27 



valuable building woods in the mountains, but transport is 

 prohibitive. There is only a light railway under State management, 

 measuring 14 kilometres long, and the roads are inadequate for 

 motor- transport. 



These islands were developed exclusively with Portuguese 

 capital, estimated at 20,000 contos, or 4,000,000 at the par rate 

 of exchange. The high prices of cocoa and coffee, as well as the 

 depreciation of the Portuguese currency, have given a strong 

 impetus to the prosperity of San Thome and Principe, where 

 capital has found a highly remunerative investment. 



Angola 



covers an area of 1,250,000 square kilometres in the West African 

 coast. It is a country of vast possibilities and of enormous riches 

 diamonds, oil wells, wolfram and tin, copper and iron, have been 

 prospected, and some of the deposits are being exploited by 

 foreign and Portuguese capital. The agricultural possibilities are 

 unlimited, as almost all climates are found. Building and 'joinery 

 woods, dye-woods, gums, resins, palm-oil are abundant in some 

 places. The coast belt is sterile, except near the rivers or where 

 there is a subterranean water-course. 



Capital is required for big undertakings, such as the exploita- 

 tion of oil-palm forests, the building of hotels on the sea coasts, 

 and many other undertakings. But a modest capital would find 

 a good remuneration in stock-breeding provided the right area is 

 selected for the purpose. Sugar, maize, beans, oil seeds, and 

 diamonds are being exported. 



According to the official statistics the total imports and 

 exports in 1921 were 63,592,000 escudos, of which 39,995,000 

 escudos represent imports, and 23,597,000 escudos represent 

 exports. 



The volume of trade was 52,967 tons, the imports amounting 

 to 9,425 tons and the exports to 43,542 tons. 



There are only 1,220 kilometres of railways, namely, the 

 Loanda Malange line measuring 500 kilometres, the Lobito 

 Chinguar line with 520 kilometres and the Mossamedes railway 

 with 185 Kilometres. 



The hauling capacity of these railways would be quite unable 

 to meet the requirements of the land, were it properly developed. 



The Angola minerals were prospected first by the Benguella 

 Railway Company within a tract of land 10 kilometres wide on 

 each side of the line. Since 1912 the Companhia de Pesquizas 

 Mineiras de Angola was organized by several Portuguese and 

 Belgian financiers and the whole land was prospected from North 

 to South 



