Sao Tome And Principe is a democratic republic that does seem to gain a lot of popularity lately among travel lovers. It is located on Central Africa’s Western Equatorial Coast, right in the Guinea Golf. Since you may want to consider it for your next vacation, here are some general facts that you may want to be aware of.
Sao Tome And Principe Geography
The republic is located in the Gulf of Guinea and it is the second smallest African country. We basically talk about two regions that are united. Sao Tome has a length of 50 kilometers and a width of 30 kilometers. Principe has a length of 30 kilometers and a width of 6 kilometers. To get an idea where you are, the Equator line goes through Ilheu das Rolas, an island that is right under Sao Tome And Principe.
Climate
As you would expect, the climate in Sao Tome And Principe is tropical at the sea level. It is humid and hot with an average yearly temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. There is little variation in temperature on a daily basis. In the interior of the country we have higher elevations and average yearly temperature goes down to 20 degrees Celsius, while having nights that are usually cool. If you want to visit outside of the rainy season, you should be aware that the heaviest rains happen between October and May.
Wildlife
There are not many native mammals found in Sao Tome And Principe although there are many bat species and the Sao Tome Shrew present. These two islands have many different endemic plants and bards, including the Sao Tome Ibis, the smallest ibis in the world and the largest of the sunbirds, known as Giant Sunbird. You will also want to see the Sao Tome Fiscal, a really rare Begonia species and make sure that you look for the hawksbill turtles.
Sao Tome And Principe Demographics
Since the country is relatively new, the first ever census is quite recent, 2011. The total population is estimated at a little over 160,000 and the vast majority is present in Sao Tome. The entire population is basically formed of descendents of other countries that reached the islands from the year 1470.
Most of the people are Roman Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists and Evangelical Protestants. There is also a pretty small population of Muslims. There are 4 national languages out of which Portuguese is spoken by 95 percent of all people and is considered to be the only official language.
Culture
The culture in the republic is a mix of Portuguese and African influences. You will be able to experience socope and ussua rhythms in Sao Tome and in Principe you will see the dexa beat. All local dances and rhythms are influenced by Portuguese ballrooms. You can also participate in shows of Tchiloli and danco-congo.
On the whole, even if we are talking about a small country, you surely already figured out the fact that there are many different things that you can see. Make sure that you take advantage of the possibility and visit now since prices are lower than they are about to be in the future.