Reisverslagen

São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest African country in terms of population (the Seychelles being the smallest). It is the smallest country in the world that is not a former British overseas territory, a former United States trusteeship, or one of the European microstates.
If you’re looking for your next killer, out-of-the-way dive location, maybe Sao Tome is what you want. Offering abundant opportunities for seeing marine life – including turtles that lay their eggs on the shore, and day-long whale and dolphin excursions – the tiny island a few hundred miles off Africa’s west coast is described as a “country without tourists.” Now that sounds like heaven.
The island also features a coastal blowhole. No, Rush Limbaugh doesn’t live there – the blowhole is the Boca de Inferno, or Mouth of Hell, where powerful waves spew through a natural gap in the twisted black rock.

If you’re looking for your next killer, out-of-the-way dive location, maybe Sao Tome is what you want. Offering abundant opportunities for seeing marine life – including turtles that lay their eggs on the shore, and day-long whale and dolphin excursions – the tiny island a few hundred miles off Africa’s west coast is described as a “country without tourists.” Now that sounds like heaven.
The island also features a coastal blowhole. No, Rush Limbaugh doesn’t live there – the blowhole is the Boca de Inferno, or Mouth of Hell, where powerful waves spew through a natural gap in the twisted black rock.
At various historical moments, the islands of São Tomé e Príncipe (STP) have assumed major importance in the global economic system1. In the sixteenth century, the islands were the world’s greatest sugar producer, and in the nineteenth and early twentieth century,they were a major source of cocoa and coffee. While STP’s agricultural production is no longer of international significance, cocoa has remained the
country’s main export up until today. However, it's believed that the constant analytical emphasis on STP’s dependence on cocoa exports is at least partly misleading. While cocoa is still the main export commodity, the historical
decline of cocoa production has rendered STP’s political and economic development largely dependent on external assistance in the form of foreign aid and external debt.