San Antonio de Palé, formerly known as St Antony, São Antonio de Praia and Palea, is the capital of

Annobón Annobón ( es, Provincia de Annobón; pt, Ano-Bom), and formerly as ''Anno Bom'' and ''Annabona'', is a province (smallest province in both area and population) of Equatorial Guinea consisting of the island of Annobón, formerly also Pigalu a ...

(an island in

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...

that was once part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

in Africa). The town has 600 inhabitants, the majority of whom speak the

Annobonese Creole Annobonese Creole is a Portuguese creole known to its speakers as or ( pt, Fala de Ano-Bom). It is spoken on the Annobón and Bioko Islands off the coast of Equatorial Guinea, mostly by people of mixed African, Portuguese and Spanish desc ...

. It is located in the extreme north of the island, which is the driest and flattest area. It is home to

Annobón Airport Annobón Airport is an airport in San Antonio de Palé, Annobón, Equatorial Guinea. Overview The airport is west of San Antonio de Palé on the southern island of Annobón. It was inaugurated October 15, 2013 in the presence of Teodoro Ob ...

, a dock, a hospital, a school, a lighthouse, a radio station, and a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

mission.

History

Founded by Portuguese explorers, the town served as a center of

evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

for

runaway slaves In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th century to describe people who fled slavery in the United States, slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, Fugitive Slave ...

from

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. Capuchin and

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

missionaries first made the town their base in 1580. It passed under Spanish sovereignty in 1778, along with the rest of Annobón, but the population rebelled and removed Spanish authority until the final decades of the 19th century. In 1801, the British constructed a small fort there, and later on, in 1827, Spain rented out the area around San Antonio as a British base to repress the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. The town remained a small village with only a rudimentary church through the 19th century.

Notes

References

* . * . {{DEFAULTSORT:San Antonio, Pale Populated places in Annobón