Uniqueness of Sao Tome and Principe

Despite being one of the most naturally endowed and beautiful volcanic islands in the world, São Tomé and Príncipe, located off the coast of West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, remain one of the world's least-visited countries. There is nothing cosmetic about these islands. In 2018, a little over 30,000 and in subsequent years between 8000 to 12,000 tourists visited these islands.

However, of late, these islands are emerging from under the radar to become relatively more visible. This is primarily because, the few visitors who visited, have gone back completely charmed by them and have written glowing articles and blogs about the immense biodiversity, pristine beaches, natural wonders and the simplicity of daily life of the twin islands.

In addition to the much-touted touristic features of this country, there are many unique and little-known fun facts of these islands that might interest readers and future visitors.

Apart from being one of the least visited countries, São Tomé and Príncipe is also the second-smallest and second-least populous country in the African continent, after Seychelles. Nine out of ten people live in Sao tome island, with just 10% out of the total population of 220,000 living in the island of Principe.

The population of Sao Tome does not have any original native inhabitants. It comprises largely of populations of slave ancestry. When the Portuguese first colonized the islands somewhere in the 1480s, the land was considered undesirable terrain, since disease and shortages of food were rife at the time. Slaves were picked from as far as Angola (being a Portuguese colony), Mozambique, Cape Verde and Guinea and were encouraged to populate the island. Interracial marriages were actively encouraged between them and the Portuguese Jews. Today, the population is relatively diverse and has a unique mix of the ‘Mestizos’ (people of mixed heritage, people of Angolan descent and Europeans (predominantly of Portuguese heritage) 

The island of Sao Tome was named after Saint Thomas by the Portuguese explorers as they arrived on the island on Saint Thomas’ Day. It is one of the few Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa with Portuguese as its official language.

During the 16th century, São Tomé was briefly the world’s largest sugar producer. But with the rise of Brazil as a major producer and its poor quality of sugar led to the decline of this sector. Many of the workers involved in sugar production were Jewish individuals who got expelled from Europe and slaves imported from the African mainland.

Due to its high density of endemic species, São Tomé and Príncipe has been nicknamed “the African Galápagos”. São Tomé and Príncipe is an authentic reserve of biodiversity, boasting of at least 148 types of endemic plant species, which is a paradise for researchers in pharmacology.

Relative to its tiny geographical size and the small number of bird species in these islands, (about 140), their rate of endemism is 28%, the highest in the world. It means that almost 1/3rd of its bird species is exclusive to Sao tome and Principe and do not exist anywhere else in the world. For example, one of its unique birds is the world’s smallest ibis. Sao Tome is home to the world’s largest sunbird.

São Tomé and Príncipe is one of 27 countries that does not have a single UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nor does it have a single property on the UN Tentative List of sites on its shores. However, the entire island of Príncipe and its surrounding islets has been designated as an UNESCO biosphere reserve because of its wide range of terrestrial and marine biodiversity including a number of endemic species of plants, mollusks, insects, birds, reptiles and bats. It is also a refuge for marine life such as sea turtles, seabirds, cetaceans and coral reefs.

Another interesting piece of information is that the famous Obô Natural Park is about 300 sq kms and represents 30% of the entire country.

Sao Tome, unlike mainland Africa, does not have large dangerous animals like rhinos, lions, leopards or hyenas. However, its most threatening animal is the Santomean mosquito, which spreads malaria and kills thousands annually.

The flag of São Tomé and Príncipe has three horizontal lines of green, yellow and green, with two black stars to the far right and a red triangle to the far left. The green stands for the rich vegetation in the country and yellow represent cocoa which is the country’s main agricultural exports. The red flag symbolizes the nation’s fight for independence and the two black stars represent the two islands.

The locals have a strange nomenclature to describe their annual climatic seasons. They call the dry season “less wet season”. A sharp downpour is called “shark rain”, which is a violent and strong rain that happens without warning. A small but persistent rain is called “woman rain”.

São Tomé is one of the first African countries to adopt democratic reforms and constitution. It is also the first country in Africa to adopt multiparty democracy in 1990.

Despite its enviable natural beauty, Sao Tome and Principe remains a developing nation. The World Bank estimates that around a third of its 220,000 citizens survive on less than $1.90 per day.