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( São Tomé and Príncipe)
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa. It consists of two islands São Tomé and Príncipe, located about 140 kilometres apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres, respectively, off the northwestern coast of Gabon. Both islands are part of an extinct volcanic mountain range. São Tomé, the sizable southern island, is situated just north of the equator. It was named in honor of Saint Thomas by Portuguese explorers who happened to arrive at the island on his feast day. 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. It is also the smallest Portuguese-speaking country. The name in Portuguese São Tomé e Príncipe is pronounced (IPA) /s?~u tu'm? i 'p?i~s?p?/. Pronunciation of São Tomé and Príncipe in English varies, with dictionaries citing the most common pronunciations of (IPA) /sa? to??me? ?n ?pr?ns?p?/ for American English, and /sa? t??me? ?nd ?pr?ns?pe?/ for British English. The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime around 1470. The islands were discovered by João de Santarém and Pedro Escobar and bore his name[clarify] until the 20th century. Portuguese navigators explored the islands and decided that they would be good locations for bases to trade with the mainland.
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