World Factbook
São Tomé and Príncipe
Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
964 sq km
water
0 sq km
total
964 sq km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Terrain
volcanic, mountainous
Land use
other
0% (2023 est.)
forest
57.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
44.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 4.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 39.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 1% (2023 est.)
Location
Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon
Coastline
209 km
Elevation
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Irrigated land
100 sq km (2012)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
0 km
Maritime claims
note
note: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
flooding
Geography - note
the second-smallest African country (after the Seychelles); the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes, and both are mountainous
Natural resources
fish, hydropower
Area - comparative
more than five times the size of Washington, D.C.
Geographic coordinates
1 00 N, 7 00 E
Population distribution
Sao Tome, the capital city, has roughly a quarter of the nation's population; Santo Antonio is the largest town on Principe; the northern areas of both islands have the highest population densities, as shown in this population distribution map