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Príncipe

Map of São Tomé and Príncipe with Príncipe island near the right top corner
Geography
Location	Gulf of Guinea
Coordinates	1°37′N 7°24′E / 1.617°N 7.400°E / 1.617; 7.400
Archipelago	Cameroon line
Area	136 km (53 sq mi)
Highest elevation	947 m (3107 ft)
Highest point	Pico de Príncipe
Administration
São Tomé and Príncipe
Districts	1 (Pagué)
Capital city	Santo António
Demographics
Demonym	Príncipean or Principean
Population	8,420 (2018)
Pop. density	59.3/km (153.6/sq mi)
Additional information
Area code(s)	00239-19x-xxxx?

Príncipe (/ˈprɪnsɪpə, -peɪ/; Portuguese: [ˈpɾĩsɨpɨ]) is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of 142 square kilometres (55 sq mi) (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Census; the latest official estimate (at May 2018) was 8,420. The island is a heavily eroded volcano speculated to be over three million years old, surrounded by smaller islands including Ilheu Bom Bom, Ilhéu Caroço, Tinhosa Grande and Tinhosa Pequena. Part of the Cameroon Line archipelago, Príncipe rises in the south to 947 metres at Pico do Príncipe. The island is the main constituent of the Autonomous Region of Príncipe, established in 1995, and of the coterminous district of Pagué.

History

The island was uninhabited when discovered by the Portuguese on 17 January 1471 and was first named after Saint Anthony ("Ilha de Santo Antão"). Later the island was renamed Príncipe ("Prince's ") by King John II of Portugal in honour of his son Afonso, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (1475–1491). The first settlement, the town Santo António, was founded in 1502. Subsequently, the north and centre of the island were made into plantations by Portuguese colonists using slave labor. These concentrated initially on producing sugar and after 1822 on cocoa, becoming the world's greatest cocoa producer. Since independence, these plantations have largely reverted to forest.

The island's fortress named Fortaleza de Santo António da Ponta da Mina on a point inside Baía de Santo António (Santo António Bay) was built in 1695. In 1706, the city and the fortress were destroyed by the French. From 1753 until 1852, Santo António was the colonial capital of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe.

Príncipe was the site where Einstein's theory of relativity was experimentally corroborated by Arthur Stanley Eddington and his team during the total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919; photographs of the eclipse revealed evidence of the 'bending' of starlight, in accordance with Einstein's predictions (see Eddington experiment).

On April 29, 1995, the Autonomous Region of Príncipe was established, corresponding with the existing Pagué District.

Settlements

Príncipe has one town, Santo António, and an airport (IATA code: PCP, ICAO: FPPR). Some other smaller settlements are Sundy and Porto Real.

Demographics

Portuguese is the official and main language of the island. Portuguese creoles are also spoken: Principense or Lunguyê and, in some scale, Forro are also spoken.

In 1771, Príncipe had a population of 5,850: 111 whites, 165 free mulattoes, 6 mulatto slaves, 900 free blacks, and 4,668 black slaves. In 1875, the year when slavery was officially abolished in the archipelago, Príncipe's population had dropped to only 1,946, of whom 45 were Europeans, 1,521 were free natives, and 380 were freemen.

In 2018, Príncipe had a population of 8,420 people.

Nature

In 2006, the Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe was established, covering the mountainous, densely forested and uninhabited southern part of the island of Príncipe. There are numerous endemic species of fauna on Príncipe, including birds such as the Principe scops owl, the Príncipe kingfisher, Príncipe seedeater, Principe starling, Príncipe sunbird, Dohrn's thrush-babbler and the Príncipe weaver. The Príncipe white-eye also occurs on São Tomé. Geckos include the Príncipe gecko, frogs include the palm forest tree frog and the Príncipe puddle frog. Marine fauna includes Muricopsis principensis, a mollusc and the West African mud turtle.

Some endemic animals

• Príncipe sunbird
• Príncipe golden weaver
• Príncipe speirops
• Principe glossy starling
• Príncipe puddle frog
• Oceanic tree frog

Ecological reserve

UNESCO established the Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve in 2012 under the Man and the Biosphere Programme. The reserve encompasses the entire emerged area of the island of Príncipe, and its islets Bom Bom, Boné do Jóquei, Mosteiros, Santana, and Pedra da Galei, and the Tinhosas islands.

Notable people

• Damião Vaz d'Almeida, former Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe
• João Paulo Cassandra, former autonomous president of the island
• José Cassandra, current president of the island
• Sara Pinto Coelho, colonial born Portuguese writer
• Camilo Domingos, singer
• Manuela Margarido, writer
• Nuno Espírito Santo, association football goalkeeper and manager

Gallery

• Praia do Boi, in Príncipe
• Praia das Bananas, São Tomé and Príncipe
• Carambola in Príncipe
• Lagoa do Caixão, Príncipe Island
• Beach in Príncipe
• Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in Santo António, São Tomé and Príncipe.
• Bom Bom Islet, Príncipe

References

1. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatística.
2. "São Tomé – Definition of São Tomé". Yourdictionary.com. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
3. "Satellite View and Map of São Tomé and Príncipe" Archived 2023-06-07 at the Wayback Machine Nations Online. Retrieved 2014-9-26.
4. Projecção a nível distrital 2012 – 2020, Instituto Nacional de Estatística
5. Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 123: Southwest Coast of Africa (PDF). Sailing Directions. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 74.
6. ^ Santo António Archived 2019-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, Heritage of Portuguese Influence
7. Pinnock, D & Pinnock, G (2012) Chocolate Island. Africa Geographic. February 2012
8. McKenna, Amy (2011). The History of Central and Eastern Africa. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 73. ISBN 9781615303229 – via Google Books.
9. Cooperação Descentralizada Príncipe – Portugal: Eficiência da Existência de Redes de Cooperação Archived 2017-08-14 at the Wayback Machine (2010), Ana Maria Luciano Barreira, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, p. 42-43
10. "Parque Natural do Príncipe". Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
11. "World Network of Biosphere Reserves". Island of Príncipe. UNESCO. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2016.

External links

• Map of Príncipe
• Principe portal
• "Príncipe: a haven on earth" Financial Times
• Wikimedia Atlas of São Tomé and Príncipe
• Sao Tome and Principe travel guide from Wikivoyage

v t e Autonomous Region of Príncipe/Pagué District
Communities	Aeroporto Belo Monte Bom Viver Hospital Velho Ilhéu Bom Bom Nova Estrela Picão Portinho Praia Inhame Porto Real Santo António São Joaquim Sundy Terreiro Velho
Geographical features	Ilhéu Bom Bom Ilhéu Caroço Ilhéu dos Mosteiros Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe Pedra da Galé Pedras Tinhosas Tinhosa Grande Tinhosa Pequena Pico do Príncipe Ponta da Mina Príncipe Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve
Buildings	Fortaleza de Santo António da Ponta da Mina Príncipe Airport
Football	Príncipe Island League

v t e Islands of São Tomé and Príncipe
Major islands	Príncipe São Tomé
Minor islands and islets	Ilhéu Bom Bom Ilhéu das Cabras Ilhéu Caroço Ilhéu Gabado Pedra da Galé Ilhéu dos Mosteiros Ilhéu Quixibá Ilhéu das Rolas Ilhéu de Santana Ilhéu de São Miguel Sete Pedras Tinhosa Grande Tinhosa Pequena

v t e Districts of São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé Island	Água Grande Cantagalo Caué Lembá Lobata Mé-Zóchi
Autonomous Region of Príncipe	Pagué

v t e Portuguese Empire
North Africa 15th century 1415–1640 Ceuta 1458–1550 Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir) 1471–1550 Arzila (Asilah) 1471–1662 Tangier 1485–1550 Mazagan (El Jadida) 1487–16th century Ouadane 1488–1541 Safim (Safi) 1489 Graciosa 16th century 1505–1541 Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir) 1506–1525 Mogador (Essaouira) 1506–1525 Aguz (Souira Guedima) 1506–1769 Mazagan (El Jadida) 1513–1541 Azamor (Azemmour) 1515–1541 São João da Mamora (Mehdya) 1577–1589 Arzila (Asilah)
Sub-Saharan Africa 15th century 1455–1633 Arguim 1462–1975 Cape Verde 1470–1975 São Tomé 1471–1975 Príncipe 1474–1778 Annobón 1478–1778 Fernando Poo (Bioko) 1482–1637 Elmina (São Jorge da Mina) 1482–1642 Portuguese Gold Coast 1498–1540 Mascarene Islands 16th century 1500–1630 Malindi 1501–1975 Portuguese Mozambique 1502–1659 Saint Helena 1503–1698 Zanzibar 1505–1512 Quíloa (Kilwa) 1506–1511 Socotra 1508–1547 Madagascar 1557–1578 Accra 1575–1975 Portuguese Angola 1588–1974 Cacheu 1593–1698 Mombassa (Mombasa) 17th century 1645–1888 Ziguinchor 1680–1961 São João Baptista de Ajudá, Benin 1687–1974 Bissau 18th century 1728–1729 Mombassa (Mombasa) 1753–1975 Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe 19th century 1879–1974 Portuguese Guinea 1885–1974 Portuguese Congo Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753. Or 1600. A factory (Anosy Region) and small temporary coastal bases. Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. Part of Portuguese Angola from the 1920s.
Middle East 16th century 1506–1615 Gamru (Bandar Abbas) 1507–1643 Sohar 1515–1622 Hormuz (Ormus) 1515–1648 Quriyat 1515–? Qalhat 1515–1650 Muscat 1515?–? Barka 1515–1633? Julfar (Ras al-Khaimah) 1521–1602 Bahrain (Muharraq • Manama) 1521–1529? Qatif 1521?–1551? Tarut Island 1550–1551 Qatif 1588–1648 Matrah 17th century 1620–? Khor Fakkan 1621?–? As Sib 1621–1622 Qeshm 1623–? Khasab 1623–? Libedia 1624–? Kalba 1624–? Madha 1624–1648 Dibba Al-Hisn 1624?–? Bandar-e Kong
South Asia 15th century 1498–1545 Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep) 16th century Portuguese India  • 1500–1663 Cochim (Kochi)  • 1501–1663 Cannanore (Kannur)  • 1502–1658  1659–1661 Quilon (Coulão / Kollam)  • 1502–1661 Pallipuram (Cochin de Cima)  • 1507–1657 Negapatam (Nagapatnam)  • 1510–1961 Goa  • 1512–1525  1750 Calicut (Kozhikode)  • 1518–1619 Portuguese Paliacate outpost (Pulicat)  • 1521–1740 Chaul   (Portuguese India)  • 1523–1662 Mylapore  • 1528–1666 Chittagong (Porto Grande De Bengala)  • 1531–1571 Chaul  • 1531–1571 Chalé  • 1534–1601 Salsette Island  • 1534–1661 Bombay (Mumbai)  • 1535 Ponnani  • 1535–1739 Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)  • 1536–1662 Cranganore (Kodungallur)  • 1540–1612 Surat  • 1548–1658 Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)  • 1559–1961 Daman and Diu  • 1568–1659 Mangalore   (Portuguese India)  • 1579–1632 Hugli  • 1598–1610 Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) 1518–1521 Maldives 1518–1658 Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1558–1573 Maldives 17th century Portuguese India  • 1687–1749 Mylapore 18th century Portuguese India  • 1779–1954 Dadra and Nagar Haveli
East Asia and Oceania 16th century 1511–1641 Portuguese Malacca 1512–1621 Maluku  • 1522–1575  Ternate  • 1576–1605  Ambon  • 1578–1650  Tidore 1512–1665 Makassar 1515–1859 Larantuka 1557–1999 Macau 1580–1586 Nagasaki 17th century 1642–1975 Portuguese Timor (East Timor) 19th century Portuguese Macau  • 1864–1999 Coloane  • 1851–1999 Taipa  • 1890–1999 Ilha Verde 20th century Portuguese Macau  • 1938–1941 Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin) 1975 is the year of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, East Timor's independence was fully recognized.
North America and North Atlantic 15th century 1420 Madeira 1432 Azores 16th century 1500–1579? Terra Nova (Newfoundland) 1500–1579? Labrador 1516–1579? Nova Scotia
South America and Caribbean 16th century 1500–1822 Brazil  • 1534–1549  Captaincy Colonies of Brazil  • 1549–1572  Brazil  • 1572–1578  Bahia  • 1572–1578  Rio de Janeiro  • 1578–1607  Brazil  • 1621–1815  Brazil 1536–1620 Barbados 17th century 1621–1751 Maranhão 1680–1777 Nova Colónia do Sacramento 18th century 1751–1772 Grão-Pará and Maranhão 1772–1775 Grão-Pará and Rio Negro 1772–1775 Maranhão and Piauí 19th century 1808–1822 Cisplatina (Uruguay) 1809–1817 Portuguese Guiana (Amapá) 1822 Upper Peru (Bolivia)
Armorial of Portuguese colonies Evolution of the Portuguese Empire Portuguese colonial architecture Portuguese colonization of the Americas Portuguese Empire in the Indonesian Archipelago Portuguese India Theory of the Portuguese discovery of Australia

• Príncipe
• Former Portuguese colonies
• Islands of São Tomé and Príncipe
• Volcanoes of the Atlantic Ocean
• Autonomous regions