São Tomé and Príncipe

Full name of country: Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe

Region: Africa

Official language: Portuguese

Population: 223,561 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Sao Tomean(s) (noun), Sao Tomean (adjective)

Land area: 964 sq km (372 sq miles)

Capital: São Tomé

National anthem: "Independencia total" (Total Independence), by Alda Neves Da Graca Do Espirito Santo/Manuel Dos Santos Barreto De Sousa E Almeida

National holiday: Independence Day, July 12 (1975)

Population growth: 1.42% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +0

Flag: The flag of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe consists of a horizontal triband (green-yellow-green) design with a scarlet isosceles triangle based on the hoist (left) side. The central yellow band is one and a half times wider than the other two green bands. In the center stripe are two five-pointed black stars, which represent the two islands. Symbolically, the color red stands for the country’s struggle for freedom and independence. The other colors—black, yellow, and green—are pan-African colors.

Motto: “Unidade, Disciplina, Trabalho” (Unity, Discipline, Work)

Independence: July 12, 1975 (from Portugal)

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law based on the Portuguese model and customary law

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially known as the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island nation located off the western coast of the African continent, specifically off the coast of Gabon along the equator. It consists of two main islands, the larger São Tomé and the smaller Príncipe, as well as several small rocky islands. A Portuguese-speaking nation, it was settled by Portugal in the fifteenth century, and achieved independence in 1975. The culture of São Tomé and Príncipe has been influenced by a blend of African and Portuguese heritage. Inhabitants of São Tomé and Príncipe are known as Sao Tomeans.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

Principal Urban Areas by Population (2018)

• São Tome (80,000)

Topography

São Tomé and Príncipe is the smallest country in Africa, and the country is located on two small volcanic islands (though the volcanoes are no longer active). The former volcano chain extends from Equatorial Guinea to Cameroon. The highest peak on the two islands is Pico de São Tomé (São Tomé Peak), which measures 2,024 meters (6,640 feet) tall. This mountain is located on São Tomé, which has higher altitudes than Príncipe. The lowest altitude is at sea level. Both islands have several large streams that run from the mountains to the ocean, which are used for irrigation. While permanent crops account for nearly 50 percent of the land, less than 9 percent of the remaining land is arable, due to poor land management and soil erosion. The two islands have a total of 209 kilometers (130 miles) of coastline.

Cultural Sites & Landmarks

São Tomé and Príncipe is home to several important historical and ecological sites. São Tomé and Príncipe’s history is inextricably linked to the sugar trade, and a number of historic plantations have been maintained. These include the Roça de Monteforte, Roça de Bombaim, and Roça de São João plantations, as well as Agostinho Neto, the largest in the country, and the Monte Café plantation, which used to be the largest coffee plantation on the islands. Here, visitors learn the history of São Tomé and about coffee production. Visitors can also explore the small historic towns of Santo Antonio, on Príncipe Island, and Porto Alegre, a fishing town on São Tomé. The Illhue das Rolas is a small island off the southern coast of São Tomé, through which the equator passes. The island has a monument marking the point where the equator crosses the land.

The majority of the country’s points of interest are natural wonders. Hikers can climb Pico de São Tomé, over 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) above sea level, to see the views of the forest and the top of the extinct volcano. Jalé Beach, on the south edge of São Tomé, is home to a sustainable development and environmental protection project with the French Fund for World Environment (FFEM) and the protected areas network of Central Africa. Other natural points of interest include the Cascata São Nicolau, a waterfall in the mountains, and Boca de Inferno (Hell’s Mouth), a natural phenomenon where ocean waves shoot through a cave opening in the rocks.

Government Structure

São Tomé and Príncipe is a republic with three branches of government: the executive, run by a president, a prime minister, and an executive cabinet known as the Council of Ministers; the legislative branch, consisting of a single body, the National Assembly; and the judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the Court of First Instance, and the Audit Court. The fifty-five members of the National Assembly serve four-year terms and are elected by popular vote. The president serves a five-year term, though he can be reelected. The president is elected directly by the citizens. All citizens eighteen years or older can vote. To be elected, the presidential candidate has to receive a majority of the votes, or a runoff election is held. The National Assembly selects the prime minister, who is then approved by the president. The prime minister nominates the members of the Council of Ministers, who are then appointed by the president. The judiciary used to be responsible to the National Assembly, but became independent in 1990.

Patrice Emery Trovoada has been prime minister since November 2022. He previously served as prime minster during 2008, from 2010-2012 and again from 2014-2018. He is the son of former long-time President Miguel Trovoada.

Fascinating Facts

• The country is home to a recorded 144 species of birds, sixteen of which are endemic to the island of São Tomé.
• The banknotes of the country’s currency (the dobra) feature what is believed to be a portrait of national hero Rei Amador, who led a slave revolt against the Portuguese in the late sixteenth century. Amador is also commemorated by a statue that was inaugurated in 2004 by the general secretary of the United Nations.
• The unofficial motto of the country is “leve-leve” (“slowly-slowly” or “light-light”), which expresses the relaxed pace of life on the islands.

Bibliography

Boyd, Herb. Former Portuguese colonies Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome & Principe. New York: Watts, 1981. Print.

Chabal, Patrick. History of Postcolonial Lusophone Africa. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2002. Print.

Ferraz, Luiz Ivens. The Creole of Sao Tome. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand UP, 1979. Print.

Garfield, Robert. History of Sao Tome Island, 1470–1655: The Key to Guinea. San Francisco: Mellen Research UP, 1992. Print.

George Frynas, Jedrzej, Geoffrey Wood, and Ricardo M. S. Soares de Oliveira. “Business and Politics in Sao Tome & Principe: From Cocoa Monoculture to Petro-State.” African Affairs 102 (2003): 51–80. Print.

Hodges, Tony. Sao Tome & Principe from Plantation Colony to Microstate. Boulder: Westview, 1988. Print.

Keese, Alexander. “Early Limits of Local Decolonization in São Tomé and Príncipe: From Colonial Abuses to Postcolonial Disappointment, 1945–1976.” International Jour. Of African History Studies 44.3 (2011): 373–92. Print.

Lloyd-Jones, Stewart, and Antonio Costa Pinto. The Last Empire Thirty Years of Portuguese Decolonisation. Bristol: Intellect, 2004. Print.

"Sao Tome and Principe." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sao-tome-and-principe/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.

Seibert, Gerhard. Comrades, Clients and Cousins Colonialism, Socialism and Democratization in Sao Tome and Principe (African Social Studies Series). New York: Brill Academic, 2006. Print.

Torp, Jens Erik, L. M. Denny, and Donald I. Ray. Mozambique Sao Tome and Principe Economics, Politics and Society. London: Pinter, 1990. Print.