A Journey Through the Ages

The island of São Tomé was discovered on December 21, 1470, by João de Santarém, on Saint Thomas’s Day; 27 days later, on January 17, 1471—St. Anthony’s Day—Pêro Escobar arrived on the island of Príncipe. Príncipe was initially called Santo Antão (“Saint Anthony”), but its name was changed in 1502 to the Prince’s Island (Ilha do Príncipe), in reference to the Prince of Portugal to whom taxes on the island’s sugar production were paid.

• 1470: Discovery of São Tomé The island of São Tomé was discovered on December 21, 1470, by João de Santarém, on St. Thomas’s Day.

• 1471: Discovery of Príncipe Island On Saint Anthony’s Day, Pêro Escobar arrived on Príncipe Island.

• 1493: Príncipe Island Álvaro de Caminha received the land as a concession from the crown.

• 1502: Príncipe Island The island of Santo Antão was renamed Príncipe Island in 1502, in reference to the Prince of Portugal.

• 1960: Opposition A nationalist group opposed to Portuguese rule emerges.

• 1975: Independence After approximately 500 years of Portuguese control, the archipelago is decolonized.

Colonization began in the late 15th century, led by Álvaro de Caminha, who introduced sugar mills. Settlement of the islands began about fourteen years after the discoveries. Tenreiro asserts that it is, without a doubt, São Tomé’s privileged location in the Atlantic compared to the other islands, the fact that it was uninhabited, and the characteristics of its terrain—in the Atlantic and on the edge of the Southern Hemisphere—that explain the attraction São Tomé held for the Portuguese; who transformed it into a crossroads of cultural influences originating first from Portugal and the African coast, and later from India and Brazil. On July 12, 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe gained its independence.

After gaining independence on July 12, 1975, a single-party socialist regime was established, and the plantations were nationalized under the auspices of the MLSTP. Ten years after independence (1985), the country began to open up economically. In 1990, a new constitution was adopted, establishing a multiparty system. Currently, there are several political parties in the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.