tome's success in
implementing structural reforms has been rewarded by international donors,
who have pledged increased assistance in 2001. 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 also
optimistic that substantial petroleum discoveries are forthcoming in
its territorial waters in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea.
Corruption scandals continue to weaken the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $189 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 10% services:
65% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2001 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: population mainly engaged in subsistence
agriculture and fishing note: Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $58 million expenditures: $114 million, including
capital expenditures of $54 million (1993 est.)
Industries: light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing;
timber
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 17 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 41.18% hydro: 58.82%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 15.81 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon,
pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish
Exports: $4.1 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cocoa 90%, copra, coffee, palm oil
Exports - partners: Portugal 33.3%, Netherlands 8.3%, Spain 8.3% (1999)
Imports: $40 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, food products,
petroleum products
Imports - partners: Portugal 43%, France 15.7%, UK 13.7% (1999)
Debt - external: $253.8 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $200 million in December 2000 under the
HIPC program
Currency: dobra (STD)
Currency code: STD
Exchange rates: dobras per US dollar - 9,009.1 (December 2001), 8,842.1
(2001), 7,978.2 (2000), 7,119.0 (1999), 6,883.2 (1998), 4,552.5 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Sao Tome and Principe
Telephones - main lines in use: 3,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,942 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate facilities domestic:
minimal system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 38,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 23,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .st
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 6,500 (2001)
Transportation Sao Tome and Principe
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Santo Antonio, Sao Tome
Merchant marine: total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 169,991
GRT/245,996 DWT ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1,
container 3, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated
cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some
foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 1,
Greece 1, Kenya 1, Portugal 1, Syria 1, Turkey 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to
1,523 m: 1 (2001)
Military Sao Tome and Principe
Military branches: Army, Navy, Security Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 35,524 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 18,727
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $400,000 (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Sao Tome and Principe
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Tunisia
Introduction
Tunisia
Background: Following independence from France in 1956, President
Habib BOURGUIBA established a strict one-party state. He dominated the
country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing
rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In recent years,
Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign
relations. Domestically, it has sought to diffuse rising pressure for
a more open political society.
Geography Tunisia
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Algeria and Libya
Geographic coordinates: 34 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 163,610 sq km water: 8,250 sq km land: 155,360 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries: total: 1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km,
Libya 459 km
Coastline: 1,148 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry
summers; desert in south
Terrain: mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south
merges into the Sahara
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point:
Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 13% other: 68% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: toxic and hazardous waste disposal is
ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage;
limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta
and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental
shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
People Tunisia
Population: 9,815,644 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.8% (male 1,412,625; female 1,320,729)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,234,770; female 3,233,149) 65 years and over:
6.3% (male 303,093; female 311,278) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 16.83 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97
male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 75.89 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Religions: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Languages: Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),
French (commerce)