Sao Tome And Principe

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Useful links

http://www.saotome.st/: The official tourism website

AllAfrica.com : A news website aggregating information from over 300 sources, together with specially commissioned articles and commentaries.

AfricaGuide.com: Exhaustive resource website covering the whole of Africa – climate, travel and medical advice, visas and money, public holidays, getting around, people and culture, shopping and forums.

The Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor websites may also provide useful information.

The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe consists of two main islands that form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous. They are situated in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of mainland Gabon. Illa de São Tomé is 50 km long and 32 km wide and the more mountainous of the two islands. Its peaks reach just over 2,024 meters. Principe is smaller at about 30 km long and 6 km wide. Independence from Portugal was achieved in 1975.

Largely unexplored and unexploited by tourism, these tropical volcanic islands off the west African coast are the antithesis of mass-market destinations – and are regarded as being one of the most unspoilt places on earth. The national motto translates loosely as ‘Take It Easy’, and because you will have this Portuguese-Creole flavoured tropical paradise almost to yourself (only about 20 tourists per week venture here), you may well find it difficult to persuade yourself to leave.

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