Principe

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Principe
map
map
Waters Gulf of Guinea
Geographical location 1 ° 37 '  N , 7 ° 24'  E Coordinates: 1 ° 37 '  N , 7 ° 24'  E
Príncipe (Sao Tome and Principe)
Principe
length 19.3 km
width 10.6 km
surface 136 km²
Highest elevation Pico do Príncipe
928  m
Residents 7344 (2012)
54 inhabitants / km²
main place Santo António
Map of the Gulf of Guinea
Map of the Gulf of Guinea

Príncipe ( Portuguese for “Fürst”, “Prinz”), German Prinzeninsel , is the northernmost of the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe . Together with the surrounding smaller islands it forms the province of Príncipe and the district of Pagué with the capital Santo António .

The airport Principe is located in the north of the island. The principensic language , the island's original language, is threatened with extinction and has been largely superseded by the standard Portuguese language.

2012, the island was in the list of UNESCO - Biosphere Reserves added.

geography

The island is close to the equator, west of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea , about 150 km north-northeast of the island of São Tomé . The area of ​​the island is 136 km², that of the province 142 km² (including the neighboring islands belonging to the province). Of this, 85 km² belong to the Parque Natural Obô do Príncipe . The Pico do Príncipe is the highest point on the island at 948 m. About 5,000 people live on Príncipe.

history

The Portuguese navigator João de Santarém is considered to have discovered the island . He acted on behalf of the merchant Fernão Gomes , who acquired the right from the Portuguese King Alfonso V to explore 100 leguas of the African coast annually in the name of the Portuguese crown, but at his own expense. He discovered Principe on January 17, 1472. Initially, the island was called Santo António or Antão , and in 1502 it was given its current name.

Arthur Stanley Eddington succeeded in experimental confirmation of the general theory of relativity on the island in 1919 during a solar eclipse .

fauna

The following bird species are endemic to Principe: the Príncipezwergfischer ( Alcedo nais ), the Prinzendrossling ( Horizorhinus dohrni ), the Hartlaub nectar bird ( Anabathmis hartlaubii ), the silver glasses bird ( Speirops leucophaeus ), the Prince Weber ( Ploceus princeps ), the Prince glittering star ( Lamprotornis ornatus ) and the Principe Thrush ( Turdus xanthorhynchus ).

Small islands

Communities