Location São Tomé and Príncipe Ocean/sea sources Atlantic Ocean Settlements São Tomé Settlement São Tomé | Type Bay Max. depth .3 miles (0.48 km) Ocean/sea source Atlantic Ocean | |
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Showing ana chaves bay avi
Ana Chaves Bay (Portuguese: Baía Ana Chaves) is the harbour and port to the capital city of São Tomé in São Tomé and Príncipe. It ranges from the runway of São Tomé International Airport at the north to Ponta São Tomé at the south. Forte de São Sebastião, now part of São Sebastião Museum, formerly occupied Ponta São Tomé, but reclaimed land now extends .2 miles (0.32 km) past the point. The bay ranges in depth from 2 metres (6.6 ft) near shore to .3 miles (0.48 km) seaward. The bay provides safe anchorage to small vessels; those drawing more than 10 feet (3.0 m) cannot enter the bay.
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Map of Ana Chaves Bay, S%C3%A3o Tom%C3%A9 and Pr%C3%ADncipe
Birds, frogs and other animals dominate the bay before the island was inhabited. Around the 19th century, wildlife became less dominant. Wildlife within the bay is not common as the earlier times. Several endangered birds includes the São Tomé olive pigeon are seen and rarely the São Tomé fiscal.
In the 18th and the 20th centuries, coffee and cocoa were exported to other countries particularly Portugal and also supplied to other parts of Europe, at the time, Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe was one of the largest cocoa exporters in the world.
In the 1990s and the 2000s, as the country had insufficent food supply other than coffee, tropical fruits and cocoa, 90% of the foodstuffs are imported and almost all of it are sent into the port. Oil supplies are rarely imported into the port as the port of Neves has recently been enlarged in 2014.
In 2011, the government of São Tomé and Príncipe granted a long-term concession to Angolan state oil company Sonangol to control and develop the port in which Sonangol have been reported to have invested US$30 million in developing a free trade zone.