Santo António (Portuguese for Saint Anthony), also known as Santo António do Príncipe, is the main settlement of the island of

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 Census;

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

. It lies on the north east coast. It is the capital of the

Autonomous Region of Príncipe The Autonomous Region of Príncipe ( pt, Região Autónoma do Príncipe) is an autonomous administrative division of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. Established on 29 April 1995, it covers the island of Príncipe and a number of small u ...

. Its population is 2,620 (2012), about 35% of the island's population.São Tomé and Príncipe
www.citypopulation.de The town is known for its

colonial architecture Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their ...

and for its churches: Church of Our Lady of the Conception and Church of Our Lady of the Rosary.Santo António
Heritage of Portuguese Influence The town is also known for the ''Auto das Floripes'' play, which is performed by the citizens.

History

The town Santo António was founded in 1502, and was a centre of sugarcane cultivation. In 1695, the Fort of Ponta da Mina was built at the entrance of the bay of Santo António. Town and fortress were destroyed by French

privateers A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

in 1706. From 1753 until 1852, it was the colonial

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe islands were a colony of the Portuguese Empire from its discovery in 1470 until 1975, when independence was granted by Portugal. History The Portuguese explorers João de Santarém and Pêro Escobar discovered the is ...

Climate

Santo António has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

, with very warm to hot temperatures and oppressive humidity year-round. The average temperature is . The average annual rainfall is , with the least rain in July and the most in October.

Transportation

Príncipe Airport Príncipe Airport is an airport on the island of Príncipe, located north of Santo António, the island's capital. It is the only airport on Príncipe and one of the three airports serving São Tomé and Príncipe. It was built in 1968 during P ...

lies 3 km north of the town. It offers flights to

São Tomé International Airport São Tomé International Airport ( pt, Aeroporto Internacional de São Tomé) is a minor 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 ...

six times weekly on

Africa's Connection STP Africa's Connection STP is an airline based in São Tomé. In 2014 it operated scheduled and charter services to Central and West Africa. According to the airline's webpage it operated 3 Dornier 228 The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL ut ...

Sports

The town has the only sports facility on the island, Estádio Regional 13 de Junho. The facility is home to the football clubs

Sporting Clube do Príncipe Sporting Clube do Príncipe is a football club that plays in the island of Principe in São Tomé and Príncipe. The team plays in the Principe Island League in its local division. History The club was founded on February 6, 1915, and is the ...

and

GD Os Operários Grupo Desportivo Os Operários, sometimes known as Sport Operários e Benfica, is a football club that plays in the Principe Island League in São Tomé and Príncipe. The team is based in the island of Príncipe and plays at Estádio 13 de Jul ...

.Estádio Regional 13 De Junho
zerozero.pt

International relations

Santo António is twinned with: *

Aveiro, Portugal Aveiro ( or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. In 2021, the population was 80,880, in an area of : it is the second most populous city in the Centro Region of Portugal (after Coimbra). Along with the neighbouring city of Ílhavo, Aveiro ...

Geminações de Cidades e Vilas
/ref> * Faro, Portugal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santo Antonio Populated places in the Autonomous Region of Príncipe District capitals of São Tomé and Príncipe Populated places established in 1502 1502 establishments in Africa