GEOGRAPHY
The islands of Sao Tome and
Principe, situated in the equatorial Atlantic about 300 and 250
kilometers (200 and 150 miles), respectively, off the northerwest
coast of Gabon, constitute one of Africa's smallest countries.
Both are part of an extinct volcanic mountain range, which also
includes the island of Bioko in Equatorial Guinea to the north
and Mount Cameroon on the African west coast. Sao Tome is 48 kilometers
(30 mi.) long and 32 kilometers (20 mi.) wide and the more mountainous
of the two islands. Its peaks reach 2,024 meters (6,640 ft.).
Principe is about 16 kilometers (10 mi.) long and 6 kilometers
(4 mi.) wide. Both islands are crossed by swift streams radiating
down the mountains through lush forest and cropland to the sea.
At sea level, the climate
is tropical--hot and humid with average yearly temperatures of
about 27 degrees C (80 degrees F) and little daily variation.
At the interior's higher altitudes, the average yearly temperature
is 20 degrees C (68 degrees F), and nights are generally cool.
Annual rainfall varies from 500 centimeters (200 in.) on the southwestern
slopes to 100 centimeters (40 in.) in the northern lowlands. The
rainy season runs from October to May.
Official Name: Democratic
Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Location: Western Africa; islands straddling the equator
in the Gulf of Guinea west of Gabon.
Area: 1,001 sq. km. (386 sq. mi.); about the size of metropolitan
Indianapolis, or one-third the size of Rhode Island.
Cities: Capital--Sao Tome. Other cities--Trindade, Santana,
Porto Alegre, Santo Antonio.
Terrain: Two small, volcanic islands.
Climate: Tropical, with wet and dry seasons, influenced
by the mountainous topography.
