Time Zone |
Africa/Sao_Tome |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+0 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Time Zone |
Pacific/Tarawa |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+12 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country in west-central Africa, consisting of the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe and the surrounding islets, with the capital, São Tomé, located in the northeastern part of São Tomé. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, about 200 kilometers from the African continent, the country was colonized by Portugal in the 15th century and became independent in 1975, with Portuguese as the official language and an economy based on agriculture (cocoa, palm oil) and tourism. It should be noted that "Java" is not a city or region of the country; Java is the main island of Indonesia, with cities such as Jakarta and Surabaya, and has nothing to do with São Tomé and Príncipe, possibly due to a confusion of names.
Tarawa, the capital of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, is located on Tarawa Atoll in the central Gilbert Islands and is the political, economic and cultural heart of the country. The low-lying coral atoll covers an area of approximately 13 square kilometers and is densely populated with nearly half of Kiribati's total population, making it one of the smallest capitals in the world. Taborio consists of a number of small islands connected by bridges and has a tropical maritime climate with high temperatures throughout the year, averaging about 29°C per year, making it vulnerable to the threat of sea level rise. The local economy is based on fishing and copra exports, while tourism is growing due to the unique World War II sites (such as the battlefields of Beribeyo) and traditional village culture. Kiribati and English are spoken by the majority of the population, and Kiribati is a window to the island experience with its Pacific Aboriginal culture of canoeing, traditional songs and dances.