Location:
Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 7 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 964 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 964 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
185
Area - comparative:
more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
209 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12
nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200
nm
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous
Elevation:
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Natural resources:
fish, hydropower
Land use:
agricultural land: 50.7%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 9.1%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 40.6%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 1%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 28.1%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 21.2%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]
Irrigated land:
100 sq km
(2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
Population distribution:
Sao Tome, the capital city, has roughly a quarter of the nation's population; Santo Antonio is the largest town on Principe; the northern areas of both islands have the highest population densities
Natural hazards:
flooding
Environment - current issues:
deforestation and illegal logging; soil erosion and exhaustion; inadequate sewage treatment in cities; biodiversity preservation
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the second-smallest African country (after the Seychelles); the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are mountainous
