• Milestones
• Country
• Year
• Descriptions
• Legend
• Glossary

Sao Tome and Principe

Paleontology  related stamps (dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, Charles Darwin ) 

<< previous country

back to index

next country >>

Sao Tome and Principe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about 140 kilometres  apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres, respectively, 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 Portugal throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade center for the Atlantic slave trade.
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.  With a population of 192,993, São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest African country after Seychelles, as well as the smallest Portuguese-speaking country.

More information about Russia are on Wikipedia, Wikitravel or FlagCounter

The first stamps are issued in São Tomé & Príncipe in 1869. From the first issue, until the end of the colonial period, the issues are of the common designs for the Portuguese colonies. Since independence, São Tomé & Príncipe has issued many stamps aimed at the thematic collectors market. In the first years of indenpendncy, the country issued not more than 20 stamp a year, but since end of 1970th amount of stamps issued per year start grow rapidly.
Philatelic agency Stamperija Ltd. – the authorized representative of São Tomé and Príncipe post administration (the issues of 2003-2004, 2006-now), prints hundreds of stamps a year on every popular them, most of them totally unrelated to the country,  on behalf of the country.