São ToméCapital
São Tomé and Príncipe · Country profile
Sao Tome is the compact, palm-shaded capital of Sao Tome and Principe, the historic port town of the island of the same name that spreads its low colonial buildings, its churches, its squares and its colourful markets along the curving bay of the west coast, beneath the green volcanic peaks of the island. Founded by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century and long the centre of a sugar and coffee world powered by the great plantation estates, it concentrates the story of the two-island republic in a walkable, sleepy town where the colonial architecture of the long era still lines the streets. The cathedral and the fortress of the town, the palaces and the museums, and the markets and the waterfront of the bay anchor the essential visits, while the waterfall-laced rainforest and the great volcanic pinnacle of the interior spread beyond the capital. Green, warm and quietly beautiful, Sao Tome is the unhurried heart of the island nation of the gulf.
About São Tomé
São Tomé is the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe. The city's documented population is around 71,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Dobra (STN) and Portuguese is spoken; the dialling code is +239.
The Cathedral of the Town and the Fortress of the Harbour
The capital is a small, walkable port town where the essential days move between the historic centre, the waterfront and the markets, with the beaches and the great plantations filling the excursions. The cathedral with its twin towers, the presidential palace and the fortress of the bay, and the markets of the town with their fish, their breadfruit and their cocoa, anchor the visits, while the old coffee and cocoa estates of the interior, the waterfalls and the forests of the island draw the real travellers. The pace is sleepy and friendly, and the flights and the boats of the tiny republic connect the capital to the sister island and the continent.
The Squares of the Palace and the Market of the Town
The climate is the hot, wet equatorial of the island, with the heavy year, the slightly drier months of the summer and the sudden rain of the afternoons, while the sea keeps the heat of the town gentle. The dobra is the currency, the Portuguese the language and the local creole the tongue of the island. The centre, the coast road and the plantations of the interior make the classic routes, and a driver-guide unlocks the waterfalls and the trails. Light cotton clothing, rain gear, insect protection and sturdy shoes for the plantation walks complete the simple preparation for the green capital.
The Plantations of the Highlands and the Peaks of the Island
The cathedral of the town, the elegant white cathedral with its twin towers that fronts the palm-lined square, dates from the early colonial centuries, while the fortress of the bay, the seventeenth-century fortress that now holds the museum of the island with its colonial and its maritime displays, guards the harbour. The presidential palace behind its gardens, the colonial houses of the painted wood that line the streets of the centre, and the great market of the town with its bananas, its cocoa pods, its fish and its hand-woven crafts carry the commerce and the colour of the day. The famous plantations of the interior, the old estates with their processing houses and their abandoned villages, and the extraordinary pinnacle of the great peak that rises two thousand metres from the rainforest, fill the proper excursions. A gentle, historic island capital at the equator, Sao Tome keeps a quiet, sleepy magic of its own.
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- Country
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Population
- 71,000
- Capital
- São Tomé
- Region
- Africa
- Currency
- Dobra (STN)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Calling code
- +239
- Country code
- ST
Frequently asked questions
Is São Tomé the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe?
Yes — São Tomé is the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe.
What currency do I need in São Tomé?
The local currency is the Dobra (STN). Languages spoken in São Tomé and Príncipe include Portuguese.
What is the dialling code for São Tomé and Príncipe?
The international dialling code for São Tomé and Príncipe is +239.
Flying out of São Tomé? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.