The Gabonese Republic or Gabon is a nation in Africa. It used to be a French colony until it declared independence in August 1960. The nation became a single party state under the leadership of the Garbon Democratic Party, but opposition parties were legalized after the end of the Cold War. Today the Gabonese Republic is still ruled by the Garbon Democratic Party, who is the dominate political party in the nation. Gabon's oil revenues have given it a strong per capita GDP of $8,600, extremely high for the region. However the income distribution is skewed and social indicators show poor values. The richest 20% of the population receive over 90% of the income while about a third of the Gabonese population lives in poverty!
The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is made up of two small islands close to the west African coast. The two islands were Portuguese colonies until July 1975, when the conservative dictatorship in Portugal was replaced by a democracy. São Tomé and Príncipe have a population of 183.000 people and have functioned under a multi-party system since 1990. The president of the republic is elected to a five-year term by direct universal suffrage and a secret ballot, and must gain an outright majority to be elected!
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a republic made up of two Latin American islands close to Venezuela. About 1,3 million people live on the two islands and speak English. This is because the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago used to be British colonies until 1976 when the two islands united to become a republic. Thanks to tourism the nation has a relative high income compared to other Latin American states!
The Republic of Vanuatu is an nation made up of many small islands in the Pacific close to French New Caledonia. The islands were colonies of both the United Kingdom and France until they were giving independence in 1980. This makes the Republic of Vanuatu a young nation of only 33 years old. The four mainstays of the economy are agriculture, tourism, offshore financial services, and raising cattle. There is substantial fishing activity, although this industry does not bring in much foreign exchange. Exports include copra, kava, beef, cocoa, and timber, and imports include machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, and fuels
