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Travel Sao Tome and Principe

Official Name of Sao Tome and Principe: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Government type in Sao Tome and Principe: republic
Capital of Sao Tome and Principe: Sao Tome
Primary Language in Sao Tome and Principe: Portuguese
Currency in Sao Tome and Principe: dobra

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. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's economy. The smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous.