HISTORIC TIMELINE
1470Discovery of São Tomé and Príncipe
Portuguese explorers João de Santarém and Pedro Escobar discover the uninhabited islands.
16th centuryColonization of the Islands
The islands were gradually colonized and settled by the Portuguese.
1975Independence from Portugal
São Tomé and Príncipe gains independence as a one-party communist state.
1990Transition to Multiparty Democracy
The one-party system ends, leading to a democratic political environment.