Santo António

Santo António is the capital of Príncipe and holds around a thousand people, which has it described repeatedly as the smallest capital city in the world - a title it has to share, since Adamstown on Pitcairn gets it too and houses about forty, a few streets of low colonial buildings in fading pastel around a square, with a river running through and the forest starting almost immediately behind. The whole island was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2012. Everything on Príncipe is arranged from here.

Background

Also called Santo António do Príncipe, the town sits on the island's north-east coast and serves as capital of the Autonomous Region of Príncipe. Founded in 1502, it grew up around sugarcane farming, and from 1753 until 1852 it was the capital of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe. In 2012 it had 2,620 inhabitants, roughly 35% of all the people on Príncipe. It is known for its colonial buildings, for the Church of Our Lady of the Conception and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, and for the Auto das Floripes play staged by the townspeople. The average temperature is 24.8 °C, and Príncipe Airport lies 3 km north.

Source: Wikipedia, "Santo António"

What you'll find

• The colonial streets - a few blocks of low pastel buildings around the square.
• The scale - around a thousand people in a capital often called the world's smallest.
• The river - the water running through the middle of the town.
• The biosphere designation - the 2012 listing covering the whole island.

When to go

June to September is the drier gravana season. Flights from São Tomé are small and weather-dependent. The island is wet year round.

Things to know

There is very little in the town itself and half a day is generous. Flights are small and cancelled in weather. Accommodation on Príncipe is limited and expensive.

Nearby

Banana Beach is north, and Roça Sundy is northwest.

Key facts