page_title: São Tomé and Príncipe
section_title: Demographics
hierarchical_section_title: São Tomé and Príncipe / Society / Demographics
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Dimanche en famille sur la plage des Tamarins au nord de l'île de São Tomé (São Tomé-et-Principe). This is an image with the theme "Play" from: Sao Tome and Principe This image was uploaded as part of Wiki Loves Africa 2019 photographic contest. Afrikaans&#160;| Alemannisch&#160;| العربية&#160;| বাংলা&#160;| brezhoneg&#160;| català&#160;| Cymraeg&#160;| dansk&#160;| Deutsch&#160;| English&#160;| español&#160;| eesti&#160;| suomi&#160;| français&#160;| Frysk&#160;| Gaeilge&#160;| galego&#160;| magyar&#160;| Ido&#160;| italiano&#160;| 日本語&#160;| 한국어&#160;| Lëtzebuergesch&#160;| नेपाली&#160;| Nederlands&#160;| norsk nynorsk&#160;| norsk&#160;| português&#160;| română&#160;| русский&#160;| sicilianu&#160;| slovenščina&#160;| shqip&#160;| српски / srpski&#160;| svenska&#160;| ไทย&#160;| Tagalog&#160;| українська&#160;| +/−
context_page_description: São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, about 140 km apart and about 250 and 225 km off the northwestern coast of Gabon.
  The islands were uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. Gradually colonized and settled by the Portuguese throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade center for the Atlantic slave trade. The rich volcanic soil and proximity to the Equator made São Tomé and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation, followed later by cash crops such as coffee and cocoa; the lucrative plantation economy was heavily dependent upon imported African slaves. Cycles of social unrest and economic instability throughout the 19th and 20th centuries culminated in peaceful independence in 1975. São Tomé and Príncipe has since remained one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries.
context_section_description: The total population is estimated at 201,800 in May 2018 by the government agency. About 193,380 people live on São Tomé and 8,420 on Príncipe. Natural increase is about 4,000 people per year.
  Nearly all are descended from people from different countries taken to the islands by the Portuguese from 1470 onwards. In the 1970s, two significant population movements occurred — the exodus of most of the 4,000 Portuguese residents and the influx of several hundred São Tomé refugees from Angola.
caption: Santomeans on the beach, Lobata District
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