Higher education systems and institutions, São Tomé and Príncipe

Abstract

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea approximately 150 miles off the western African coast. An archipelago with only 1001 square km of combined land area and an estimated population around 198,000 inhabitants, it is one of the smallest countries in the world. Since its independence from Portugal in 1975, the country has evolved from a one party, socialist state to a liberal, multiparty democracy assuring ample civil liberties and political rights. In economic terms the World Bank (2017) describes São Tomé and Principe as a lower middle income developing country with a fragile economy. The main economic activities are the services sector, agriculture, fishing, and a recently growing tourism sector. The country imports most of its consumer goods and relies heavily in public expenditure as the main driver of growth. The life expectancy is 66.6 years and the adult literacy rate