São Tomé and PrÃncipe 🇸🇹
São Tomé and PrÃncipe is a country in Africa with a population of 227,380. Its capital is São Tomé. The official currency is STN, and the main languages are Portuguese.
Quick facts
- Capital: São Tomé
- Continent: Africa
- Population: 227,380
- Area: 964 km²
- Density: 236 people per km²
- Currency: STN
- Languages: Portuguese
- ISO code: ST
Where São Tomé and PrÃncipe sits
São Tomé and PrÃncipe 🇸🇹 is one of 54 countries in Africa, with its capital at São Tomé. It covers 964 square kilometres — 173rd in the world — and is home to about 227,380 people, 177th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How São Tomé and PrÃncipe compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, São Tomé and PrÃncipe sits closest to Samoa and Saint Lucia. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Kiribati and Bahrain.
At 236 people per square kilometre it is about 4.0 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Portuguese is an official language in 9 countries here, among them Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde and Equatorial Guinea, and 4 others. The STN is used by São Tomé and PrÃncipe and no one else.
To see São Tomé and PrÃncipe next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember São Tomé and PrÃncipe
Two islands, two stars, and the capital takes the name of the bigger island: São Tomé (Saint Thomas). Get the country and you have the capital.
The flag of São Tomé and PrÃncipe: green, yellow and red, with two black stars
🇸🇹 The flag is green, yellow and green horizontal stripes, with a red triangle at the hoist and two black stars on the yellow. The two stars stand for the two main islands, São Tomé and PrÃncipe. Green stands for the islands' rich plant life, yellow for cocoa, one of the main crops, and red for the struggle for independence.
Region and neighbours
São Tomé and PrÃncipe is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Central Africa, just north of the equator. As an island country it has no land neighbours.
Three facts about São Tomé and PrÃncipe
- São Tomé and PrÃncipe is the second-smallest country in Africa by area, after Seychelles.
- The equator passes over the small islet of Ilhéu das Rolas, just south of São Tomé island.
- By 1905 São Tomé had become the world's largest producer of cocoa, which is still the country's most important crop.
Sources: Wikipedia: São Tomé and PrÃncipe, Wikipedia: Flag of São Tomé and PrÃncipe, Wikipedia: São Tomé, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on São Tomé and PrÃncipe
- African capitals quiz — match São Tomé and PrÃncipe to São Tomé
- African flags quiz — spot the São Tomé and PrÃncipe flag among its neighbours
- Island nations quiz — São Tomé and PrÃncipe is an island country
Quizzes that include São Tomé and PrÃncipe
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For São Tomé and PrÃncipe those are:
- Africa map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Africa flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Africa capitals quiz — match it to São Tomé
- São Tomé and PrÃncipe capital quiz — five quick questions starting with São Tomé and PrÃncipe
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about São Tomé and PrÃncipe
- Capital of São Tomé and PrÃncipe: São Tomé — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 54 countries of Africa
Nearby countries
- Algeria 🇩🇿 — capital Algiers
- Angola 🇦🇴 — capital Luanda
- Benin 🇧🇯 — capital Porto-Novo
- Botswana 🇧🇼 — capital Gaborone
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 — capital Ouagadougou
- Burundi 🇧🇮 — capital Gitega
- Cabo Verde 🇨🇻 — capital Praia
- Cameroon 🇨🇲 — capital Yaoundé
- Central African Republic 🇨🇫 — capital Bangui
- Chad 🇹🇩 — capital N'Djamena
- Comoros 🇰🇲 — capital Moroni
- Congo 🇨🇬 — capital Brazzaville
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the São Tomé and PrÃncipe flag?
The flag of São Tomé and PrÃncipe is green, yellow and green horizontal stripes, with a red triangle at the hoist and two black stars on the yellow. The two stars stand for the two main islands, São Tomé and PrÃncipe. Green stands for the islands' rich plant life, yellow for cocoa, one of the main crops, and red for the struggle for independence.
Which countries border São Tomé and PrÃncipe?
None. São Tomé and PrÃncipe is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Central Africa, just north of the equator, so it has no land borders with other countries.
How can I remember the capital of São Tomé and PrÃncipe?
Two islands, two stars, and the capital takes the name of the bigger island: São Tomé (Saint Thomas). Get the country and you have the capital.