Sao Tome and Principe in Africa (relief) (-mini map)

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. It is located 2 km (1¼ miles) north of the equator.

Geography

São Tomé Island is about long (north-south) by wide (east-west). It rises to at

Pico de São Tomé Pico de São Tomé is the highest mountain in São Tomé and Príncipe at elevation. It lies just west of the centre of São Tomé Island, in the Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé and in the Lembá District. The second highest point, Pico de Ana ...

and includes the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...

, on the northeast coast. The nearest city on mainland

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

is the port city of

Port Gentil Port-Gentil () or Mandji is the second-largest city of Gabon, and it is a leading seaport. It is the center of Gabon's petroleum and timber industries. The city is located on a delta island in the Ogooue delta with no bridges to the mainland. Nea ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

located to the east. The island is surrounded by a number of small islands, including

Ilhéu das Rolas Ilhéu das Rolas (also: ''Ilheu Gago Coutinho'') is an islet in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. The island lies on the Equator, off the southern tip of São Tomé Island, separated by Canal das Rolas. Its maximum elevati ...

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 ...

and Ilhéu Gabado.

Languages

The main language is

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, but there are many speakers of Forro and Angolar (Ngola), two Portuguese-based

creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable natural language that develops from the simplifying and mixing of different languages into a new one within a fairly brief period of time: often, a pidgin evolved into a full-fledged language. ...

s. The name "Sao Tome" is Portuguese for "Saint Thomas."

Geology

The entire island of São Tomé is a massive shield volcano that rises from the floor of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, over

below sea level This is a list of places on land below mean sea level. Places artificially created such as tunnels, mines, basements, and dug holes, or places under water, or existing temporarily as a result of ebbing of sea tide etc., are not included. Places ...

. It formed along the Cameroon line, a line of volcanoes extending from

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

erupted on São Tomé over the last million years has been

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

. The youngest dated rock on the island is about 100,000 years old, but numerous more recent cinder cones are found on the southeast side of the island.

Environment and economy

The higher slopes of the island are

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed and form part of the Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé, but

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

is important near the north and east coasts. The chief exports are

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...

, and

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

products, while there is also a

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

industry. Large reserves of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

are in the

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

between

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and São Tomé. The discovery has been lamented by some as endangering the nation's political stability and natural environment. In response to these concerns the government of São Tomé and Príncipe has drawn up legislation in an attempt to ensure the efficient and equitable use of oil revenues over time.

Natural history

Birds

The island has a total of 63 regular bird species, plus an additional 36

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...

and unconfirmed species. Of these, 19 are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

and 3 near endemic; in addition, the local

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

olive ibis The olive ibis (''Bostrychia olivacea'') is a species of ibis native to dense tropical forests in central Africa. Between 65 and 75 cm in length, it is a small ibis with olive plumage displaying a iridescent sheen. Four subspecies are recogn ...

(''Bostrychia olivacea bocagei'') and maroon pigeon (''Columba thomensis'') are endemic and considered critically endangered. Six species are considered vulnerable, and two critically endangered ( São Tomé fiscal and

São Tomé grosbeak The São Tomé grosbeak (''Crithagra concolor'') is the largest member of the canary genus ''Crithagra'', 50% heavier than the next largest canary species, and possesses a massive bill for a member of that genus. It is endemic to the island of S� ...

).African Bird Club – São Tomé e Príncipe
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Administrative divisions

São Tomé is divided into the following six districts (seat within brackets): # Água Grande (

) # Cantagalo (

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

) # Caué (

São João dos Angolares São João dos Angolares is a small town on the east coast of São Tomé Island in São Tomé and Príncipe. It is the seat of Caué District. Its population is 3,605 (2012).

) # Lembá ( Neves) #

Lobata Lobata is an order of Ctenophora in the class Tentaculata with smaller tentacles than other ctenophores, and distinctive flattened lobes extending outwards from their bodies. They grow up to about long. Anatomy The lobates have a pair of lo ...

( Guadalupe) # Mé-Zóchi ( Trindade)

Towns and villages

Villages on the island include: * Agua-Coco * Agua Ize * Alice * Alto Douro *

Andrade Andrade is a surname of Galician origin, which emerged in the 12th century as the family name of the knights and lords of the small parish of ''San Martiño de Andrade'' ( St. Martin of Andrade), in the municipality of Pontedeume. The first ment ...

* Bela Vista * Blublu * Bom Successo * Buenos Aires * Dona Augusta * Dona Eugenia * Enjale * Formiga * General Fonseco *

Graça Graça is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil. See also *Graça (name) *List of municipalities in Ceará This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Ceará (CE), located in the Northeast Region of ...

* Granja * Guadalupe * Guegue Norte * Henrique *

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

Lemos Lemos is a Portuguese-language surname. It can be also Greek (Λεμός). Notable people by that name include: Portuguese surname * Álvaro Lemos (born 1993), Spanish professional footballer. * Amanda Lemos (born 1987), Brazilian mixed martia ...

Mbombo Mbombo, also called Bumba, is the creator god in the religion and mythology of the Kuba people of Central Africa in the area that is now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the Mbombo creation myth, Mbombo was a giant in form and white i ...

* Mbondi *

Monte Café Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Mont ...

* Monte Herminios *

Monte Rosa : , other_name = Monte Rosa massif , translation = Mount Rose , photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg , photo_caption = Central Mon ...

* Neves * Nova Olinda * Nzumbi * Plato Café *

Ponta Figo Ponta Figo is a village on 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. It is ...

* Portinho *

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...

* Preserverança * Quimpo *

Ribeira Afonso Ribeira Afonso is a village on the eastern coast of São Tomé Island in São Tomé and Príncipe. Its population is 1,621 (2008 est.). It is 4 km southwest of Água Izé and 16 km south of the capital São Tomé São Tomé is the capital ...

* Santa Catarina * Santa Clotilde * Santa Cruz * Santa Josefina *

Santo António Santo António (Portuguese for Saint Anthony), also known as Santo António do Príncipe, is the main settlement of the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies on the north east coast. It is the capital of the Autonomous Reg ...

São João dos Angolares São João dos Angolares is a small town on the east coast of São Tomé Island in São Tomé and Príncipe. It is the seat of Caué District. Its population is 3,605 (2012).

* São José *

Saudade ''Saudade'' (, , , ; plural ''saudades'') is an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for something that one loves despite it not necessarily being real. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of lo ...

* Trindade * Ubabundo File:S. Tomé 2 021 (2269886032).jpg, São Tomé Island File:Sao Tome National Museum 6 (15629232663).jpg, São Sebastião Lighthouse File:Boca do Inferno (20394576524).jpg, Boca do Inferno, São Tomé File:2012SaoTome-308 (8042899981).jpg,

Pico Cão Grande The Pico Cão Grande (Portuguese for "Great Dog Peak") is a landmark needle-shaped volcanic plug peak in São Tomé and Príncipe, in the Caué District of São Tomé Island in Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé. Its summit is above sea level, ...

, São Tomé Island File:2017 Guadalupe STP DSC 8322 (32502358760).jpg, Fauna in

Lobata District Lobata is a district of São Tomé and Príncipe, on São Tomé Island. Its area is , and its population is 19,365 (2012).Coffee production Coffee production is the industrial process of converting the raw fruit of the coffee plant into the finished coffee. The coffee cherry has the fruit or pulp removed leaving the seed or bean which is then dried. While all green coffee is proce ...

in São Tomé File:2017 Guadalupe STP DSC 8257 (32755678631).jpg, ''Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe'', in Guadalupe, São Tomé Island. File:Sao Tome 20 (16061446708).jpg,

File:2017 Guadalupe STP DSC 8330 (32064938223).jpg, ''Lagoa Azul'', STP File:Roca de Sao Joao Angolares (21009677992).jpg, One of the traditional ''Roças'' in São Tomé and Príncipe File:Sao Tome Monteforte Cocoa Beans Drying 3 (15629101423).jpg, Cocoa beans drying, São Tomé File:2017 Guadalupe STP (32039704024).jpg, Shrimp and French fries as served in a local hotel, São Tomé File:2017 Guadalupe STP DSC 8301 (32755738631).jpg, Guadalupe, São Tomé File:2017 Guadalupe STP DSC 8276 (32755709131).jpg,

Sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

as seen in São Tomé Island File:2012SaoTome-289 (8042899063).jpg, Municipal market of São Tomé City

References

*
CIA Word Fact Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Tome Island Islands of São Tomé and Príncipe Volcanoes of the Atlantic Ocean Polygenetic shield volcanoes