São Tomé and Príncipe Crossword Puzzle for Kids
Free printable educational crossword puzzle. Every clue is a plain-English sentence from the Simple English Wikipedia article on São Tomé and Príncipe, with the key word blanked out.
São Tomé and Príncipe Crossword
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
| 2C | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7P | O | L | I | T | I | C | A | L | ||||||||||
| U | 6P | |||||||||||||||||
| N | R | |||||||||||||||||
| T | O | |||||||||||||||||
| R | 11F | I | 10V | E | D | |||||||||||||
| I | O | 3C | U | L | T | U | R | A | L | |||||||||
| E | T | O | C | |||||||||||||||
| 12T | 9S | U | C | 13C | E | S | 5S | F | U | L | E | |||||||
| R | O | A | O | R | ||||||||||||||
| O | 8L | O | C | A | L | I | N | |||||||||||
| P | S | N | Y | |||||||||||||||
| 4I | M | P | O | R | T | A | N | T | ||||||||||
| C | 1S | T | O | P | P | I | N | G | ||||||||||
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Across
- 1. Instead it became a _____ place for the slave trade. (8 letters)
- 3. The country’s culture is the product of Portuguese and African _____ influence. (8 letters)
- 4. It is the most _____ crop for the country. (9 letters)
- 7. They changed the constitution to allow other _____ parties. (9 letters)
- 8. The governor told the military to take any _____ who did not want to work. (5 letters)
- 9. The first _____ Portuguese settlement in the archipelago was in 1493. (10 letters)
- 11. The president is elected for a _____-year term and can be re-elected. (4 letters)
Down
- 2. The English translation of the _____ name is Saint Thomas and Prince. (9 letters)
- 3. The islands were a Portuguese _____, but have been independent since July 1975. (6 letters)
- 5. As these were days dedicated to _____, both islands had _____’ names. (6 letters)
- 6. By 1908 the country was the largest _____ of cocoa. (8 letters)
- 10. All adult citizens can _____ in the elections. (4 letters)
- 12. The climate is _____, hot and humid, with an annual average temperature of 27 C. (8 letters)
- 13. It is in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial _____ of Africa. (5 letters)
Clues are sentences from the Simple English Wikipedia article “São Tomé and Príncipe” (revision 10219858, CC BY-SA 4.0). crosswordprint.com/printable-crosswords/countries/s-o-tom-and-pr-ncipe-for-kids/
São Tomé and Príncipe Word Search
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Words to Find
crosswordprint.com/printable-crosswords/countries/s-o-tom-and-pr-ncipe-for-kids/
Pick the word that completes each sentence from the Simple English Wikipedia article.
Is the sentence correct? Some sentences have one word altered.
Click a clue, then click the word it belongs to.
Unscramble each word. The clue is the sentence it was taken from.
How to Solve & Use the Answer Key
This is a fill-in crossword. Each clue is a sentence from the Simple English Wikipedia article on São Tomé and Príncipe, with the key term blanked out. The number in parentheses shows the letter count. Solve interactively on screen or check Show answers to view the answer key. To print a clean student worksheet, press Print Puzzle.
São Tomé and Príncipe Crossword Answer Key & Definitions
Show Complete Answers & Word Definitions
- 1 Across: STOPPING
- 3 Across: CULTURAL — Culture is a word for the 'way of life' of groups of people, meaning the way they do things. Simple English Wikipedia: Culture
- 4 Across: IMPORTANT — Importance is a property of entities that matter or make a difference. Wikipedia: Importance
- 7 Across: POLITICAL — Politics (from Ancient Greek πολιτικά (politiká) 'affairs of the cities') is the way that people living in groups make planned decisions. Simple English Wikipedia: Politics
- 8 Across: LOCAL
- 9 Across: SUCCESSFUL — Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. Wikipedia: Success
- 11 Across: FIVE — The number five is a number that comes after four, followed by six, then seven. Simple English Wikipedia: 5 (number)
- 2 Down: COUNTRIES — A country is a distinct territory with defined borders, boundaries, people and government. Simple English Wikipedia: Country
- 3 Down: COLONY — A colony is a piece of land controlled by another country. Simple English Wikipedia: Colony
- 5 Down: SAINTS — In Christian belief, a saint, also known as a hallow, is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. Wikipedia: Saint
- 6 Down: PRODUCER — A producer is something or somebody responsible for the production of a thing or a being. Simple English Wikipedia: Producer
- 10 Down: VOTE — Voting is when a group of people decide something by saying what they want. Simple English Wikipedia: Voting
- 12 Down: TROPICAL — The tropics are the region of the Earth near to the equator and between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S) in the southern hemisphere. Simple English Wikipedia: Tropics
- 13 Down: COAST — The coast also means the land next to the sea, which can also be called the shore, or sea-shore. Simple English Wikipedia: Coast
Definitions adapted from Simple English Wikipedia and Wikipedia articles (week 2026-W41), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Read about São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation in Central Africa, it is located off the Gulf of Guinea. The main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe are about 140 km apart and about 250 and 225 km, respectively, off of the northwestern coast of Gabon. The country has a population of 201,800 (2018 official estimate),São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest and second-least populous African sovereign state after Seychelles as well as the smallest and least populous Portuguese-speaking country in the world.
The English translation of the countries name is Saint Thomas and Prince.
The islands were a Portuguese colony, but have been independent since July 1975. Portuguese is the official language.
History
The Portuguese arrived in São Tomé Island on December 21, 1471, and Príncipe Island on January 17, 1492. As these were days dedicated to saints, both islands had saints’ names. S. Antão Island, the former name of Príncipe Island, changed in 1500 to honor the Prince of Portugal.
The official historical version says that the country was uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sailors.
The first successful Portuguese settlement in the archipelago was in 1493. The volcanic soil of the islands proved to be good for sugar crops. Hard work was needed to grow and harvest the sugar crops. Slaves were brought from Portugal to do the work. Because other countries began producing more sugar, the islands were not able to make money from it. Instead it became a stopping place for the slave trade.
In the 19th century, crops of coffee and cocoa were grown. These became successful. By 1908 the country was the largest producer of cocoa. It is the most important crop for the country.
On February 3, 1953, the Batepá massacre occurred. In the massacre hundreds of local people were killed by Portuguese settlers. The Portuguese wanted workers for the crops. The locals said they were being used as slaves. The governor told the military to take any locals who did not want to work.
Politics
The president is elected for a five-year term and can be re-elected. The prime minister is elected for a four-year term. The thirteen members of the cabinet (the group of ministers) are chosen by them. All adult citizens can vote in the elections. They vote by secret ballot.
Provinces
São Tomé and Príncipe is divided into 2 provinces: Príncipe and São Tomé.
The provinces are further divided into seven districts, six on São Tomé and one on Príncipe (with Príncipe having self-government since April 29, 1995).
Geography and Climate
São Tomé and Príncipe is formed by two volcanic islands - the biggest of which is S. Tomé - and several islets. It is in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa. Both islands belong to the Cameroon volcanic mountain line.
The archipelago is 1,001km2 in size. The equator line passes through the Rolas’s Islet which is in the south of S. Tomé Island. The tallest peak is the Peak of S. Tomé at 2,024m tall.
The climate is tropical, hot and humid, with an annual average temperature of 27 C. There are two main seasons. Gravana is the driest season. It has little or no rainfall and the temperatures are lower. Gravana lasts from June to August. The rainy season is from October to May.
Economy
Since the archipelago´s discovery, its economy has been based on agriculture and fishing. Cocoa is 95% of the country’s exports. Other exports are copper, palm oil and coffee. Another economic activity is tourism.
After independence, the country’s economy was nationalized, it was then privatised in the early 1990s. Now the government budget is mainly based on foreign assistance from donors such as the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, and country donors.
The main importers of the archipelago's production are Portugal with 51%, France with 14%, Angola with 11%, and Japan with 10%.
In 2001, petroleum was found in the waters claimed by the archipelago and Nigeria.
Demographics
According to the 2010 census, about 163,000 people lived in São Tomé and Príncipe. 52,000 lived in the capital and less than seven thousand lived on Príncipe Island.
The people of S. Tomé and Príncipe are divided into the following ethnic groups: mixed-blood, descendents of Portuguese settlers and African slaves; Forros, the biggest ethnic group and descendents of freed slaves; Angolares, descendents of Angolan slaves; Tonga, mixed blood of Forros and hired workers from Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde; and Cape Verdean descendents.
The country’s official language is Portuguese. Other languages spoken are Forro, a creole spoken by 80% of S. Tomé Island`s people; Angolar, spoken mainly on the southeast of S. Tomé Island; Lung`ié, spoken in Príncipe Island; and Creole from Cape Verde.
Almost everyone is Christian: Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant and Seventh-Day Adventist.
Culture
The country’s culture is the product of Portuguese and African cultural influence. Typical dances on the islands are Ússua, Socopé, Dêxa, and Puita. Tchiloli, Danço Congo and Auto dos Floripes are public theatrical performances, examples of the Portuguese cultural legacy.
Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo was a famous poet from São Tomé.
Text adapted from the Simple English Wikipedia article “São Tomé and Príncipe” (revision 10219858, 2025-04-27), authors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.