Santo António

For other uses, see Santo António (disambiguation).

Santo António (Portuguese for Saint Anthony), also known as Santo António do Príncipe, is the main settlement of the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies on the north east coast. It is the capital of the Autonomous Region of Príncipe. Its population is 2,620 (2012), about 35% of the island's population.^[1] The town is known for its colonial architecture and for its churches: Church of Our Lady of the Conception and Church of Our Lady of the Rosary.^[2] The town is also known for the Auto das Floripes play, which is performed by the citizens.^[3]

Santo António
Town
Palace of the Regional Government
Santo António Location on Príncipe Island Show map of Príncipe Santo António Santo António (São Tomé and Príncipe) Show map of São Tomé and Príncipe
Coordinates: 1°38′12″N 7°25′04″E
Country	São Tomé and Príncipe
Autonomous Region	Príncipe
Population  (2012)
• Total	2,620
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)

History

View of Santo António

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2001[1]	1,010	—
2012[1]	2,620	+159.4%

The town Santo António was founded in 1502, and was a centre of sugarcane cultivation.^[2] In 1695, the Fort of Ponta da Mina was built at the entrance of the bay of Santo António. The town and the fortress were destroyed by French privateers in 1706.^[2] From 1753 until 1852, it was the colonial capital of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe.^[4]

Climate

Santo António has a tropical monsoon climate, with very warm to hot temperatures and oppressive humidity year-round. The average temperature is 24.8 °C or 76.6 °F. The average annual rainfall is 1,872 millimetres or 74 inches, with the least rain in July and the most in October.^[5]

Climate data for Santo Antonio
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29.0 (84.2)	29.6 (85.3)	29.6 (85.3)	29.4 (84.9)	28.8 (83.8)	27.6 (81.7)	26.8 (80.2)	27.1 (80.8)	27.4 (81.3)	27.5 (81.5)	28.2 (82.8)	28.6 (83.5)	28.3 (82.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	25.5 (77.9)	24.8 (76.6)	25.8 (78.4)	25.8 (78.4)	25.4 (77.7)	24.2 (75.6)	23.5 (74.3)	23.8 (74.8)	24.3 (75.7)	24.4 (75.9)	24.8 (76.6)	25.2 (77.4)	24.8 (76.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22.0 (71.6)	20.0 (68.0)	22.0 (71.6)	22.1 (71.8)	21.9 (71.4)	20.7 (69.3)	20.2 (68.4)	20.4 (68.7)	21.2 (70.2)	21.4 (70.5)	21.4 (70.5)	21.8 (71.2)	21.2 (70.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	113 (4.4)	105 (4.1)	186 (7.3)	233 (9.2)	229 (9.0)	89 (3.5)	21 (0.8)	36 (1.4)	146 (5.7)	398 (15.7)	174 (6.9)	142 (5.6)	1,872 (73.6)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	14	11	16	18	18	14	7	12	21	25	18	14	188
Average relative humidity (%)	88	86	86	87	88	83	83	83	86	89	88	87	86
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst[5]

Transportation

Príncipe Airport lies 3 km north of the town. It offers flights to São Tomé International Airport on STP Airways^[6] and Africa's Connection STP.

Sports

The town has the only sports facility on the island, Estádio Regional 13 de Junho. The facility is home to the football clubs Sporting Clube do Príncipe and GD Os Operários.^[7]

Twin towns

Santo António is twinned with the Portuguese cities of Aveiro^[8] and Faro.^[9]