Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe has catalogued 1 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 173rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M5.5.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 173rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 0 M4+ events a year alongside 0 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900.
- 1
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 0
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M5.5
- Strongest
- ~0
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Sao Tome and Principe is relatively quiet seismically compared to most places tracked here, with 1 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 0 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 5.5.
- N/A
- no yearly breakdown available
- N/A
- average recorded event depth
- 0%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 5.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. Sao Tome and Principe is among the quietest tracked; the next step up is Central African Republic at 2 M4+ events.
Where Sao Tome and Principe sits in the catalog
Rank 173rd of 187 tracked countries (0th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). Sao Tome and Principe is among the quietest tracked; the next step up is Central African Republic at 2 M4+ events.
- Central African Republic - next more active (2 M4+)
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
15 tracked countries share Sao Tome and Principe's exact count of 1 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Sao Tome and Principe ranks 1st of 15 by strongest recorded magnitude (M5.5).
0 of 1 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Sao Tome and Principe-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Trinidad and Tobago
88 M4+ events · strongest M6.1
Indonesia
37,560 M4+ events · strongest M8.6
Tokelau
1 M4+ events · strongest M5.0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
6 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
China
4,952 M4+ events · strongest M7.9
Guatemala
1,951 M4+ events · strongest M7.4
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Sao Tome and Principe-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Sao Tome and Principe? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Sao Tome and Principe? ▼
How seismically active is Sao Tome and Principe? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Sao Tome and Principe? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Sao Tome and Principe's figures
1 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M5.5 · average M5.5 · 0 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Dec 19, 2019. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What Sao Tome and Principe's numbers mean
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 173rd of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 0 M4+ earthquakes strike Sao Tome and Principe per year on average. See the full country ranking
- 0% of Sao Tome and Principe's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M5.5. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-19.