São Tomé and Príncipe moist lowland forests
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The São Tomé and Príncipe moist lowland forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that covers the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, which form the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as the island of Annobón, which is part of Equatorial Guinea.
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[edit] Setting
The three islands are volcanic, part of the Cameroon Line of volcanoes that extends from Annobón in the southeast, through the islands of São Tomé, Príncipe, and Bioko, and extending onto the mainland as Mount Cameroon and the volcanoes of the Cameroon Highlands.
The islands are mountainous, with the highest peaks reaching to 2,024 meters on São Tomé, 948 meters on Príncipe, and 695 meters on Annobón.
[edit] Flora
The natural vegetation of the islands consisted of forests, which varied based on exposure and elevation, including wet lowland forests on the portion of the islands facing the prevailing winds, and drier lowland forests in the islands' rain shadow. Higher elevations sustain montane forests, with a number of plants typical of afromontane flora, including the conifer Afrocarpus mannii on São Tomé.
