São Tomé Island

The island of São Tomé ( German Saint Thomas ) in the Gulf of Guinea is part of the African country of São Tomé and Príncipe. It forms at the same time along with surrounding smaller islands, the province of São Tomé. The eponymous provincial capital São Tomé is also the capital of the state.

Geography

The island is located west of Africa in the Atlantic. From the African mainland ( city of Port -Gentil in Gabon), the island is 240 km away. Your southern tip lies only two kilometers north of the equator. About 1 km to the south lies the small island 3 km ² Rolas, which is cut from the equator. The soil is very fertile, the entire island consists of extinct volcanoes. Main produce of the island is cocoa, which generates a large proportion of export revenues of the state. In addition there visit to the 2,000 tourists in the island. TAP Portugal flies once a week from Lisbon to São Tomé airport.

The 2024 m reached the summit of Pico de São Tomé is the highest mountain in the country.

São Tomé is about 48 km long and up to 32 km wide. On the north east coast lies the state capital São Tomé, on the south coast is the port city of Porto Alegre. The city of Santa Cruz is located in the southeast. A ring road connects the coastal towns.

History

As the discoverer of the island is the Portuguese navigator João de Santarém, who had acquired on behalf of the merchant Fernão Gomes, who by the Portuguese King Alfonso V the right on behalf of the Portuguese crown to explore at their own expense a year 100 leagues African coast. He discovered São Tomé, on 21 December 1471.

Districts

The São Tomé Province is divided into six districts ( Água Grande, favela, Caue, Lemba, lobata and Mé - Zóchi ).

São Tomé: Água Grande | favela | Caue | Lemba | lobata | Mé - Zóchi

Principe

• Island (São Tomé and Príncipe )
• Island (Africa)
• Island (Gulf of Guinea)
• Management unit ( São Tomé and Príncipe )