São Tomé and Príncipe

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The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea. It is two islands: São Tomé, and Príncipe.

They are located about 140 km apart and about 250 and 225 km, respectively, off of the northwestern coast of Gabon. Both islands are part of an ancient volcanic mountain range. São Tomé the bigger, southern island, is almost exactly on the equator. It is named after Saint Thomas because Portuguese explorers discovered the island on St. Thomas's Day.

The islands were once owned by Portugal, but have been independent since 1975. Portuguese is still the official language.