An island country in the Gulf of Guinea off western Africa. Probably uninhabited at the time of European discovery in 1471, the islands were settled (1483) by the Portuguese, who held them, except for a period of Dutch rule in the 17th century, until they gained full independence in 1975. São Tomé is the capital. Population: 200,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
