São Tomé e Principe, as ilhas do meio do mundo: avaliação crítica sobre sua geografia política

• Main Author: André-Louis Sanguin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Confins 2014-03-01
• Series: Confins
• Subjects: archipelagic state; creoleness; dependence; exclusive economic zone; joint development zone; lusophony
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/confins/9018

São Tomé e Principe, The Middle of the World’s Islands: a critical Assessment about their Political Geography- São Tomé e Principe, a sovereign state which is located within the Gulf of Guinea, is one example of the specific political geography issues faced by an archipelagic microstate. In comparison with the facing African mainland, its original features can be traced to its lusophony and creoleness. The over-islandness rests heavily on the operations of the country. Vulnerability and dependence are recurrent problems. Since its independence in 1975, this microstate has been always confronted by chronic bad governance. Its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the joint development zone (JDZ) which is shared with Nigeria provide a gateway towards an economic oil boom. However, for the time being, the mineral wealth is just a potential resource for hypothetical development. A territorial diagnosis is based upon the author’s field research which meets the observations of some scholars about the intertropical island microstates in general and São Tomé e Principe in particular.