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Sao Tome, and Principe --- November 17,2015

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January 17th 2016
Sao Tome, One of the best indicators of how poor a country is, is the exchange rate per the U.S. dollar. For Ghana, Togo, Benin it was 600+ to 1 dollar. For Sao Tome it was 22,800 to a dollar. Our ship was only the second passenger ship to vist the island. Needless to say, they were not experiences handling a lot of tourists arriving all at once, The country gained independence from ... read more

Africa » Sao Tome & Principe » São Tomé

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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 independe... ... read more