The Democratic Republic of São Tomé & Principe is one of Africa's smallest countries and is located off the continent's West coast. São Tomé & Principe comprises of two main islands and a number of smaller islets, all of volcanic origin.
The main islands are covered in tropical jungles with an abundance of wildlife, birds in particular, trees and flowers. There are some wonderful golden beaches and spectacular volcanic mountains but the difficulty in getting to São Tomé & Principe and the presence of malaria keep visitor numbers low. Those that do venture here will find a friendly population and a very special mix of adventure and relaxation.
Historic records indicate that the islands were discovered, and claimed, by Portugal in the late 15th century. Originally a sugar-based economy, this gave way to cocoa and coffee in the 19th century that at one time was the main source for Cadbury chocolate. However, these crops were all grown with plantation slave labour and this was not acceptable to Cadbury who changed suppliers once it was clear the island was not willing to change its labour policy. In the 21st Century it is likely to be oil finds in the Gulf of Guinea that will dominate the country's economy. Independence was achieved in 1975 but democratic reforms did not come about until the late 1980s and the first free elections were not held until 1991.
.st is the top level country code domain for São Tomé that has been allocated by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). A major Swedish Internet Service Provider provides the advanced technology front-end that ensures reliability of service for us, 15,000 local inhabitants (2003 figures) and millions worldwide.
