São Tomé is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and largest city of the

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

n island country of

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main isla ...

. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian calendar dates from 1 January 1401 (represented by the Roman numerals MCDI) to 31 December 1500 (MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Re ...

, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities.

History

Álvaro Caminha Álvaro Caminha was appointed by King John II of Portugal in 1492 Captain-major (governor) – the third – of the Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe which had been discovered 22 years earlier. He was a knight of the king's household ...

founded the colony of São Tomé in 1493. The Portuguese came to São Tomé in search of land to grow

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

. The island was uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime around 1470. São Tomé, situated about north of the

equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

, had a climate wet enough to grow sugarcane in wild abundance. In 1497, 2,000 Jewish children, eight years old and under, were kidnapped from the Iberian peninsula, and forcefully converted to receive catholic education, following the national policy of conversion to Catholicism. The nearby African

Kingdom of Kongo The Kingdom of Kongo ( or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' ) was a kingdom in Central Africa. It was located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. At its gre ...

eventually became a source of slave labor as well. The island of São Tomé was the main center of sugar production in the sixteenth century; it was overtaken by Brazil by 1600. São Tomé is centred on a sixteenth-century

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, that was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. Another early building is Fort São Sebastião, built in 1566 and now the

São Tomé National Museum SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of Y ...

. On July 9, 1595, a slave revolt led by Rei Amador took control of the capital; they were subjugated in 1596. In 1599, the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

took the city as well as the islands for two days; they re-occupied it in 1641 for a year. The city served as the capital of the Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe and, from São Tomé and Príncipe's independence in 1975, as capital of the sovereign nation.

Geography

Important as a port, São Tomé is located on Ana Chaves Bay in the northeast of

São Tomé Island São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in May 2018 to about 193,380 or 96% of the nation's population. The island is divided into six districts of São Tomé and Príncipe, districts. It is located ...

, and

Ilhéu das Cabras Ilhéu das Cabras is an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Guinea. It is one of the smaller islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The islet is located about 2 km off the northeast coast of the island of São Tomé, 8 km north of the city centre of ...

lies nearby offshore. São Tomé is located northeast of Trindade, southeast of Guadalupe and northwest of

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

. It is linked to these towns by a highway which encircles almost the entire island of São Tomé. It is linked to

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

by a weekly ferry. Features of the town include the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

, the

, and a

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

. The city is also home to schools, and middle schools, high schools, one polytechnic, two

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

s, three

radio stations Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...

, the public television station ''TVSP'', several clinics and hospitals, the country's main airport -

São Tomé International Airport São Tomé International Airport () is an international airport located on São Tomé Island, from the city of São Tomé. It is the main airport serving São Tomé and Príncipe. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea ...

(with direct regular scheduled flights to Angola, Gabon, Ghana and Portugal as well as occasional domestic flights to

Príncipe Príncipe (; ) is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Cens ...

), and many squares ('' praças''). São Tomé also serves as the centre of the island's road and bus networks The town is well known for the tchiloli playing.

Population history

Transport

São Tomé is served by

with regular flights to Europe and other African countries.

Climate

São Tomé features a

tropical wet and dry climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''As''), although it is not far above a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(''BSh'') due to the influence of the cold

Benguela Current The Benguela Current is the broad, northward flowing ocean current that forms the eastern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean gyre. The current extends from roughly Cape Point in the south, to the position of the Angola-Benguela Front in the no ...

, which makes even the wettest months drier than would be expected for such a low latitude but at the same time makes the city very cloudy and foggy even during the almost rainless dry season mid-year. The city has a relatively lengthy

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

from October through May and a short

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

. São Tomé sees on average just under of rainfall per year. Temperatures in the city are relatively constant, with average high temperatures usually around and average low temperatures around .

Education

University of São Tomé and Príncipe A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, formed in 2016 * National Lyceum *

Patrice Lumumba Preparatory School Patrice Lumumba Preparatory School (Portuguese: ''Escola Preparatória Patrice Lumumba'', abbreviation: ''EPLP'') is a lyceum located in the southwestern part of the city centre of São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe. It is the oldest secondary sc ...

* National Library of São Tomé and Príncipe The following Portuguese international schools are in the city: * Escola Portuguesa de S. Tomé * Instituto Diocesano de Formação João Paulo II * Escola Bambino * Escola Internacional de S. Tomé e Príncipe

Health

The main hospital of the country is Hospital Ayres de Menezes.

Sports

Sports clubs based in the city include

Sporting Praia Cruz Sporting Clube da Praia Cruz is a professional Association football, football club that plays in the São Tomé and Príncipe Championship. The team is based in the island of São Tomé Island, São Tomé. The team has won eight national and six ...

and Vitória FC based in the neighborhood of Riboque. All clubs play at

Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho is a multi-use stadium in the neighbourhood of Ponta da Mina southeast of the centre of São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe and is located on Avenida das Nações Unidas. The building is classified as a Heritage of ...

Places of worship

File:Catedral_de_Nossa_Senhora_da_Gra%C3%A7a_S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_(20234213142).jpg, Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, São Tomé File:Sao Tome 10 (16247155721).jpg, Our Lady of Conception Church, São Tomé Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...

, they are predominantly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

churches and temples :

Roman Catholic Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe The Roman Catholic Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe () is a diocese, immediately subject to the Holy See, with its seat in the city of São Tomé in São Tomé and Príncipe.Catholic Church 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 ...

Universal Church of the Kingdom of God The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG; ; , IURD) is an international Evangelical Neo-charismatic movement, Neo-charismatic Christian denomination with its headquarters at the Temple of Solomon (UCKG), Temple of Solomon in São Paulo, B ...

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

Gallery

File:Forte de Sao Sebastiao (20026107129).jpg,

São Sebastião Museum São Sebastião Museum is a museum, housed in a 16th-century fortress in the city of São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies in the northeastern part of the city centre, at the southeastern end of Ana Chaves Bay. It contains religious art an ...

. File:2012SaoTome-8_(8042889363).jpg, São Tomé City File:Sao_Tome_6_(16248990145).jpg, Downtown São Tomé File:Sao Tome MiniPleco Minimart (16061556230).jpg, São Tomé City File:São Tome DSC 8023 (32725545662).jpg,

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

File:Sao_Tome_Pier_Jumping_2_(16248251742).jpg, Kids pier jumping File:Sao_Tome_Banco_Internacional_de_Sao_Tome_e_Principe_(16247128161).jpg, Old seat of Banco Internacional de São Tomé e Príncipe File:São_Tome_DSC_8001_(32064480143).jpg, Downtown São Tomé File:São Tome DSC 8130 (32725666342).jpg,

File:Sao Tome 35 (16062842099).jpg, São Tomé, STP File:São_Tome_DSC_8084_(32755448031).jpg, Baía Ana Chaves, São Tomé File:Palais présidentiel à São Tomé (6).jpg,

File:Casa da Cultura à São Tomé (4).jpg, ''Casa da Cultura de São Tomé''

Notable people

José Vianna da Motta José Vianna da Motta (modern spelling as 'Viana da Mota') (22 April 18681 June 1948) was a Portuguese pianist, teacher, and composer. He was one of the last pupils of Franz Liszt. The José Vianna da Motta Music Competition was founded in 1957 ...

(1868–1948) Portuguese pianist, teacher and composer * Alfredo Azancot (1872-??) Portuguese architect who emigrated to Chile *

Almada Negreiros José Sobral de Almada Negreiros, usually known as Almada Negreiros (7 April 1893 – 15 June 1970), was a Portuguese artist. He was born in the colony of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe, the son of a Portuguese father, António Lobo de Al ...

(1893–1970) Portuguese artist, created literature and painting, and developed ballet choreographies *

Francisco José Tenreiro Francisco José Tenreiro (20 January 1921 – 1963) was a São Toméan geographer and poet who lived during the colonial era. He was taught at the Overseas Political and Social Sciences Institute, now known as the Instituto Superior de Ciência ...

(1921–1963) geographer, poet and writer of the colonial era * Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo (1926–2010) poet working in Portuguese, who also served in the Santomean government after independence * Guadalupe de Ceita (born 1929) writer and a doctor and national hero *

Miguel Trovoada Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada (born 27 December 1936) is a São Toméan politician who was the Heads of Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, prime minister from 1975 to 1979 and second president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1 ...

(born 1936) was Prime Minister 1975–1979 and President 1991–2001 of São Tomé and Príncipe *

Fradique de Menezes Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes (born 21 March 1942) is a São Toméan politician who was the third president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2003 to 2011. Early life Menezes was born on the then Portuguese colony ...

(born 1942) President of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2003 to 2011 *

Olinda Beja Olinda Beja (born December 8, 1946) is a São Tomé and Príncipe poet, writer and narrator. She later emigrated to Viseu in Portugal and later became a Portuguese citizen. Biography Beja was born in Guadalupe on São Tomé Island in 1946 to P ...

(born 1946) poet, writer and narrator, emigrated to Portugal and moved to

Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the Viseu District, district of the same name, with a population of 100,105 inhabitants in the entire municipality, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões Interm ...

Tomé Vera Cruz Tomé Soares da Vera Cruz (born 23 July 1956) was the 14th prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from April 2006 to February 2008. He is also Secretary-General of the Force for Change Democratic Movement-Liberal Party (MDFM-PL). In addition t ...

(born 1956) Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from April 2006 to February 2008 *

Conceição Lima Maria da Conceição de Deus Lima (born December 8, 1961), is a São Tomé and Príncipe, Santomean poet. Biography Lima was born on December 8, 1961 in Santana, São Tomé and Príncipe, Santana, São Tomé Island, São Tomé, one of two islands ...

(born 1961) poet from the town of Santana *

Patrice Trovoada Patrice Émery Trovoada (born 18 March 1962) is a São Toméan politician who was the 15th prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from November 2022 to 6 January 2025. He previously served as prime minister from February 2008 to June 2008, f ...

(born 1962) politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe 2008 to June 2008, 2010 to December 2012 and since November 2014 *

Aurélio Martins Aurélio Pires Quaresma Martins (born November 24, 1966) is a São Toméan journalist, businessman and politician, who until May 2018 was leader of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD). J ...

(born 1966) journalist, businessman and politician

Sports

Nuno Espírito Santo Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo (born 25 January 1974), known as Nuno Espírito Santo or simply Nuno, is a Portuguese-São Toméan Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Goalkee ...

(born 1974) retired Portuguese footballer, Portuguese association football manager * Naide Gomes (born 1979) former heptathlete and long jumper, competed in 100 metres hurdles at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Lasset Costa, (born 1986) footballer * Yazaldes Nascimento (born 1986) Portuguese athlete, runs the 100 metres, competed in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Alcino Silva Alcino Gomes da Silva, often known as Alcino Silva (born September 30, 1990), is a sprint canoer from São Tomé and Príncipe who competed in the late 2000s. Silva represented his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed i ...

(born 1990) sprint canoer, competed in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing * Harramiz (born 1990) professional footballer who plays in Portugal * Zé (born 1991) footballer * Buly Da Conceição Triste (born 1991) sprint canoeist, competed at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

* Faduley (born 1992) footballer in Portugal * Charles Monteiro (born 1994) footballer who plays in Portugal *

Gilson Costa Gilson Sequeira da Costa (born 24 September 1996) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder. Born in São Tomé and Príncipe, he represented Portugal at youth level. ...

(born 1996) Portuguese professional footballer * Romário Leitão (born 1997) long distance runner, competed at the

in the men's 5000 metres * Gedson Fernandes (born 1999) Portuguese professional footballer

International relations

São Tomé is twinned with: *

Kingstown Kingstown is the capital and largest city of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The city, located on the main island of Saint Vincent, has the main port and the biggest commercial center of the islands. With a population of 12,909 (2012), K ...

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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 ...

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Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

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, Portugal

References

External links

www.saotome.st
- Facts about the country, how to get there, where to stay, what to do, images etc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Tome Capitals in Africa Populated places in Água Grande District 1485 establishments 15th-century establishments in Africa Former Portuguese colonies Populated places established in the 1480s Pleistocene shield volcanoes