San Antonio de Palé, formerly known as St Antony, São Antonio de Praia and Palea, is the capital of
Annobón (an island in
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...
that was once part of the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...
in Africa).
The town has 600 inhabitants, the majority of whom speak the
Annobonese Creole. It is located in the extreme north of the island, which is the driest and flattest area. It is home to
Annobón Airport, 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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
mission.
History
Founded by Portuguese explorers, the town served as a center of
evangelization for
runaway slaves from
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
.
Capuchin and
Carmelite 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. 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