Sao Tome and Príncipe, the official name is the Democratic
Republic of Sao Tome and Príncipe (port. República Democrática de
São Tomé e Príncipe) is an island nation in Central Africa. Located
on the archipelago of the same name in the Gulf of Guinea off the
coast of Africa. The state includes two islands of volcanic origin -
Sao Tome and Principe, the distance between which is about 140 km -
and six more smaller islands.
After the Republic of the
Seychelles, Sao Tome and Principe is the smallest in area (1001
km²[6]) of the African states. Sao Tome and Principe is also the
smallest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.
Etymology
The islands were discovered by Portuguese navigators in 1471-1472
and were named after the names of the respective saints. So, the
island, discovered on December 21, 1471, on the day of St. Thomas
the Apostle, was called the "island of St. Thomas" (port. São Tomé,
in the domestic literature the name "island of St. Thomas" was
previously used, since the 1920s the name "island Sao Tome). A few
weeks later, on January 17, 1472, on the day of St. Anthony, a
neighboring island was discovered, originally called the "Isle of
St. Anthony" (port. Santo Antão). In 1502, the island was renamed
"Prince's Island" (port. Ilha do Principe), in honor of the
Portuguese heir to the throne, in whose favor duties were levied on
sugar produced on the island. In domestic literature, the name
“Princes Island” was previously used, since the 1920s the name
“Principe Island” has been used.
The islands were discovered by Portuguese navigators between 1469 and
1471. The first settlement on the island of Sao Tome was founded in 1493
by the Portuguese Alvaro Caminha, who received this land as a gift from
the Portuguese crown. In the same way, the island of Principe was
settled in 1500. By the middle of the 16th century, with the help of
African slave labor, the Portuguese turned these islands into the
largest suppliers of sugar to European markets.
After 100 years,
sugar production declined, and by the middle of the 17th century, Sao
Tome was only a port for temporary parking of ships. At the beginning of
the 19th century, cocoa and coffee began to be cultivated here. Good
volcanic soils made it possible to obtain rich harvests, and almost the
entire territory of the islands suitable for cultivation was occupied by
plantations. By 1908 Sao Tome had become the largest cocoa producer in
the world.
The plantation economy system was based on the brutal
exploitation of hired workers from the African continent (in particular,
from Angola). Although Portugal officially abolished slavery as early as
1876, working conditions on the plantations were close to those of
slaves. This led to unrest, the largest of which occurred in 1953, when
hundreds of African workers died in clashes with Portuguese planters.
In 1919, Sir Arthur Eddington's expedition to the island of Principe
confirmed the theory of relativity.
In 1960, a small group of
people from Sao Tome created the Committee for the Liberation of Sao
Tome and Principe, based in neighboring Gabon. In 1972, the committee
became the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP).
After the victory of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, its new
government entered into negotiations with the leaders of the national
liberation movements in the Portuguese colonies. António Pires Veloso
was the last Portuguese governor of Sao Tome and Principe. In November
1974, a meeting was held in Algiers between representatives of Portugal
and the MLSTP, as a result of which an agreement was signed on the
granting of independence to Sao Tome and Principe on July 12, 1975. In
December 1974, a transitional government was established with the
participation of representatives of the MLSTP and Portugal, and on July
12, 1975, the independent Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
was proclaimed. Manuel Pinto da Costa was elected the first president.
In 1990, democratic reforms began in Sao Tome: the legalization of
opposition parties, changes in the constitution. In 1991, the first free
elections were held on a multi-party basis.
In 1999, in Sao Tome
and Principe, the Millennium coin-clock was made, the mechanism of which
counted the time until 00:00 on January 1, 2000. Now this device is
stored in the Feodosia Museum of Money.
Geography
The Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe is
the smallest country in Africa after the Seychelles.
The
islands of Sao Tome and Principe are located in the equatorial
Atlantic approximately 300 and 250 kilometers off the northwest
coast of Gabon, respectively. The relief of both islands is
mountainous, as they are part of an extinct chain of volcanoes
(Cameroon line), which also includes the islands of Annobon to the
southwest and Bioko to the northeast, as well as part of Equatorial
Guinea, and volcano Cameroon on the west coast of Africa.
Sao
Tome Island measures 48 km long by 32 km wide. On this island is the
capital of the state, the city of Sao Tome.
The island of
Principe measures 6 by 16 km.
The equator passes just south
of the island of Sao Tome, through or very close to the island of
Rolash.
The highest point of the island of Sao Tome is the
peak of Sao Tome (2024 m), the island of Principe is the peak of
Principe (948 m).
The climate at sea level is tropical
maritime, that is, hot and humid. The average annual temperature is
+26-27 °C. During the hot months, especially in January, the
temperature usually exceeds +30 °C, while in the coldest (July) it
can drop below +20 °C.
Most precipitation (up to 5000 mm)
falls in the southwest of Sao Tome, the least (up to 1000 mm) - in
the lowlands in the north. The rainy season lasts from October to
May.
Rivers flow along the slopes of the mountains, the
largest of which are Agua Grande and Io Grande on Sao Tome, as well
as Agulhas, Banzu and Papagayo on Principe.