Basic Information Sao Tome and Principe:

Population: The population of Sao Tome and Principe is 196,103.

GDP:  $0.6 billion (2016)

Climate: The climate is tropical with average yearly temperatures of about 27°C (80°F) and little daily variation. At the interior’s higher altitudes, the average yearly temperature is 20°C (68°F), and nights are generally cool.

People: The population consists mainly of Forros (from forro, Portuguese for “free man”), descendants of immigrant Europeans and African slaves. Another group, the Angolares, descended from runaway Angolan slaves who were shipwrecked on São Tomé about 1540. The Angolares remained apart in the isolated southern zone of São Tomé island until the late 19th century, but they later spread throughout the country and became largely assimilated. Cape Verdeans form the largest group of resident foreigners; many have adopted São Toméan nationality. Angolans and Mozambicans make up most of the rest of the African immigrant community. Like the Cape Verdeans, they are relatively well integrated with the other islanders, because of a shared Luso-African cultural background. There is a small European population—primarily Portuguese—in the country. 

Religion: Christianity is the dominant religion, with Roman Catholics constituting an estimated 80% of the total population and Protestants constituting about 15% in 2002. The primary protestant groups are Seventh-Day Adventists and evangelicals. Approximately 3% of the population are Muslim.

Capital: São Tomé is the capital city of São Tomé and Príncipe and is by far the nation’s largest town. Its name is Portuguese for “Saint Thomas”.

Language: Although a small country, São Tomé and Príncipe has four national languages: Portuguese (the official language, spoken by 95% of the population), and the Portuguese-based creoles Forro (85%), Angolar (3%) and Principense (0.1%). French is also learned in schools, as the country is a member of Francophonie.

Currency: The Sao Tomean Dobra is the currency of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Time Zone: UTC±00:00