The islands São Tomé E Príncipe was uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese between 1469 - 1472 and was developed into a plantation economy focusing on sugar production and, later, cacao that was brought over from Brazil. In the late 19th century, São Tomé and Príncipe was the first African country introduced to cocoa tress and it remains a vital part of the country’s economy, earning it the nickname “Chocolate Island.” This economy relied heavily on the use of enslaved Africans and contract labourers and also used the islands as their final resting place. Due to islands significant involvement in the transatlantic slave trade during the 16th century, São Tomé and Príncipe became known as the “slave islands”, where enslaved individuals were imported, traded, trafficked, and re-exported. 

Today, distinct groups can be identified between Sao Tomeans. The Mestiços, or "Filhos da Terra" (Sons of the Land), were descendants of African slaves and Europeans. The Forros were the descendants of freed slaves. The Serviçais were contract labourers brought from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde, while the Tongas were their children born on the islands.The Angolares were descendants of Angolan slaves who survived a shipwreck in the 16th century. Finally, there were Europeans, mainly Portuguese, who also shaped the islands’ population and culture.

After centuries of colonial rule, São Tomé and Príncipe gained independence on July 12 1975, with Manuel Pinto da Costa serving as its first president.