São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country in Africa with its capital in São Tomé and about 240,300 people. São Tomé and Príncipe is known for its cocoa, once among the world’s largest harvests, grown on old plantation estates called roças.

São Tomé and Príncipe in purple, with São Tomé marked. Outline from the same detailed coastlines the games use.

Capital: São Tomé
Continent: Africa
Population (2025): 240,300
Land area: 960 km² (371 sq mi)
Island country: Yes, all on islands

Find it among 54 Africa countries →Explore São Tomé and Príncipe on the map Name difficult islands

The story of São Tomé and Príncipe

Where the name comes from

São Tomé is Portuguese for “Saint Thomas”; Príncipe means “prince”, after the Portuguese prince who received taxes from the island’s sugar trade.

First people

The islands were uninhabited until Portugal settled São Tomé in 1493 and Príncipe in 1500.¹

Known for

São Tomé and Príncipe is known for its cocoa, once among the world’s largest harvests, grown on old plantation estates called roças.²

Outside rule

Portuguese sugar plantations brought enslaved Africans, forming some of the Atlantic’s earliest Creole societies, and later coffee and cocoa estates forced workers from other colonies to come.³