amon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish

Exports: $4.9 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities: cocoa 90%, copra, coffee, palm oil (1997)

Exports - partners: Netherlands 51%, Germany 6%, Portugal 6% (1997)

Imports: $19.5 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, food
products, petroleum products

Imports - partners: Portugal 26%, France 18%, Angola, Belgium, Japan
(1997)

Debt - external: $274 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: $57.3 million (1995)

Currency: 1 dobra (Db) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates: dobras (Db) per US$1 - 7,200.0 (October 1999),
7,104.05 (1998), 4,552.5 (1997), 2,203.2 (1996), 1,420.3 (1995)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Sao Tome and Principe:Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 3,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system:
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 Service Providers (ISPs): NA

@Sao Tome and Principe:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 320 km
paved: 218 km
unpaved: 102 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: Santo Antonio, Sao Tome

Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 43,587 GRT/34,802 DWT
ships by type: cargo 4, container 1, refrigerated cargo 1,
roll-on/roll-off 3 (1999 est.)

Airports: 2 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)

@Sao Tome and Principe:Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Security Police

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 32,933 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 17,391 (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1 million (FY94)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY94)

@Sao Tome and Principe:Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

______________________________________________________________________

SAUDI ARABIA

@Saudi Arabia:Introduction

Background: In 1902 Abdul al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out
on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian peninsula. In the 1930s,
the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's
invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accept