São Tomé and Príncipe is a small island country located in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. Consisting mainly of two volcanic islands, it is Africa's second-smallest country both in area and population. The islands were uninhabited until the late 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered them and began to colonize them in the 1470s. São Tomé and Príncipe became important centers for sugar cultivation and, later, major hubs for the Atlantic slave trade and cocoa production under Portuguese rule. The islands remained a Portuguese colony for nearly five centuries, until they peacefully achieved independence on July 12, 1975. Since independence, São Tomé and Príncipe has worked to develop its economy, increase its global ties, and strengthen its multiparty democracy, though it remains one of Africa’s most peaceful and smallest nations.