Príncipe
Príncipe is the smaller of the two islands
of São Tomé and Príncipe, extinct volcanos on the equator
off the west coast of Africa. It happened to lie in the path of a total solar
elipse in 1919, and so became the site of one of the most important scientific
experiments of the 20th century.
The total population is around 5,000 and the
official language is Portuguese. The airport is connected to the main town,
Santo António, and surrounding villages by 12 km of paved roads. Much of
the 136 km² island is covered in dense rainforest. The landscape rises in
the south to 948 metres at Pico de Príncipe, in a thickly forested area
forming part of the Obo National Park.
It is a virtually undiscovered tropical paradise
in the Atlantic ocean. The first beginnings of
modern tourism
are reflected in developments like the beautiful
Bom Bom Island
Resort on the island's northern shore.
More information is available from
wikipedia, the
STP tourist board and
hotel directorate, or the
Yahoo STP group, including an
article
about our 2008 recce trip.
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