São Tomé and Príncipe - República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe, (English: Saint Thomas and Prince) officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, about 140 km (87 mi) apart and about 250 and 225 km (155 and 140 mi) off the northwestern coast of Gabon, respectively. The islands were uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. Gradually colonized and settled by the Portuguese throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade center for the Atlantic slave trade. The rich volcanic soil and close proximity to the Equator made São Tomé and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation, followed later by cash crops such as coffee and cocoa; the lucrative plantation economy was heavily dependent upon imported African slaves.

Cycles of social unrest and economic instability throughout the 19th and 20th centuries culminated in peaceful independence in 1975. São Tomé and Príncipe has since remained one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries. With a population of 201,800 (2018 official estimate), São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest African sovereign state after Seychelles, as well as the smallest Portuguese-speaking country.

São Tomé and Príncipe does not have a large number of native mammals (although the São Tomé shrew and several bat species are endemic). The islands are home to a larger number of endemic birds and plants, including the world's smallest ibis (the São Tomé ibis), the world's largest sunbird (the giant sunbird), the rare São Tomé fiscal, and several giant species of Begonia. São Tomé and Principe is an important marine turtle-nesting site, including the hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Correios de São Tomé e Príncipe is a state-owned company responsible for postal services in São Tomé and Príncipe. It is regulated by AGER (the General Regulation Authority (Autoridade Geral de Regulaçāo) Its buildings are at Avenida Marginal 12 de Julho, the most famous street and arterial in the nation. São Tomé and Príncipe are one of the countries without a postal code system. After independence, formal postal services existed on the island as early as 1972. São Tomé and Príncipe entered the Universal Postal Union in 1977. and the company was created on 1 January, 1982 to meet the resulting obligations related to postal services.

he cover posted on October 30, 2015 and I received on December 01, 2015.