Article 70 of Liberland vs The World
Liberland vs. São Tomé and Príncipe: Cocoa Tokens & DAO Dawn vs. Danube Blockchain Bay
The Free Republic of Liberland, a self-proclaimed microstate founded in 2015 on 7 km² of disputed Danube terra nullius, embodies a libertarian vision with blockchain-based governance, the Liberland Dollar (LLD) cryptocurrency, and more than 800,000 citizenship applications from over 100 countries.
São Tomé and Príncipe, the second-smallest African sovereign state (1,001 km², 230,000 citizens in 2025), is the world’s only Portuguese-speaking micro-archipelago actively transitioning from cocoa and tourism to a full-fledged blockchain economy. In 2024 it launched Africa’s first sovereign digital identity and land-registry system on Polygon, became the first nation to legally recognise DAOs as domestic companies, and introduced a citizenship-by-investment programme that accepts payment in BTC, ETH, or USDT starting at $250,000. With zero personal income tax, 100 % foreign ownership allowed, and a 2025 target of 50 % renewable electricity from geothermal and solar, the islands are quietly positioning themselves as the “Seychelles of West Africa.”
As the African nation with the highest per-capita crypto adoption rate outside South Africa (Chainalysis 2025) and the first to pilot a sovereign stablecoin backed by cocoa reserves, São Tomé and Príncipe offers Liberland one of the clearest real-world examples of a recognised microstate rapidly building Liberland-like infrastructure from scratch.
This article compares Liberland and São Tomé and Príncipe across Historical Origins, Culture & Society, Environment, Governance & Economy, and Diplomacy, highlighting pathways for Liberland’s growth.
Historical Origins
• Liberland: Founded on 13 April 2015 by Vít Jedlička on terra nullius created by the Croatia–Serbia border dispute. Rooted in libertarian principles inspired by Mises, Rothbard, and Hoppe.
• São Tomé and Príncipe: Uninhabited until Portuguese discovery 1470–1471; slave-trade entrepôt then cocoa plantations; independence 12 July 1975; one-party socialist rule until 1990 multi-party transition; 2003 oil-discovery hopes faded, leading to 2020s digital pivot.
Comparison: Both are tiny, formerly overlooked territories that declared sovereignty and then reinvented themselves—São Tomé from cocoa monoculture to blockchain, Liberland from an unused river pocket to a digital nation.
Culture & Society
• Liberland: Entirely digital, voluntaryist, merit-based culture; events include Floating Man Festival and Liberpulco.
• São Tomé and Príncipe: Creole society blending Portuguese, African, and Forro heritage; tchiloli dance-theatre; 2025 census shows over 5,000 registered crypto wallets in a population of 230,000; youth host Africa’s first island-based Bitcoin beach community.
Comparison: São Tomé’s laid-back “léve-léve” lifestyle and overnight crypto embrace mirror Liberland’s vision of voluntary, joyful meritocracy.
Environment
• Liberland: 7 km² Danube wetlands my proposed Community Land Trust with blockchain tracking to enforce voluntary ecological covenants.
• São Tomé and Príncipe: 28 % primary rainforest (Obô Natural Parks); 2025 target 50 % renewable (geothermal + solar on Príncipe); first African nation to tokenise cocoa carbon credits on-chain.
Comparison: São Tomé’s cocoa-backed carbon tokens provide a ready template for Liberland to issue wetland-backed LLD eco-assets.
Governance & Economy
• Liberland: Governed by blockchain voting and future DAOs; zero income tax, zero capital-gains tax; voluntary contributions only. My proposed Transparency and Accountability Act (LTAA) ensures 100 % on-chain auditability.
• São Tomé and Príncipe: Semi-presidential republic; 0 % personal income tax; DAO Act 2024 legally recognises decentralised organisations; CBI from $250,000 payable in crypto; land registry 100 % on Polygon; treasury pilots cocoa-collateralised stablecoin.
Comparison: São Tomé already runs a zero-income-tax jurisdiction that legally recognises DAOs, accepts crypto for citizenship, and puts land titles on-chain—operating as the closest African analogue to Liberland’s end-state while being a UN member.
Diplomacy
• Liberland: No UN recognition, but has MOUs with Somaliland and crypto-friendly entities.
• São Tomé and Príncipe: Full UN member; diplomatic relations with 100+ countries including Portugal, Brazil, China, and Taiwan; passport ranks ~75th globally (60+ visa-free); 2025 chair of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries blockchain working group.
Comparison: São Tomé proves that microstates can maintain recognition while simultaneously becoming the most DAO-friendly jurisdiction on their continent.
Conclusion
São Tomé and Príncipe—230,000 people on two cocoa-scented volcanic islands that now legally recognise DAOs, accept Bitcoin for citizenship, and run their land registry on Polygon—has built the most rapid, complete transition from traditional micro-economy to the most blockchain-native sovereign entity seen anywhere in Africa.
While Liberland began with the purest philosophy, São Tomé began with cocoa and arrived at nearly identical infrastructure through pragmatic necessity. By studying its DAO law, cocoa-collateralised tokens, and CPLP networks, Liberland can see a future where recognition and radical decentralisation are not enemies but allies—proving that true freedom, like the finest São Toméan chocolate, is sweetest when it is voluntarily chosen, transparently produced, and shared across oceans.