São Tomé and Príncipe is a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off Central Africa’s west coast. A former Portuguese colony, it gained independence in 1975 and retains Portuguese as its official language. São Tomé is the larger island, has attractions like Pico Cão Grande and Obo National Park, while Príncipe is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Fun fact: the nation is known for organic chocolate! as well as for its rainforests, volcanic peaks, rich biodiversity, pristine beaches, cocoa plantations, and colonial architecture.
Boca do Inferno, on this postcard, is a basaltic coastal site on the road south from São Tomé town. It is known for its blowholes, geyser-like eruptions of seawater activated by wave action. The basalt has formed into hexagonal columns, rather like Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway. Such rock formations can also be seen on Príncipe’s west coast.
