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| Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Capital and largest city | São Tomé |
| Official languages | Portuguese |
| Recognized languages | Forro Creole Angolar Creole Principense Creole |
| Demonym(s) | São Toméan Santomean |
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
• President | Carlos Vila Nova |
• Prime Minister | Patrice Trovoada |
| Area | |
• Total | 964 km² |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 220,372 |
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island liberal democracy off the coast of Gabon in West Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea. The country is comprised of two archipelagos with the two main islands - São Tomé and Príncipe.
History[edit | edit source]
Colonization[edit | edit source]
The Portuguese first discovered the islands in the 15th century, immediately taking possession of them, and are presumed to have been uninhabited at the time.[1] In the 16th Century, São Tomé was used as a base by the Spanish and Portuguese, to transport slaves from Africa to the Caribbean in the Transatlantic slave trade.[2]
Over several centuries of Portuguese control there were many uprisings by the population of slaves that were mostly taken from Mozambique and Angola. In the 1950s, the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP) was formed by São Toméans to achieve independence. Following the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal the new regime met with the MLSTP in late 1974 to work out a transfer of sovereignty and on July 12, 1975 São Tomé and Príncipe became independent.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'São Tomé and Principe; Historical survey' (1979).
- ↑ David Keys (2018-08-22). "Details of Horrific First Voyages in Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Revealed" Black Agenda Report.