North Eastern Atlantic

Near the equator, the Atlantic surrounds a chain of volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. São Tomé and the smaller island of Annobón lay uninhabited when Portuguese navigators reached them. São Tomé became a centre of sugar production and Atlantic commerce, worked by enslaved Africans; Annobón developed a smaller community with its own Portuguese-based Creole. In 1778 Portugal transferred its claims to Annobón and Fernando Pó to Spain, though the islands remained far from either European court.