africa • STP
São Tomé and Príncipe
Location marker · geographic overview
1° N / 7° ETHE WORLD, ONE COUNTRY AT A TIME
- Capital
- São Tomé
- Population
- 235,536 2024
- Area
- 964 km² (year unavailable)
- Languages source-listed
- Portuguese
- Currency
- São Tomé and Príncipe dobra (STN)
- Geography
- Island country
Population: World Bank 2024. Other facts: REST Countries snapshot. Sources & limitations.
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Discover São Tomé and Príncipe
FROM THE TRAVEL GUIDE · São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe (STP for short) consists of two main islands straddling the Equator off the Atlantic coast of Central Africa.
Landscape & landmarks
São Tomé and Príncipe was uninhabited before colonization by the Portuguese in the 1490s. Since then, much of the landscape has remained unchanged or, where former plantations once stood, reclaimed by the rainforests. The islands are covered by lush rainforests and with a small population and very few tourists, and remain for visitors a veritable tropical paradise.Read the see section ↗
Food & everyday culture
Fish is a staple of the São Toméan diet, often served with breadfruit and mashed, cooked bananas. Tropical fruits such as papaya, mangoes, pineapples, avocado, and bananas are grown plentifully on the islands and are significant components of the cuisine. The use of hot spices is prominent in São Tomése dishes too.Read the eat section ↗
Excerpts from Wikivoyage contributors, revision 2026-08-08. CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected excerpts; wiki formatting removed; omissions marked […]. Guide wording and any figures belong to this dated source; they do not replace the atlas statistics above. Food descriptions are not official national-dish designations.
A little more to discover +
- National flower
- Not yet verified
- Official national dish
- Not yet verified
- Representative food
- Not yet verified
- Subregion
- Middle Africa
- Calling code
- +239
- Internet domain
- .st
- Land border codes
- None listed
Quick facts
- Traffic keeps to the right side of the road. Source ↗
- The country-code web domain is .st. Source ↗
- The source lists monday as the start of the week. Source ↗
Population: World Bank 2024. Other facts: REST Countries snapshot. Source-matched September 26, 2026; not live data. Sources & limitations.