Where in it's file system does an Android phone store it's contacts and messages?

it doesnt is the easy answer.
it stores it in a database file within the OS file system and is a very big hassle to extract.
The easiest option is just to go to your contacts > click on the menu button > click on import/export > export to memcard and you will have a vcard saved which contains all your contacts which you can import after you do what you need to do.
or just sync with your google account.
 
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