São Tomé and Príncipe Map

São Tomé and Príncipe (STP for short) consists of two main islands straddling the Equator off the Atlantic coast of Central Africa.

The Portuguese were the first settlers of these previously uninhabited islands in the late 15th century. Attracting settlers proved difficult, however, and most of the earliest inhabitants were "undesirables" sent from Portugal, mostly Jews. The Portuguese brought in slaves from Africa to cultivate sugar, coffee and cocoa. Nearly all of its current residents are descended from people from different countries taken to the islands by the Portuguese from 1470 onwards.

In 1990, STP was one of the first African nations to undertake democratic reforms, and it has maintained democratic government since then with only a one-week interruption. The country's culture, customs, and music fuse European and African influences.