Equatorial Guinea — map and facts

About Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is a small Central African nation comprising a mainland territory, Río Muni, bordered by Cameroon to the north and Gabon to the south and east, and several islands in the Gulf of Guinea, the largest of which is Bioko, home to the capital Malabo. A second administrative capital, Oyala (officially Ciudad de la Paz), has been constructed in the mainland interior. The population is approximately 1.5 million. Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa; Spanish, French, and Portuguese are all official languages. The country experienced a dramatic economic transformation following the discovery of offshore oil in 1995, which propelled it to one of Africa's highest GDP per capita figures. However, wealth has been highly concentrated under the long-ruling Obiang family. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been president since seizing power in a coup in 1979, making him Africa's longest-serving head of state. Equatorial Guinea is a member of both the African Union and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

Geography and Landscape

Equatorial Guinea's mainland region, Río Muni, covers approximately 26,000 square kilometres and is largely blanketed by dense tropical equatorial rainforest. The terrain rises from the coastal plain inland toward a series of hills and plateaus, with the Crystal Mountains in the north and Monte Alén, at around 1,200 metres, in the centre, protected within the Monte Alén National Park. The coastline is indented with mangrove-fringed estuaries. Bioko Island, approximately 2,017 square kilometres in area, lies in the Gulf of Guinea some 32 kilometres from the coast of Cameroon. It is of volcanic origin and geologically active. Pico Basile, Bioko's dominant volcano, reaches 3,011 metres and is the highest point in the country. The island's rugged southern half, less developed, harbours important wildlife including nesting sea turtles and endemic primates. The smaller islands of Annobón, Corisco, and the Elobey islets complete the territory. The climate across all parts of the country is equatorial — hot and very wet throughout the year.

History

Bioko Island, originally inhabited by the Bubi people, was reached by Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó around 1472, and the island bore his name for centuries. Portugal ceded the island and mainland trading rights to Spain through the Treaty of El Pardo in 1778. Spain's colonial engagement remained limited until the late nineteenth century, when Río Muni was incorporated after the Berlin Conference. The colony, known as Spanish Guinea, was an important source of cocoa and coffee, cultivated largely through forced labour. Independence was achieved on 12 October 1968 under Francisco Macías Nguema, who quickly established one of Africa's most brutal dictatorships, overseeing mass killings and the exile of a third of the population. He was overthrown in 1979 by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who executed him and has governed ever since as an authoritarian ruler. The discovery of oil in 1995 brought sudden wealth, transforming the country's infrastructure while deepening the concentration of power in the ruling family. International criticism of corruption and human rights abuses has been persistent.