Established on 29 April 1995, it covers the island of Príncipe and a number of small uninhabited islands around it, with an area of 142 km2 (55 sq mi) in total.

The main island of the autonomous region is Príncipe.

Smaller offshore islets are: In 1995, a few years after the country's democratic transition, Príncipe became an autonomous region.

The island's first regional government was elected in the same year.

The central government's failure to hold any local election in the years thereafter caused another popular protest in June 2006 that forced Príncipe's regional government to step down.