Overview
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, situated approximately 81 nautical miles (150 km; 93 mi) apart and about 135 and 121 nautical miles (250 and 224 km; 155 and 139 mi) off the northwestern coast of Gabon. With a population of 201,800 according to a 2018 official estimate, São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest and second-least populous African sovereign state after Seychelles.
Geography and Geology
The islands making up São Tomé and Príncipe were formed approximately 30 million years ago due to volcanic activity in deep water along the Cameroon Line. Over time, interactions with seawater and periods of eruption have created a wide variety of different igneous and volcanic rocks on the islands with complex assemblages of minerals.
History
European Discovery and Early Settlement
The islands were uninhabited until Portuguese explorers João de Santarém and Pedro Escobar discovered them on 21 December 1470. The first successful settlement of São Tomé was established in 1493 by Álvaro Caminha, who received the land as a grant from the crown. Príncipe was settled in 1500 under a similar arrangement. The earliest inhabitants were largely "undesirables" sent from Portugal, including Sephardic Jews. Approximately 2,000 Jewish children, eight years old and under, were taken from the Iberian peninsula for work on the sugar plantations.
The settlers found the volcanic soil of the region suitable for agriculture, especially the growing of sugar. Príncipe was initially named Santo Antão ("Saint Anthony"), changing its name in 1502 to Ilha do Príncipe ("Prince's Island"), in reference to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid.
Sugar Economy and the Slave Trade
By 1515, São Tomé and Príncipe had become slave depots for the coastal slave trade. The cultivation of sugar was a labour-intensive process, and the Portuguese began to enslave large numbers of Africans from the continent. Significant economic development followed the introduction of a water-powered sugar mill in 1515, which led to the mass cultivation of sugar. By the mid-16th century, Portuguese settlers had turned the islands into Africa's foremost exporter of sugar.
Slaves in São Tomé were brought from the Slave Coast of West Africa, the Niger Delta, the island of Fernando Po, and later from the Kongo and Angola. In 1510, reportedly 10,000 to 12,000 slaves were imported by Portugal. In 1516, São Tomé received 4,072 slaves with the purpose of re-exportation. From 1519 to 1540, the island was the center of the slave trade between Elmina and the Niger Delta. In 1525, São Tomé began trafficking slaves to the Spanish Americas, mainly to the Caribbean and Brazil. Prior to 1580, the island accounted for 75 percent of Brazil's imports, mainly slaves. The slave trade remained a cornerstone of São Tomé's economy until after 1600.
Society and Governance in the 16th Century
The power dynamics of São Tomé in the 16th century were surprisingly diverse, with the participation of free mulattos and black citizens in governance. The Portuguese crown deported convicts to the island and encouraged interracial relationships to secure the colony. After 1520, a royal charter allowed for property-owning, married, free mulattos to hold public offices. A decree in 1546 established civil equality between these qualified mulattos and white settlers, allowing free mulattos and black citizens opportunities for upward mobility and participation in local politics and business.
Slave Resistance and Maroon Settlements
Slaves frequently ran away to the inhospitable mountain forests of the island's interior. Between 1514 and 1527, five percent of slaves imported to São Tomé escaped. Eventually, the Maroon people developed settlements in the interior known as macambos.
The first signs of slave rebellion began in the 1530s, when maroon gangs organized to attack plantations, some of which were abandoned. In a 1533 'bush war', a 'bush captain' led militia units to suppress the maroons. A significant event in the maroon fight for freedom occurred in 1549, when two men claiming to be free-born were taken in from the macambos by a wealthy mulatto planter named Ana de Chaves. With her support, the two men petitioned the king to be declared free, and the request was approved. The largest population of maroons coincided with the sugar boom of the mid-16th century.
Modern Era
Cycles of social unrest and economic instability throughout the 19th and 20th centuries culminated in peaceful independence in 1975 as a one-party communist state, which remained in place until 1990. São Tomé and Príncipe has since remained one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries.
People and Culture
The people of São Tomé and Príncipe are predominantly of African and mestiço (mixed European and African) descent, with most practicing Christianity. The legacy of Portuguese rule is visible in the country's culture, customs, and music, which fuse both European and African influences. São Tomé and Príncipe is a founding member state of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.
Economy
São Tomé and Príncipe is a developing economy with a medium Human Development Index.