São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and Prín·ci·pe (pr?n?s?-p?, pr?N?s?-p?) An island country in the Gulf of Guinea off western Africa. Probably uninhabited at the time of European discovery in 1471, the islands were settled (1483) by the Portuguese, who held them, except for a period of Dutch rule in the 1600s, until they gained full independence in 1975. São Tomé is the capital.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.São Tomé and Príncipe (Portuguese s??un tu?m? ??? ?pr???sip?) or São Tomé e Príncipen (Placename) a republic in the Gulf of Guinea, off the W coast of Africa, on the Equator: consists of the islands of Príncipe and São Tomé; colonized by the Portuguese in the late 15th century; became independent in 1975. Official language: Portuguese. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: dobra. Capital: São Tomé. Pop: 186 817 (2013 est). Area: 1001 sq km (386 sq miles)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014