The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (RDSTP) is an archipelago located in the Gulf of Guinea, in the middle of the equatorial zone, approximately 150 km from the west coast of Africa, composed of two main islands,
São Tomé with 859 km2 and Príncipe with approximately 142 km2 and several adjacent islets (of which only Rolas is inhabited) totaling an area of 1001 km2.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of around 228,319, São Tomé and Príncipe benefits from a privileged strategic geographic location in the Gulf of Guinea, one of the richest areas on the African continent. It is less than 2 hours by flight from the main African markets (Angola, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Gabon) with more than 400 million consumers, just over 5 hours from the European market (Portugal), just over 4 hours from the from Latin America (Brazil), and just over 8 hours from the Middle East market (Dubai).
São Tomé and Príncipe belongs to the group of countries that make up the lungs of Africa. With a humid tropical climate, with an average temperature of 28º and a sea temperature of 25º, with two seasons, the rainy for 9 months and the dry for 3 months, it feeds a rich biodiversity in endemic flora and fauna, as well as dense vegetation that nourishes its high potential for endemism, mainly birds, amphibians, higher plants, bats, reptiles, butterflies and mollusks. Given the prevailing biodiversity, the country was granted renewal of the status of the World Biosphere Reserve in 2023. Around half of the islands are protected areas (30% of São Tomé Island and 50% of Príncipe Island - world biosphere reserve).
The country has enormous quantities of endemic plants and animals (S. Tomé 15.4% and Príncipe 9.9%). White sand beaches and green and blue water.
• São Tomé and Príncipe is considered one of the best “hotspots” for bird watching in the world, taking into account the diversity and exclusivity of species found there;
• The scientific world considers the tropical forest of São Tomé and Príncipe as the second, in terms of bird conservation priority, among 75 African forests;
• The marine fauna is extremely rich in biodiversity and is an important breeding and feeding area for five of the seven species of sea turtles that exist in the world.
São Tomé and Príncipe is among the most peaceful nations in the world where simplicity and humanism intersect with an almost non-existent crime rate, security and distinctive peace in the region. It is classified as a country of medium development, a rating higher than the average for sub-Saharan Africa in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Index. With a high literacy rate, 97% of the population is young (the best literacy rate among the PALOP), and with a life expectancy of 65 years.
