facts about sao tome

1. Geography
West African island country. The islands of S. Tomé and Príncipe are
located in the northwest of Gabon, in the middle of the equatorial zone.
The republic is made up of the 2 main islands and several adjacent islets,
occupying an area of around 1001 km2.
The islet of Rolas has the particularity of being crossed by the equator, and
this is locally marked by a monument that is very degraded.
History
The islands were discovered by João de Santarém and Pedro Escobar in
1471 or 1472. During slavery,São Tomé was a center for the purchase and
sale of slaves for Brazil.
During the 16th century it became the largest sugar producer and the
starting point for colonization of Angola and for a short time The Dutch
occupied the island.
On November 26, 1974, an agreement was signed in Algiers between
representatives of the MLSTP and Portugal, where the country's
independence was already foreseen.
It becomes an independent republic on July 12, 1975.
Population
The population of São Tome and Principe is made up of over 200 hundred
inhabitants, the majority of whom live in urban areas.
Sao tome, the national capital, is the most populous city.
Culture
The population consists mainly of Forros (from forro, Portuguese for “free
man”), descendants of immigrant Europeans and enslaved Africans.
Another group, the Angolares, descended from formerly enslaved
Angolans who were shipwrecked on São Tomé about 1540.

2. The official language is Portuguese, but theres three Portuguese-based
creoles that are spoken: Sãotomense, spoken by the Forros, Angolar and
Principense.
This country has a wide variety of traditional dishes most are made with
fish and seafood, a lot of vegetables based food and fruit.
Economy and Democracy
Sao Tome and Principe’s economy has historically been dependent on
agriculture.
Is an exporting country of cocoa, copra, coffee, bananas and palm oil. Most imports
are made up of manufactured products (about45%) and foodstuffs (30%).
Tourism is another important activity.
São tome and Principe is a constitutional multiparty democracy. General
elections are held every four years.
The official currency is “dobra ” and the actual president is Carlos Vila
Nova.
The Island characteristics
S. Tomé and Príncipe has an equatorial climate. The Northeast of São
Tomé presents a dry season from June to September, which is locally
called Gravana. The Southwest has a typically equatorial climate.
The islands are volcanic in nature and the relief is rugged, with hills, cones
and peaks.
The most important elevations are in S. Tomé (2024 m), Pinheiro (1613
m), Calvário (1600 m) and Príncipe (948 m)
The original vegetation of the islands was luxuriant tropical rainforest,
with a gradual transition from lowland forest to mist forest.
The flora and fauna include many rare and endemic species, reflecting the
isolation and environmental diversity of the islands.
Last but not least sao tome is know from his beautiful beaches and views.