São Tomé and Príncipe, Island nation in Gulf of Guinea, Africa
São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Central Africa, located roughly 250 kilometers west of Gabon. The two forested main islands rise with steep volcanic peaks above dark beaches and are surrounded by smaller uninhabited islets.
Portuguese navigators reached the uninhabited islands between 1469 and 1472 and established settlements from 1493 with Sephardic Jews and enslaved people. After building sugar plantations in the 16th century came the shift to cocoa cultivation, until independence arrived in 1975.
The creole kitchen here reveals itself in dishes like calulu and feijoada, where fresh fish meets manioc and palm oil. Fishermen return in the morning with their catch to supply small markets, where women sell dried fish and tropical fruit under simple shelters.
Cash is important because credit cards mostly work only in the capital, and the dry season from June through September suits visiting best. Regular flights arrive from Lisbon, Accra and Luanda, while local boats connect the two main islands.
Abandoned plantation houses now stand among overgrown cocoa plants after production collapsed following its peak in 1908. Some smaller operations are now trying to revive organic premium cocoa farming and use the old estates for this purpose.
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