Equatorial Guinea
Capital: Ciudad de la Paz · Middle Africa
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa and the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa.
Photo: Denis Barthel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Monte Alén National Park in Equatorial Guinea, view from the visitor centre
Photo: Mehlauge, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Did you know?
Equatorial Guinea consists of two parts. The mainland region, Río Muni, is bordered by Cameroon to the north and Gabon to the south and east. It has the majority of the population. Río Muni's small offshore islands include Corisco, Elobey Grande, and Elobey Chico. The insular region consists of the islands of Bioko (formerly Fernando Po) in the Gulf of Guinea and Annobón. Bioko Island is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea and is the site of Malabo. The Portuguese-speaking island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe is located between Bioko and Annobón. The Equator runs through Equatorial Guinea's territorial waters, about 1.4° north of Annobón.
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Photo: unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5 · source
I have taken this from the air when flying over the city of Malabo
Photo: Ipisking at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
History
Pygmies likely once lived in the continental region but are today found only in isolated pockets in southern Río Muni. Bantu migrations likely started around 2,000 BC from between south-east Nigeria and north-west Cameroon (the Grassfields). They must have settled continental Equatorial Guinea around 500 BC at the latest. The earliest settlements on Bioko are dated to AD 530. The Annobón population, originally native to Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via São Tomé island.
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Die Islotes Horacio vor Sipopo, 2013
Photo: Denis Barthel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Landschaft im Hinterland von Äquatorialguinea
Photo: Mehlauge, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Government and politics
The current president of Equatorial Guinea is Teodoro Obiang. The 1982 constitution of Equatorial Guinea gives him extensive powers, including naming and dismissing members of the cabinet, making laws by decree, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives, negotiating and ratifying treaties and serving as commander in chief of the armed forces. The constitution defines the nation as a unitary state. According to Human Rights Watch, the dictatorship of President Obiang used an oil boom to entrench and enrich itself further at the expense of the country's people.
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Geography
Equatorial Guinea is on the west coast of Central Africa. The country consists of a mainland territory, Río Muni, which is bordered by Cameroon to the north and Gabon to the east and south, and five small islands, Bioko, Corisco, Annobón, Elobey Chico (Small Elobey), and Elobey Grande (Great Elobey). Bioko, lies about 40 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Cameroon. Annobón Island is about 350 kilometers (220 mi) west-south-west of Cape Lopez in Gabon. Corisco and the two Elobey islands are in Corisco Bay, on the border of Río Muni and Gabon.
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Economy
Before the nation's independence from Spain, Equatorial Guinea exported cocoa, coffee and timber, mostly to its colonial ruler, Spain, but also to Germany and the UK. On 1 January 1985, the country became the first non-Francophone African member of the franc zone, adopting the CFA franc as its currency. The national currency, the ekwele, had previously been linked to the Spanish peseta.
The discovery of large oil reserves in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue.
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Transportation
Due to the large oil industry in the country, internationally recognized carriers flew to Malabo International Airport, which, in May 2014, had several direct connections to Europe and West Africa. There are several airports in Equatorial Guinea, including Malabo International Airport, Bata Airport, President Obiang Nguema International Airport serving the country's capital, and Annobón Airport on the island of Annobón.
Every airline registered in Equatorial Guinea appears on the list of air carriers prohibited in the European Union (EU), which means that they are banned from operating services of any kind within the EU.
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Demographics
The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of Bantu origin. The largest ethnic group, the Fang, is indigenous to the mainland, but substantial migration to Bioko Island since the 20th century means the Fang population exceeds that of the earlier Bubi inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population and comprise around 67 clans. Those in the northern part of Río Muni speak Fang-Ntumu, while those in the south speak Fang-Okah; the two dialects have differences but are mutually intelligible. Dialects of Fang are also spoken in parts of neighbouring Cameroon (Bulu) and Gabon.
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Culture
In June 1984, the First Hispanic-African Cultural Congress was convened to explore the cultural identity of Equatorial Guinea.
As of 2026, Equatorial Guinea has no UNESCO World Heritage Site or tentative sites for the World Heritage List. The country also has no documented heritage listed in the Memory of the World Programme of UNESCO nor any intangible cultural heritage listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
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