THE CENTRAL AFRICAN country of Sào Tome and Principe, formerly a Portuguese colony, is located on two islands, Sào Tome and Principe, in the Atlantic Ocean. Together they have a land area of 372 sq. mi. (964 sq. Ion.), with a population of 158,000 (2006 est.), and a population density of 454 people per sq. mi. (171 people per sq. Ion.). About 42 percent of the population live in urban areas. Only 2 percent of the land is arable, with a further 1 percent used for meadows and pasture, with 75 percent of the country being forested.

Until the recent discovery of oil, the country has been poor, with the carbon dioxide emissions in the country being 0.6 metric tons per capita from 1990 until 2003 ...