Equatorial Guinea: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Country in Central Africa}} | {{Short description|Country in Central Africa}} | ||
{{hatnote group| {{Distinguish|Guinea-Bissau|Guinea|Western New Guinea|Papua New Guinea}} {{for|similar terms|Guinea (disambiguation)}} }} | {{hatnote group| {{Distinguish|Guinea-Bissau|Guinea|Western New Guinea|Papua New Guinea|New Guinea}} {{for|similar terms|Guinea (disambiguation)}} }} | ||
{{Redirect|EqG|other topics|EQG (disambiguation){{!}}EQG}} <!-- As long as "EqG" redirects to this article, this hatnote should be here. DO NOT DELETE. --> | {{Redirect|EqG|other topics|EQG (disambiguation){{!}}EQG}} <!-- As long as "EqG" redirects to this article, this hatnote should be here. DO NOT DELETE. --> | ||
{{Pp-move}} | {{Pp-move}} | ||
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| symbol_type = Coat of arms | | symbol_type = Coat of arms | ||
| national_motto = {{native name|es|Unidad, Paz, Justicia}}<br />"Unity, Peace, Justice" | | national_motto = {{native name|es|Unidad, Paz, Justicia}}<br />"Unity, Peace, Justice" | ||
| national_anthem = {{native name|es| | | national_anthem = {{native name|es|Himno Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial|nolink=yes}}<br />"[[National Anthem of Equatorial Guinea]]"<br />{{center|[[File:Equatorial Guinea's national anthem, performed by the United States Navy Band.oga]]}} | ||
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:GNQ orthographic.svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Equatorial Guinea AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}} | | image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:GNQ orthographic.svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Equatorial Guinea AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}} | ||
| map_caption = | | map_caption = | ||
| | | image_map2 = [[File:Map of Equatorial Guinea with correct Capital.png|Map of Equatorial Guinea 2026]] | ||
| largest_city = [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]] | | capital = [[Ciudad de la Paz]]<br/> {{Coord|1|35|20|N|10|49|21|E|type:city_region:GQ}} | ||
| largest_city = [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]] | |||
| official_languages = {{Plain list| | | official_languages = {{Plain list| | ||
* [[Equatoguinean Spanish|Spanish]] | * [[Equatoguinean Spanish|Spanish]] | ||
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| regional_languages = {{Collapsible list | | regional_languages = {{Collapsible list | ||
|framestyle=border:none; padding:0; |[[Fang language|Fang]] |[[Bube language|Bube]] |[[Annobonese Creole]] |[[Kombe language|Kombe]] |[[Kwasio language|Kwasio]]}} | |framestyle=border:none; padding:0; |[[Fang language|Fang]] |[[Bube language|Bube]] |[[Annobonese Creole]] |[[Kombe language|Kombe]] |[[Kwasio language|Kwasio]]}} | ||
| ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list| 85.7% [[Fang people|Fang]]| 6.5% [[Bubi people|Bubi]]| 3.6% [[Demographics of Equatorial Guinea#Peoples considered as natives|Ndowe]]| 1.6% Annobon| 1.1% [[Kwasio people|Bujeba]]| 1.1% others}} | | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list| 85.7% [[Fang people|Fang]]| 6.5% [[Bubi people|Bubi]]| 3.6% [[Demographics of Equatorial Guinea#Peoples considered as natives|Ndowe]]| 1.6% Annobon| 1.1% [[Kwasio people|Bujeba]]| 1.1% others}} | ||
| ethnic_groups_year = 2020<ref name=CIA>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea/ Equatorial Guinea]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235259/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea |date=9 January 2021 }}. Cia World Factbook.</ref> | | ethnic_groups_year = 2020<ref name=CIA>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea/ Equatorial Guinea]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235259/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea |date=9 January 2021 }}. Cia World Factbook.</ref> | ||
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| religion_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/equatorial-guinea#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020®ion_name=All+Countries&restrictions_year=2016|title=Religions in Equatorial Guinea | PEW-GRF|website=Global Religious Futures|access-date=19 April 2022|archive-date=9 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409020658/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/equatorial-guinea#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020®ion_name=All+Countries&restrictions_year=2016}}</ref> | | religion_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/equatorial-guinea#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020®ion_name=All+Countries&restrictions_year=2016|title=Religions in Equatorial Guinea | PEW-GRF|website=Global Religious Futures|access-date=19 April 2022|archive-date=9 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409020658/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/equatorial-guinea#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020®ion_name=All+Countries&restrictions_year=2016}}</ref> | ||
| demonym = {{unbulleted list|[[Demographics of Equatorial Guinea|Equatoguinean]]|[[Demographics of Equatorial Guinea|Equatorial Guinean]]}} | | demonym = {{unbulleted list|[[Demographics of Equatorial Guinea|Equatoguinean]]|[[Demographics of Equatorial Guinea|Equatorial Guinean]]}} | ||
| government_type = Unitary [[ | | government_type = Unitary [[presidential republic]] under an authoritarian [[Dynasty#Hereditary dictatorship|hereditary dictatorship]]<ref>{{Cite web|first=Paul|last=Melly|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57176712|title=Africa's political dynasties: How presidents groom their sons for power|date=2021-05-30|access-date=2025-04-20|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Equatorial Guinea 2020 Human Rights Report|url=https://gq.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/194/EQUATORIAL-GUINEA-2020-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf|website=U.S. Embassy in Equatorial Guinea|access-date=8 August 2021|section=Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process|page=15|date=2020|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716074830/https://gq.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/194/EQUATORIAL-GUINEA-2020-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Democracy Index 2020|url=https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/|access-date=17 December 2021|website=Economist Intelligence Unit|language=en-GB|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303040250/https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
| leader_title1 = [[List of | | leader_title1 = [[List of presidents of Equatorial Guinea|President]] | ||
| leader_name1 = [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] | | leader_name1 = [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] | ||
| leader_title2 = [[Vice President of Equatorial Guinea|Vice President]] | | leader_title2 = [[Vice President of Equatorial Guinea|Vice President]] | ||
| leader_name2 = [[Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue]] | | leader_name2 = [[Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue]] | ||
| leader_title3 = [[ | | leader_title3 = [[Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea|Prime Minister]] | ||
| leader_name3 = [[Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua]] | | leader_name3 = [[Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua]] | ||
| leader_title4 = | | leader_title4 = Chief Justice | ||
| leader_name4 = Joaquín Asong Owono Mbang | | leader_name4 = Joaquín Asong Owono Mbang | ||
| legislature = [[Parliament of Equatorial Guinea|Parliament]] | | legislature = [[Parliament of Equatorial Guinea|Parliament]] | ||
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| established_event1 = Declared | | established_event1 = Declared | ||
| established_date1 = 12 October 1968 | | established_date1 = 12 October 1968 | ||
| established_event2 = [[1979 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état]] | |||
| established_date2 = 3 August 1979 | |||
| area_km2 = 28,050 | | area_km2 = 28,050 | ||
| area_rank = 141st <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] --> | | area_rank = 141st <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] --> | ||
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| population_density_sq_mi = <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> | | population_density_sq_mi = <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> | ||
| population_density_rank = 147th | | population_density_rank = 147th | ||
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $33.001 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en}}</ref> | | GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $33.001 billion<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en}}</ref> | ||
| GDP_PPP_year = 2025 | | GDP_PPP_year = 2025 | ||
| GDP_PPP_rank = 149th | | GDP_PPP_rank = 149th | ||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $20,017<ref | | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $20,017<ref name="auto"/> | ||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = | | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 92nd | ||
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $12.680 billion<ref | | GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $12.680 billion<ref name="auto"/> | ||
| GDP_nominal_year = 2025 | | GDP_nominal_year = 2025 | ||
| GDP_nominal_rank = 149th | | GDP_nominal_rank = 149th | ||
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $7,750<ref | | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $7,750<ref name="auto"/> | ||
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 95th | | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 95th | ||
| Gini = <!--number only--> | | Gini = <!--number only--> | ||
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| calling_code = [[+240]] | | calling_code = [[+240]] | ||
| cctld = [[.gq]] | | cctld = [[.gq]] | ||
| footnote_a = Including [[Equatoguinean Spanish]] (''Español ecuatoguineano'') | | footnote_a = Including [[Equatoguinean Spanish]] (''Español ecuatoguineano'') | ||
| today = | | today = | ||
}} | }} | ||
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*{{langx|es|link=no|República de Guinea Ecuatorial}} {{IPA|es|reˈpuβlika ðe ɣiˈnea ekwatoˈɾjal|-|Es-republica guinea ecuatorial.ogg}} | *{{langx|es|link=no|República de Guinea Ecuatorial}} {{IPA|es|reˈpuβlika ðe ɣiˈnea ekwatoˈɾjal|-|Es-republica guinea ecuatorial.ogg}} | ||
*{{langx|fr|link=no|République de Guinée équatoriale}} {{IPA|fr|ʁepyblik d(ə) ɡine ekwatoʁjal|}} | *{{langx|fr|link=no|République de Guinée équatoriale}} {{IPA|fr|ʁepyblik d(ə) ɡine ekwatoʁjal|}} | ||
*{{langx|pt|link=no|República da Guiné Equatorial}} {{IPA|pt|ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ ðɐ ɣiˈnɛ ˌekwɐtuɾiˈal}}}} is a country on the west coast of [[Central Africa]]. It has an area of {{convert|28000|km2}}. Formerly the colony of [[Spanish Guinea]], its post-independence name refers to its location both near the [[Equator]] and in the [[Guinea (region)|African region of Guinea]]. {{As of| | *{{langx|pt|link=no|República da Guiné Equatorial}} {{IPA|pt|ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ ðɐ ɣiˈnɛ ˌekwɐtuɾiˈal}}}} is a country on the west coast of [[Central Africa]]. It has an area of {{convert|28000|km2}}. Formerly the colony of [[Spanish Guinea]], its post-independence name refers to its location both near the [[Equator]] and in the [[Guinea (region)|African region of Guinea]]. {{As of|2025}}, the country has a population of 1,853,559,<ref name="CIAWorldFactbook"/> over 85% of whom are members of the [[Fang people]], the country's dominant ethnic group. The [[Bubi people]], indigenous to [[Bioko]], are the second largest group at approximately 6.5% of the population. Its capital is [[Ciudad de la Paz]], while its largest city is [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]].<ref name="capital" /> | ||
Despite its name, the [[Equator]] does not pass through the mainland of Equatorial Guinea. However, its southernmost territory, the [[Annobón]] island, lies about 1.4° south of the Equator, meaning the equator runs just north of the island and south of the mainland of the country and passes only through the country’s territorial waters. | |||
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 and is the location of Bata, Equatorial Guinea's largest city, and [[Ciudad de la Paz]], a developing community. Río Muni's small offshore islands include [[Corisco]], [[Elobey Grande]], and [[Elobey Chico]]. The [[Islands of Equatorial Guinea|insular region]] consists of the islands of [[Bioko]] (formerly Fernando Po) in the [[Gulf of Guinea]] and [[Annobón Province|Annobón]]. Bioko Island is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea and is the site of the country's former capital, [[Malabo]]. The Portuguese-speaking island nation of [[São Tomé and Príncipe]] is located between Bioko and Annobón. | |||
[[African Pygmies|Pygmies]] are the first confirmed inhabitants to settle in the area of present-day Equatorial Guinea, followed by a migration of [[Bantu expansion|Bantu-speaking groups]] in the 6th century BC. The Portuguese explorer [[Fernão do Po|Fernando Pó]] explored the area in 1472. Via the 1778 [[Treaty of El Pardo (1778)|Treaty of El Pardo]], [[Portuguese Empire|Portugal]] ceded territories in the [[Bight of Biafra]] to [[Spanish Empire|Spain]]; the new territory was declared [[Spanish Guinea]] during the [[Scramble for Africa]]. Nearly 200 years later, it gained independence in 1968 under the bloody dictatorship of President [[Francisco Macías Nguema]]. He declared himself [[president for life]] in 1972, but was overthrown in a [[1979 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état|coup in 1979]] by his nephew, [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]], who has served as the country's president since. Obiang's regime has also been widely characterized as a dictatorship by foreign observers. | |||
Since the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea has become one of [[sub-Saharan Africa]]'s largest oil producers.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Appel|first=Hannah|title=The Licit Life of Capitalism|date=13 December 2019|publisher=Duke University Press|doi=10.1515/9781478004578|isbn=978-1-4780-0457-8|s2cid=242248625}}</ref> It has subsequently become one of the richest countries per capita in Africa;<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?c=mr&v=67 GDP – per capita (PPP) – Country Comparison] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510072850/http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?c=mr&v=67 |date=10 May 2011 }}. Indexmundi.com. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> however, the wealth is extremely unevenly distributed, with few people benefiting from the oil riches. The country ranks 133rd on the 2023 [[Human Development Index]],<ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref> with less than half the population having access to clean drinking water and 7.9% of children dying before the age of five.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.MORT?most_recent_value_desc=true|title=Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) {{pipe}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|access-date=27 March 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410120106/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.MORT?most_recent_value_desc=true|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Equatorial Guinea profile">{{cite web|title=Equatorial Guinea profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13317174 |publisher=BBC |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921201513/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13317174 |archive-date=21 September 2014 |date=21 March 2014}}</ref> | |||
Since Equatorial Guinea is a former Spanish colony, Spanish is the main official language. French and ({{as of|2010|lc=y}}) Portuguese have also been made official.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dn.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1622890|title=Guiné Equatorial oficializa português – Portugal – DN|access-date=11 November 2020|date=19 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819184519/http://www.dn.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1622890|archive-date=19 August 2011|via=web.archive.org}}</ref> It is the only sovereign country in | Since Equatorial Guinea is a former Spanish colony, Spanish is the main official language. French and ({{as of|2010|lc=y}}) Portuguese have also been made official.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dn.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1622890|title=Guiné Equatorial oficializa português – Portugal – DN|access-date=11 November 2020|date=19 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819184519/http://www.dn.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1622890|archive-date=19 August 2011|via=web.archive.org}}</ref> It is one of the two countries in Africa (the other being the partially recognized [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]]) and the only sovereign country in the same continent where Spanish is an official language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20160316/40485022377/guinea-ecuatorial-se-convierte-en-el-valedor-del-espanol-en-africa.html|title=Guinea Ecuatorial se convierte en el valedor del español en África|access-date=11 November 2020|website=La Vanguardia|date=16 March 2016|language=es|archive-date=24 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024162433/https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20160316/40485022377/guinea-ecuatorial-se-convierte-en-el-valedor-del-espanol-en-africa.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Equatorial Guinea's government is [[authoritarian]] and [[Sultanism|sultanist]]<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YqeTEAAAQBAJ | isbn=978-1-4875-3692-3 | title=Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics, Fourth Edition | date=31 December 2022 | publisher=University of Toronto Press }}</ref> and has one of the [[Human rights in Equatorial Guinea|worst human rights records in the world]], consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in [[Freedom House]]'s [[Freedom in the World|annual survey of political and civil rights]].<ref>[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110131191445/http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/special_report/88.pdf Worst of the Worst 2010. The World's Most Repressive Societies]. freedomhouse.org</ref> [[Reporters Without Borders]] ranks Obiang among its "predators" of press freedom.<ref>[http://en.rsf.org/equatorial-guinea.html Equatorial Guinea – Reporters Without Borders] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015033438/http://en.rsf.org/equatorial-guinea.html|date=15 October 2010}}. En.rsf.org. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> [[Human trafficking in Equatorial Guinea|Human trafficking]] is a significant problem, with the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report identifying Equatorial Guinea as a source and destination country for [[unfree labor|forced labour]] and sex trafficking.<ref>"Equatorial Guinea". [https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/equatorial-guinea/ ''Trafficking in Persons Report 2020''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217234055/https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/equatorial-guinea/|date=17 February 2021}}. U.S. Department of State (16 June 2020). This source is in the public domain.</ref> The country is a member of the [[United Nations]], [[African Union]], [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]], [[OPEC]], and the [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries|CPLP]]. | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
{{Main|History of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|History of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[African Pygmies|Pygmies]] likely once lived in the continental region that is now Equatorial Guinea, but are today found only in isolated pockets in southern Río Muni. [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] migrations likely started around 2,000 BC from between south-east Nigeria and north-west Cameroon (the Grassfields).<ref>Bostoen (K.), Clist (B.), Doumenge (C.), Grollemund (R.), Hombert (J.-M.), Koni Muluwa (J.) & Maley (J.), 2015, Middle to Late Holocene Paleoclimatic Change and the Early Bantu Expansion in the Rain Forests of Western Central Africa, Current Anthropology, 56 (3), pp.354–384.</ref> They must have settled continental Equatorial Guinea around 500 BC at the latest.<ref>Clist (B.). 1990, Des derniers chasseurs aux premiers métallurgistes : sédentarisation et débuts de la métallurgie du fer (Cameroun, Gabon, Guinée-Equatoriale). In Lanfranchi (R.) & Schwartz (D.) éds. Paysages quaternaires de l'Afrique Centrale Atlantique. Paris : ORSTOM, Collection didactiques : 458–478</ref><ref>Clist (B.). 1998. Nouvelles données archéologiques sur l'histoire ancienne de la Guinée-Equatoriale. L'Anthropologie 102 (2) : 213–217</ref> The earliest settlements on Bioko Island are dated to AD 530.<ref>Sánchez-Elipe Lorente (M.). 2015. Las comunidades de la eda del hierro en África Centro-Occidental: cultura material e identidad, Tesi Doctoral, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid</ref> The [[Annobonese Creole|Annobón]] population, originally native to [[Angola]], was introduced by the Portuguese via [[São Tomé island]]. | |||
[[African Pygmies|Pygmies]] likely once lived in the continental region that is now Equatorial Guinea, but are today found only in isolated pockets in southern Río Muni. [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] migrations likely started around 2,000 BC from between south-east Nigeria and north-west Cameroon (the Grassfields).<ref>Bostoen (K.), Clist (B.), Doumenge (C.), Grollemund (R.), Hombert (J.-M.), Koni Muluwa (J.) & Maley (J.), 2015, Middle to Late Holocene Paleoclimatic Change and the Early Bantu Expansion in the Rain Forests of Western Central Africa, Current Anthropology, 56 (3), pp.354–384.</ref> They must have settled continental Equatorial Guinea around 500 BC at the latest.<ref>Clist (B.). 1990, Des derniers chasseurs aux premiers métallurgistes : sédentarisation et débuts de la métallurgie du fer (Cameroun, Gabon, Guinée-Equatoriale). In Lanfranchi (R.) & Schwartz (D.) éds. Paysages quaternaires de l'Afrique Centrale Atlantique. Paris : ORSTOM, Collection didactiques : 458–478</ref><ref>Clist (B.). 1998. Nouvelles données archéologiques sur l'histoire ancienne de la Guinée-Equatoriale. L'Anthropologie 102 (2) : 213–217</ref> The earliest settlements on Bioko Island are dated to AD 530.<ref>Sánchez-Elipe Lorente (M.). 2015. Las comunidades de la eda del hierro en África Centro-Occidental: cultura material e identidad, Tesi Doctoral, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid</ref> The [[Annobonese Creole|Annobón]] population, originally native to [[Angola]], was introduced by the Portuguese via [[São Tomé island]].<ref>Skutsch, Carl, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 1-57958-468-3.</ref> | |||
=== First European contact and Portuguese rule (1472–1778) === | === First European contact and Portuguese rule (1472–1778) === | ||
| Line 112: | Line 115: | ||
The [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese explorer]] [[Fernão do Pó|Fernando Pó]], seeking a path to India, is credited as being the first European to see the island of Bioko, in 1472. He called it ''Formosa'' ("Beautiful"), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer. [[Fernando Pó (island)|Fernando Pó]] and Annobón were colonized by Portugal in 1474. The first factories were established on the islands around 1500 as the Portuguese quickly recognized the positives of the islands including volcanic soil and disease-resistant highlands. Despite natural advantages, initial Portuguese efforts in 1507 to establish a sugarcane plantation and town near what is now Concepción on Fernando Pó failed due to Bubi hostility and fever.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 5. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | The [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese explorer]] [[Fernão do Pó|Fernando Pó]], seeking a path to India, is credited as being the first European to see the island of Bioko, in 1472. He called it ''Formosa'' ("Beautiful"), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer. [[Fernando Pó (island)|Fernando Pó]] and Annobón were colonized by Portugal in 1474. The first factories were established on the islands around 1500 as the Portuguese quickly recognized the positives of the islands including volcanic soil and disease-resistant highlands. Despite natural advantages, initial Portuguese efforts in 1507 to establish a sugarcane plantation and town near what is now Concepción on Fernando Pó failed due to Bubi hostility and fever.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 5. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | ||
=== Early Spanish rule and lease to Britain (1778–1844) === | ===Early Spanish rule and lease to Britain (1778–1844)=== | ||
[[File:África Ecuatorial Española.svg|thumb|left|Evolution of Spanish possessions and claims in the Gulf of Guinea, 1778–1968 (in Spanish)]] | [[File:África Ecuatorial Española.svg|thumb|left|Evolution of Spanish possessions and claims in the Gulf of Guinea, 1778–1968 (in Spanish)]] | ||
In 1778, | In 1778, Spain and Portugal signed the [[Treaty of El Pardo (1778)|Treaty of El Pardo]]. The treaty ceded [[Bioko]] and adjacent islets along with commercial rights to the [[Bight of Bonny|Bight of Biafra]] between the [[Niger River|Niger]] and [[Ogoue River|Ogoue rivers]] to Spain in exchange for large areas of modern-day western [[Brazil]] being ceded to Portugal. [[Brigadier]] [[Felipe José, Count of Arjelejos]] of the [[Spanish Navy]] formally took possession of Bioko from Portugal on 21 October 1778. While sailing to Annobón to take possession of it, Arjelejos died from a tropical disease contracted on Bioko and his fever-ridden crew mutinied. The crew, after having lost over 80% of their men to sickness, instead landed on São Tomé where they were imprisoned by Portuguese colonial authorities.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 6. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | ||
Unwilling to invest | As a result of this disaster, Spain was subsequently hesitant to invest heavily in its new possession. However, despite such a setback, Spanish merchants began to use the island as a base for engaging in the [[Atlantic slave trade]]. Between 1778 and 1810, the territory of what became Equatorial Guinea was administered by the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]], based in [[Buenos Aires]].<ref name="Fegley, Randall 1989 p. 6-7">Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 6–7. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> Unwilling to significantly invest in the development of Fernando Pó, from 1827 to 1843 the Spanish leased a base in [[Bioko]] to the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]], which the British had sought as part of their efforts to suppress the slave trade.<ref>"Fernando Po", Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911.</ref> | ||
In the same year the Spanish leased the base in Bioko, Britain unilaterally moved the headquarters of the [[Mixed Commission for the Suppression of Slave Traffic]] to Fernando Pó in 1827, before moving it back to [[Sierra Leone]] under an agreement with Spain in 1843. Spain's decision to abolish its involvement in the slave trade under British pressure in 1817 damaged the colony's perceived value to the Spanish and so leasing naval bases was an effective revenue earner from an otherwise unprofitable possession.<ref name="Fegley, Randall 1989 p. 6-7" /> Plans by Spain to sell its African colony to Britain were cancelled in 1841 due to opposition from Spanish politicians and the public.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 7–8. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | |||
=== Late 19th century (1844–1900) === | === Late 19th century (1844–1900) === | ||
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The [[plantation]]s of [[Bioko|Fernando Pó]] were mostly run by a black [[Creole elite]], later known as [[Fernandino peoples|Fernandinos]]. The British settled some 2,000 Sierra Leoneans and freed slaves there during their rule, and a trickle of immigration from West Africa and the West Indies continued after the British left. A number of freed Angolan slaves, Portuguese-African creoles and immigrants from Nigeria, and Liberia also began to be settled in the colony, where they quickly began to join the new group.<ref name=autogenerated1>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 9. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> To the local mix were added Cubans, Filipinos, Jews and Spaniards of various colours, many of whom had been deported to Africa for political or other crimes, as well as some settlers backed by the government.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 8–9. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | The [[plantation]]s of [[Bioko|Fernando Pó]] were mostly run by a black [[Creole elite]], later known as [[Fernandino peoples|Fernandinos]]. The British settled some 2,000 Sierra Leoneans and freed slaves there during their rule, and a trickle of immigration from West Africa and the West Indies continued after the British left. A number of freed Angolan slaves, Portuguese-African creoles and immigrants from Nigeria, and Liberia also began to be settled in the colony, where they quickly began to join the new group.<ref name=autogenerated1>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 9. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> To the local mix were added Cubans, Filipinos, Jews and Spaniards of various colours, many of whom had been deported to Africa for political or other crimes, as well as some settlers backed by the government.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 8–9. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | ||
By 1870, the prognosis of whites that lived on the island was much improved after recommendations that they live in the highlands, and by 1884 much of the minimal administrative machinery and key plantations had moved to [[Pico Basilé|Basile]] hundreds of meters above sea level. [[Henry Morton Stanley]] had | By 1870, the prognosis of whites that lived on the island was much improved after recommendations that they live in the highlands, and by 1884 much of the minimal administrative machinery and key plantations had moved to [[Pico Basilé|Basile]] hundreds of meters above sea level. [[Henry Morton Stanley]] had labelled Fernando Pó "a jewel which Spain did not polish" for refusing to enact such a policy. Despite the improved survival chances of Europeans living on the island, [[Mary Kingsley]], who was staying on the island, still described Fernando Pó as "a more uncomfortable form of execution" for Spaniards appointed there.<ref name=autogenerated3 /> | ||
There was also a trickle of immigration from the | There was also a trickle of immigration from the neighbouring Portuguese islands, escaped slaves, and prospective planters. Although a few of the [[Fernandino peoples|Fernandinos]] were Catholic and Spanish-speaking, about nine-tenths of them were Protestant and English-speaking on the eve of the First World War, and [[pidgin English]] was the ''[[lingua franca]]'' of the island. The Sierra Leoneans were particularly well placed as planters while labour recruitment on the [[Ivory Coast|Windward coast]] continued. The Fernandinos became traders and middlemen between the natives and Europeans.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> A freed slave from the West Indies by way of [[Sierra Leone]] named William Pratt established the cocoa crop on Fernando Pó.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clarence-Smith |first=William Gervase |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1WGAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22William+Pratt%22+cocoa&pg=PA104 |title=Cocoa and Chocolate, 1765–1914 |date=2 September 2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-60778-5 |page=104 |language=en |access-date=6 September 2022 |archive-date=23 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223193836/https://books.google.com/books?id=-1WGAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22William+Pratt%22+cocoa&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q=%22William%20Pratt%22%20cocoa&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
=== Early 20th century (1900–1945) === | === Early 20th century (1900–1945) === | ||
{{Main|Spanish Guinea}} | {{Main|Spanish Guinea}} | ||
[[File:Eq Guinea 1900 ES.PNG|thumb|Borders after the agreement of 1900 on the land that would become [[Spanish Guinea]], until the independence of 1968]] | [[File:Eq Guinea 1900 ES.PNG|thumb|Borders after the agreement of 1900 on the land that would become [[Spanish Guinea]], until the independence of 1968]] | ||
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The eventual [[Treaty of Paris (1900)|treaty of Paris]] in 1900 left Spain with the continental [[enclave and exclave|enclave]] of Río Muni, only 26,000 km{{sup|2}} out of the 300,000km{{sup|2}} stretching east to the [[Ubangi River|Ubangi river]] which the Spaniards had initially claimed.<ref name=Clarence-Smith>Clarence-Smith, William Gervase (1986) [http://es.scribd.com/doc/63545279/The-Cambridge-History-of-Africa-Volume-7-From-1905-to-1940-0521225051-1986 "Spanish Equatorial Guinea, 1898–1940"] in ''The Cambridge History of Africa: From 1905 to 1940'' Ed. J. D. Fage, A. D. Roberts, & Roland Anthony Oliver. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220142411/http://es.scribd.com/doc/63545279/The-Cambridge-History-of-Africa-Volume-7-From-1905-to-1940-0521225051-1986 |date=20 February 2014 }}</ref> The humiliation of the Franco-Spanish negotiations, combined with the disaster in Cuba led to the head of the Spanish negotiating team, [[Pedro Gover y Tovar]], committing suicide on the voyage home on 21 October 1901.<ref name=autogenerated2>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 19. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> Iradier himself died in despair in 1911; decades later, the port of [[Cogo, Equatorial Guinea|Cogo]] was renamed Puerto Iradier in his honour.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} | The eventual [[Treaty of Paris (1900)|treaty of Paris]] in 1900 left Spain with the continental [[enclave and exclave|enclave]] of Río Muni, only 26,000 km{{sup|2}} out of the 300,000km{{sup|2}} stretching east to the [[Ubangi River|Ubangi river]] which the Spaniards had initially claimed.<ref name=Clarence-Smith>Clarence-Smith, William Gervase (1986) [http://es.scribd.com/doc/63545279/The-Cambridge-History-of-Africa-Volume-7-From-1905-to-1940-0521225051-1986 "Spanish Equatorial Guinea, 1898–1940"] in ''The Cambridge History of Africa: From 1905 to 1940'' Ed. J. D. Fage, A. D. Roberts, & Roland Anthony Oliver. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220142411/http://es.scribd.com/doc/63545279/The-Cambridge-History-of-Africa-Volume-7-From-1905-to-1940-0521225051-1986 |date=20 February 2014 }}</ref> The humiliation of the Franco-Spanish negotiations, combined with the disaster in Cuba led to the head of the Spanish negotiating team, [[Pedro Gover y Tovar]], committing suicide on the voyage home on 21 October 1901.<ref name=autogenerated2>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 19. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> Iradier himself died in despair in 1911; decades later, the port of [[Cogo, Equatorial Guinea|Cogo]] was renamed Puerto Iradier in his honour.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} | ||
Land regulations issued in 1904–1905 favoured Spaniards, and most of the later big planters arrived from Spain after that.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} An agreement was made with Liberia in 1914 to import cheap | Land regulations issued in 1904–1905 favoured Spaniards, and most of the later big planters arrived from Spain after that.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} An agreement was made with Liberia in 1914 to import cheap labour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Documents – Office of the Historian |url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1929v03/d323 |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=history.state.gov}}</ref> Due to malpractice however, the Liberian government eventually ended the treaty after revelations about the state of Liberian workers on Fernando Pó in the Christy Report which brought down the country's president [[Charles D. B. King]] in 1930.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bois |first=W. E. Burghardt Du |date=1933-07-01 |title=Liberia, the League and the United States |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/liberia/1933-07-01/liberia-league-and-united-states |access-date=2026-03-21 |work=Foreign Affairs |language=en-US |volume=11 |issue=4 |issn=0015-7120}}</ref> | ||
[[File:Corisco-Saliendo de misa-1910.jpg|thumb|[[Corisco]] in 1910]]By the late nineteenth century, the Bubi were protected from the demands of the planters by Spanish [[Claretians|Claretian]] missionaries, who were very influential in the colony and eventually organised the Bubi into little mission theocracies reminiscent of the famous [[Jesuit]] [[Reducciones|reductions]] in [[Paraguay]]. Catholic penetration was furthered by two small insurrections in 1898 and 1910 protesting [[conscription]] of [[Forced labor|forced labour]] for the plantations. The Bubi were disarmed in 1917, and left dependent on the missionaries.<ref name="Clarence-Smith" /> Serious labour shortages were temporarily solved by a massive influx of refugees from German [[Kamerun]], along with thousands of white German soldiers who stayed on the island for several years.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> | [[File:Corisco-Saliendo de misa-1910.jpg|thumb|[[Corisco]] in 1910]]By the late nineteenth century, the Bubi were protected from the demands of the planters by Spanish [[Claretians|Claretian]] missionaries, who were very influential in the colony and eventually organised the Bubi into little mission theocracies reminiscent of the famous [[Jesuit]] [[Reducciones|reductions]] in [[Paraguay]]. Catholic penetration was furthered by two small insurrections in 1898 and 1910 protesting [[conscription]] of [[Forced labor|forced labour]] for the plantations. The Bubi were disarmed in 1917, and left dependent on the missionaries.<ref name="Clarence-Smith" /> Serious labour shortages were temporarily solved by a massive influx of refugees from German [[Kamerun]], along with thousands of white German soldiers who stayed on the island for several years.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> | ||
Between 1926 and 1959, Bioko and Río Muni were united as the colony of [[Spanish Guinea]]. The economy was based on large [[cocoa bean|cacao]] and [[coffee]] plantations and [[logging]] concessions and the workforce was mostly immigrant [[contract labour]] from [[Liberia]], [[Nigeria]], and [[Cameroun]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Martino, Enrique|title=Clandestine Recruitment Networks in the Bight of Biafra: Fernando Pó's Answer to the Labour Question, 1926–1945|journal=International Review of Social History|volume=57|pages=39–72|url=http://www.opensourceguinea.org/2013/03/enrique-martino-clandestine-recruitment.html|doi=10.1017/s0020859012000417|year=2012|doi-access=free|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-date=24 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024192516/http://www.opensourceguinea.org/2013/03/enrique-martino-clandestine-recruitment.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Between 1914 and 1930, an estimated 10,000 Liberians went to Fernando Po under a labour treaty that was stopped altogether in 1930.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 7|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1986|editor-last=Roberts|editor-first=A. D.|page=540}}</ref> With Liberian workers no longer available, planters of Fernando Po turned to Río Muni. Campaigns were mounted to subdue the [[Fang people]] in the 1920s, at the time that Liberia was beginning to cut back on recruitment. There were garrisons of the colonial guard throughout the enclave by 1926, and the whole colony was considered 'pacified' by 1929.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1080/14636204.2013.790703|title=La última selva de España: Antropófagos, misioneros y guardias civiles. Crónica de la conquista de los Fang de la Guinea Española, 1914–1930|journal=Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies|volume=13|issue=3|page=315|year=2012|last1=Castillo-Rodríguez|first1=S.|s2cid=145077430}}</ref> | Between 1926 and 1959, Bioko and Río Muni were united as the colony of [[Spanish Guinea]]. The economy was based on large [[cocoa bean|cacao]] and [[coffee]] plantations and [[logging]] concessions and the workforce was mostly immigrant [[contract labour]] from [[Liberia]], [[Nigeria]], and [[Cameroun]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Martino, Enrique|title=Clandestine Recruitment Networks in the Bight of Biafra: Fernando Pó's Answer to the Labour Question, 1926–1945|journal=International Review of Social History|volume=57|pages=39–72|url=http://www.opensourceguinea.org/2013/03/enrique-martino-clandestine-recruitment.html|doi=10.1017/s0020859012000417|year=2012|doi-access=free|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-date=24 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024192516/http://www.opensourceguinea.org/2013/03/enrique-martino-clandestine-recruitment.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Between 1914 and 1930, an estimated 10,000 Liberians went to Fernando Po under a labour treaty that was stopped altogether in 1930.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 7|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1986|editor-last=Roberts|editor-first=A. D.|page=540}}</ref> With Liberian workers no longer available, planters of Fernando Po turned to Río Muni. Campaigns were mounted to subdue the [[Fang people]] in the 1920s, at the time that Liberia was beginning to cut back on recruitment. There were garrisons of the colonial guard throughout the enclave by 1926, and the whole colony was considered '[[Pacification (military action)|pacified]]' by 1929.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1080/14636204.2013.790703|title=La última selva de España: Antropófagos, misioneros y guardias civiles. Crónica de la conquista de los Fang de la Guinea Española, 1914–1930|journal=Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies|volume=13|issue=3|page=315|year=2012|last1=Castillo-Rodríguez|first1=S.|s2cid=145077430}}</ref> | ||
[[File:Iberia- vuelo inaugural a Bata (Guinea) (1941) (5811105541).jpg|thumb|right|Inaugural flight with [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]] from [[Madrid]] to [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]], 1941]] | [[File:Iberia- vuelo inaugural a Bata (Guinea) (1941) (5811105541).jpg|thumb|right|Inaugural flight with [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]] from [[Madrid]] to [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]], 1941]] | ||
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=== Independence under Macías (1968–1979) === | === Independence under Macías (1968–1979) === | ||
{{Main|Republic of Equatorial Guinea (1968–1979)}} | |||
[[File:Don Francisco Macias.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Francisco Macías Nguema]], first [[president of Equatorial Guinea]] in 1968, became a dictator until he was overthrown in a coup d'état in 1979.]] | [[File:Don Francisco Macias.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Francisco Macías Nguema]], first [[president of Equatorial Guinea]] in 1968, became a dictator until he was overthrown in a coup d'état in 1979.]] | ||
Independence from Spain was gained on 12 October 1968, at noon in the capital, Malabo. The new country became the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (the date is celebrated as the country's [[List of national independence days|Independence Day]]<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=16378 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022184931/https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=16378 |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 October 2020 |title=Congratulations marking Independence Day continue to arrive |date=10 September 2020 |publisher=Equatorial Guinea Press and Information Office |access-date=10 September 2020 }}</ref>). Macías became president in the country's [[1968 Spanish Guinean general election|only free and fair election to date]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Campos, Alicia|title=The decolonization of Equatorial Guinea: the relevance of the international factor|journal=Journal of African History|year=2003|pages=95–116|volume=44|issue=1|url=http://www.egjustice.org/publications/decolonization-equatorial-guinea-relevance-international-factor|doi=10.1017/s0021853702008319|hdl=10486/690991|s2cid=143108720|hdl-access=free|access-date=3 February 2014|archive-date=20 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820182226/http://www.egjustice.org/publications/decolonization-equatorial-guinea-relevance-international-factor}}</ref> The Spanish (ruled by [[Francisco Franco|Franco]]) had backed Macías in the election; much of his campaigning involved visiting rural areas of Río Muni and promising that they would have the houses and wives of the Spanish if they voted for him.{{cn|date=March 2025}} He had won in the second round of voting. | |||
Independence from Spain was gained on 12 October 1968, at noon in the country's then capital, Malabo. The new country became the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (the date is celebrated as the country's [[List of national independence days|Independence Day]]<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=16378 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022184931/https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=16378 |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 October 2020 |title=Congratulations marking Independence Day continue to arrive |date=10 September 2020 |publisher=Equatorial Guinea Press and Information Office |access-date=10 September 2020 }}</ref>). Macías became president in the country's [[1968 Spanish Guinean general election|only free and fair election to date]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Campos, Alicia|title=The decolonization of Equatorial Guinea: the relevance of the international factor|journal=Journal of African History|year=2003|pages=95–116|volume=44|issue=1|url=http://www.egjustice.org/publications/decolonization-equatorial-guinea-relevance-international-factor|doi=10.1017/s0021853702008319|hdl=10486/690991|s2cid=143108720|hdl-access=free|access-date=3 February 2014|archive-date=20 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820182226/http://www.egjustice.org/publications/decolonization-equatorial-guinea-relevance-international-factor}}</ref> The Spanish (ruled by [[Francisco Franco|Franco]]) had backed Macías in the election; much of his campaigning involved visiting rural areas of Río Muni and promising that they would have the houses and wives of the Spanish if they voted for him.{{cn|date=March 2025}} He had won in the second round of voting. | |||
During the [[Nigerian Civil War]], Fernando Pó was inhabited by many Biafra-supporting Ibo migrant workers and many refugees from the breakaway state fled to the island. The [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] began running relief flights out of Equatorial Guinea, but Macías quickly shut the flights down, refusing to allow them to fly diesel fuel for their trucks nor oxygen tanks for medical operations. The Biafran separatists were starved into submission without international backing.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 60. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | During the [[Nigerian Civil War]], Fernando Pó was inhabited by many Biafra-supporting Ibo migrant workers and many refugees from the breakaway state fled to the island. The [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] began running relief flights out of Equatorial Guinea, but Macías quickly shut the flights down, refusing to allow them to fly diesel fuel for their trucks nor oxygen tanks for medical operations. The Biafran separatists were starved into submission without international backing.<ref>Fegley, Randall (1989). ''Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy'', p. 60. Peter Lang, New York. {{ISBN|0-8204-0977-4}}</ref> | ||
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=== Obiang (1979–present) === | === Obiang (1979–present) === | ||
[[File:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with Obamas 2014.jpg|thumb|Obiang and U.S. president [[Barack Obama|Obama]] with their wives in 2014]] | [[File:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with Obamas 2014.jpg|thumb|Obiang and U.S. president [[Barack Obama|Obama]] with their wives in 2014]] | ||
The nephew of Macías Nguema, [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo|Teodoro Obiang]] deposed his uncle on 3 August 1979, in a bloody ''[[1979 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état|coup d'état]]''; over two weeks of civil war ensued until Macías Nguema was captured. He was tried and executed soon afterward, with Obiang succeeding him as a less bloody, but still authoritarian president.<ref> | The nephew of Macías Nguema, [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo|Teodoro Obiang]] deposed his uncle on 3 August 1979, in a bloody ''[[1979 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état|coup d'état]]''; over two weeks of civil war ensued until Macías Nguema was captured. He was tried and executed soon afterward, with Obiang succeeding him as a less bloody, but still authoritarian president.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2012/02/09/the-five-worst-leaders-in-africa/ |title=The Five Worst Leaders In Africa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816201630/https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2012/02/09/the-five-worst-leaders-in-africa/ |archive-date=16 August 2017 |work=[[Forbes]] |date=9 February 2012}}</ref> | ||
In 1995, [[Mobil]], an American oil company, discovered oil in Equatorial Guinea. The country subsequently experienced rapid economic development, but earnings from the country's oil wealth have not reached the population and the country ranks low on the UN human development index. 7.9% of children die before the age of 5, and more than 50% of the population lacks access to clean [[drinking water]].<ref name="Equatorial Guinea profile" /> Obiang is widely suspected of using the country's oil wealth to enrich himself<ref name=global>{{cite web |title=DC Meeting Set with President Obiang as Corruption Details Emerge |work=Global Witness |date=15 June 2012 |url=http://www.globalwitness.org/library/dc-meeting-set-president-obiang-corruption-details-emerge |access-date=18 July 2014 |archive-date=3 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403050646/http://www.globalwitness.org/library/dc-meeting-set-president-obiang-corruption-details-emerge |url-status=live}}</ref> and his associates. In 2006, ''Forbes'' estimated his personal wealth at $600 million.<ref>{{cite web |work=Forbes |date=5 March 2006 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/05/03/cz_forbes_0522_royals_slide_8.html |title=Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President/Equatorial Guinea |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029180012/https://www.forbes.com/2006/05/03/cz_forbes_0522_royals_slide_8.html |archive-date=29 October 2017 }}</ref> | |||
In 2011, the government announced it was planning a new capital for the country, named [[Ciudad de la Paz|Oyala]].<ref name=":0">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120112084455/http://www.africa21digital.com/noticia.kmf?cod=12634524&canal=404 Empresas portuguesas planeiam nova capital da Guiné Equatorial]. africa21digital.com (5 November 2011).</ref><ref>[http://www.boasnoticias.pt/noticias_Atelier-luso-desenha-futura-capital-da-Guin%C3%A9-Equatorial_8697.html Atelier luso desenha futura capital da Guiné Equatorial] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015221744/http://www.boasnoticias.pt/noticias_Atelier-luso-desenha-futura-capital-da-Guin%C3%A9-Equatorial_8697.html |date=15 October 2015 }}. Boasnoticias.pt (5 November 2011). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.piniweb.com.br/construcao/urbanismo/arquitetos-portugueses-projetam-nova-capital-para-guine-equatorial-240902-1.asp Arquitetos portugueses projetam nova capital para Guiné Equatorial] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510212439/http://www.piniweb.com.br/construcao/urbanismo/arquitetos-portugueses-projetam-nova-capital-para-guine-equatorial-240902-1.asp |date=10 May 2013 }}. Piniweb.com.br. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.greensavers.pt/2011/11/04/atelie-portugues-desenha-futura-capital-da-guine-equatorial/ Ateliê português desenha futura capital da Guiné Equatorial] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122153733/http://www.greensavers.pt/2011/11/04/atelie-portugues-desenha-futura-capital-da-guine-equatorial/ |date=22 January 2012 }}. Greensavers.pt (14 December 2011). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> The city was renamed Ciudad de la Paz ("City of Peace") in 2017. | |||
{{as of|2026|May|}}, Obiang is Africa's longest serving leader.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}} Equatorial Guinea was elected as a non-permanent member of the [[United Nations Security Council]] 2018–2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/international-news-general-news-f44f66bb37c44cd7811f8230532b0bec|title=Equatorial Guinea wins UN Security Council seat despite rights groups' concerns|first=Edith M.|last=Lederer|work=[[Associated Press]]|date=2 June 2017|access-date=16 January 2024|archive-date=16 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116230607/https://apnews.com/international-news-general-news-f44f66bb37c44cd7811f8230532b0bec|url-status=live}}</ref> On 7 March 2021, there were [[2021 Bata explosions|munition explosions]] at a military base near the city of [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]], causing 107 deaths.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bariyo |first=Nicholas |date=8 March 2021 |title=Equatorial Guinea Takes Stock After Giant Explosions |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/equatorial-guinea-takes-stock-after-giant-explosions-11615221995 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308205756/https://www.wsj.com/articles/equatorial-guinea-takes-stock-after-giant-explosions-11615221995 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |access-date=9 March 2021 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In November 2022, Obiang was re-elected in the [[2022 Equatorial Guinean general election]] with 99.7% of the vote amid accusations of fraud by the opposition.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2022-11-21/obiang-obtiene-el-997-de-los-votos-en-las-elecciones-de-guinea-ecuatorial-entre-denuncias-de-fraude-masivo.html |title=Obiang obtiene el 99,7% de los votos en las elecciones de Guinea Ecuatorial entre denuncias de fraude masivo |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130110000/https://elpais.com/internacional/2022-11-21/obiang-obtiene-el-997-de-los-votos-en-las-elecciones-de-guinea-ecuatorial-entre-denuncias-de-fraude-masivo.html |archive-date=30 November 2022 |work=El País |date=21 November 2022 |url-access=subscription |first=José |last=Naranjo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/internacional/2022/11/21/primeros-resultados-obiang-votos-guinea-ecuatorial-1613752.html |title=Primeros resultados dan a Obiang casi el 100 % de votos en Guinea Ecuatorial |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122063001/https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/internacional/2022/11/21/primeros-resultados-obiang-votos-guinea-ecuatorial-1613752.html |archive-date=22 November 2022 |work=Heraldo |language=es |date=21 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
In | In 2024 it was published that mercenaries from the [[Wagner Group]] (now called "Africa Corps") had entered Equatorial Guinea at the request of Teodoro Obiang.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epe.es/es/internacional/20240922/soldados-rusos-wagner-guinea-ecuatorial-obiang-108292512 |title=Soldados rusos de Wagner entran por centenares en Guinea Ecuatorial para proteger a los Obiang |work=El Periódico de España |language=es |last=Saavedra |first=Mario |date=22 September 2024 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> According to opponents, the objective of the mercenaries was to help consolidate a hypothetical succession of Obiang's power to his son "[[Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue|Teodorín]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.es/internacional/oposicion-guinea-ecuatorial-pide-onu-intervenga-ante-20241001185900-nt.html |title=La oposición de Guinea Ecuatorial pide a la ONU que intervenga ante la «intromisión» de mercenarios extranjeros en el país |language=es |work=ABC International |date=3 October 2024 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> | ||
On 19 May 2025 the [[International Court of Justice]] (ICJ) granted Equatorial Guinea sovereignty over [[Mbanie Island]], Cocoteros Island, and Conga Island in response to territorial claims that neighbouring [[Gabon]] had been making since 1972.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2025/05/19/claves-del-fallo-de-la-cij-sobre-la-disputa-territorial-entre-guinea-ecuatorial-y-gabon/ |title=Claves del fallo de la CIJ sobre la disputa territorial entre Guinea Ecuatorial y Gabón |work=Infobae |language=es |date=19 May 2025 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/en-bref/20250519-%C3%AElots-disput%C3%A9s-la-cour-internationale-de-justice-donne-raison-%C3%A0-la-guin%C3%A9e-%C3%A9quatoriale-face-au-gabon |title=Îlots disputés: la Cour internationale de justice donne raison à la Guinée équatoriale face au Gabon |work=Radio France International |language=fr |date=19 May 2025 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> | |||
On 10 November 2025 it was reported that the [[second Trump administration]] had sent $7.5M to the government of Equatorial Guinea to accept non-citizen deportees from the United States,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/nov/10/us-government-shutdown-record-donald-trump-syria-president-ahmed-al-sharaa-rudy-giuliani-pardon-politics-live-news-updates|title=Schumer faces calls to resign as minority leader after some Democrats work with Republicans to end shutdown – live|first1=Coral Murphy|last1=Marcos|first2=Shrai|last2=Popat|first3=Lucy|last3=Campbell|first4=Frances|last4=Mao|first5=Coral Murphy Marcos (now); Shrai|last5=Popat|first6=Frances|last6=Mao (earlier)|date=11 November 2025|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> an amount far exceeding the total amount of U.S. aid sent to the country in the past eight years according to Sen. [[Jeanne Shaheen]] of New Hampshire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/equatorial-guinea-payment-marco-rubio-82335605d00326d59f9464d4e6c1c018|title=Senate Democrat questions Trump administration's $7.5M payment to Equatorial Guinea|date=10 November 2025|website=AP News}}</ref> | |||
On 2 January 2026, Obiang officially declared [[Ciudad de la Paz]] as the country's new capital.<ref name="capital">{{cite web |title=Decreto Ley por el que se declara la Ciudad de la Paz, Djibloho, capital de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial |url=https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticias/decreto_ley_por_el_que_se_declara_la_ciudad_de_la_paz_djibloho_capital_de_la_republica_de_guinea_ecuatorial |website=Guinea Ecuatorial |access-date=8 January 2026 |language=es |date=2 January 2026}}</ref> | |||
== Government and politics == | == Government and politics == | ||
{{Main|Politics of Equatorial Guinea|Foreign relations of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Politics of Equatorial Guinea|Foreign relations of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[File:Autobahnbau in Oyala.JPG|thumb|Highway construction in [[Ciudad de la Paz]] in 2010 | [[File:Autobahnbau in Oyala.JPG|thumb|Highway construction in [[Ciudad de la Paz]] in 2010.]] | ||
[[File:Presidential palace in malabo equatorial guinea.png|thumb|Presidential palace of Teodoro Obiang in Malabo]] | [[File:Presidential palace in malabo equatorial guinea.png|thumb|Presidential palace of Teodoro Obiang in Malabo]] | ||
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.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} The constitution defines the nation as a unitary state.<ref>Article 1, Constitution of Equatorial Guinea https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/Equatorial%20Guinea%20Constitution.pdf</ref> 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.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174 BBC News – Equatorial Guinea country profile – Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716225956/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174|date=16 July 2018}}. Bbc.co.uk (11 December 2012). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> Since August 1979, some 12 perceived unsuccessful coup attempts have occurred.<ref name="HRW">{{cite web |author=Vines, Alex |date=9 July 2009 |title=Well Oiled |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/84252/section/3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204205408/http://www.hrw.org/en/node/84252/section/3 |archive-date=4 February 2011 |access-date=21 January 2011 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> According to a March 2004 BBC profile,<ref>{{cite news |last=Shaxson |first=Nicholas |date=17 March 2004 |title=Profile: Equatorial Guinea's great survivor |url= | 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.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} The constitution defines the nation as a unitary state.<ref>Article 1, Constitution of Equatorial Guinea https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/Equatorial%20Guinea%20Constitution.pdf</ref> 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.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174 BBC News – Equatorial Guinea country profile – Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716225956/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174|date=16 July 2018}}. Bbc.co.uk (11 December 2012). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> Since August 1979, some 12 perceived unsuccessful coup attempts have occurred.<ref name="HRW">{{cite web |author=Vines, Alex |date=9 July 2009 |title=Well Oiled |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/84252/section/3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204205408/http://www.hrw.org/en/node/84252/section/3 |archive-date=4 February 2011 |access-date=21 January 2011 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> According to a March 2004 BBC profile,<ref>{{cite news |last=Shaxson |first=Nicholas |date=17 March 2004 |title=Profile: Equatorial Guinea's great survivor |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3516588.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040612221158/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3516588.stm |archive-date=12 June 2004 |access-date=3 December 2004 |work=BBC News}}</ref> politics within the country were dominated by tensions with Obiang's son, [[Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue]]. | ||
[[File:Equatorial Guinea Map.png|thumb|left|Map of Equatorial Guinea made by the [[CIA]] in 1992]] | [[File:Equatorial Guinea Map.png|thumb|left|Map of Equatorial Guinea made by the [[CIA]] in 1992]] | ||
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Following the [[2022 Equatorial Guinean general election|2022 general elections]], President Obiang's [[Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea]] holds all of the 100 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and all of those in the Senate. The opposition is almost non-existent in the country and is organized from Spain mainly within the social-democratic Convergence for Social Democracy. Most of the media are under state control; the private television channels, those of the Asonga group, belong to the president's family.<ref name="mondediplo.com">{{Cite web|url = https://mondediplo.com/2021/11/11equatorialguinea|title = Equatorial Guinea, one dictatorship to the next|date = November 2021|access-date = 24 November 2021|archive-date = 24 November 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211124023142/https://mondediplo.com/2021/11/11equatorialguinea|url-status = live}}</ref> | Following the [[2022 Equatorial Guinean general election|2022 general elections]], President Obiang's [[Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea]] holds all of the 100 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and all of those in the Senate. The opposition is almost non-existent in the country and is organized from Spain mainly within the social-democratic Convergence for Social Democracy. Most of the media are under state control; the private television channels, those of the Asonga group, belong to the president's family.<ref name="mondediplo.com">{{Cite web|url = https://mondediplo.com/2021/11/11equatorialguinea|title = Equatorial Guinea, one dictatorship to the next|date = November 2021|access-date = 24 November 2021|archive-date = 24 November 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211124023142/https://mondediplo.com/2021/11/11equatorialguinea|url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
In their 2024 publishing, [[Transparency International]] awarded Equatorial Guinea a total score of 13 on their [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] (CPI). CPI ranks countries by their perceived level of public corruption where zero is very corrupt and 100 is extremely clean. Equatorial Guinea was | In their 2024 publishing, [[Transparency International]] awarded Equatorial Guinea a total score of 13 on their [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] (CPI). CPI ranks countries by their perceived level of public corruption where zero is very corrupt and 100 is extremely clean. Equatorial Guinea was ranked 173rd out of a total of 180 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Corruption Perception Index (2024) |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024/index/gnq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925190234/https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/gnq |archive-date=25 September 2021 |access-date=21 April 2025 |website=Transparency International}}</ref> Freedom House, a pro-democracy and human rights NGO, described Obiang as one of the world's "most [[Kleptocracy|kleptocratic]] living [[Autocracy|autocrats]]", and complained about the US government welcoming his administration and buying oil from it.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 June 2012 |title=Equatorial Guinea: Ignorance worth fistfuls of dollars. |url=https://freedomhouse.org/blog/equatorial-guinea-ignorance-worth-fistfuls-dollars |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623093439/https://freedomhouse.org/blog/equatorial-guinea-ignorance-worth-fistfuls-dollars |archive-date=23 June 2012 |access-date=19 January 2017 |work=Freedom House}}</ref> According to 2023 [[V-Dem Democracy indices]], Equatorial Guinea is the 7th least [[democracy in Africa|democratic country in Africa]].<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208183458/https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |archive-date=8 December 2022 |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref> | ||
=== Armed forces === | === Armed forces === | ||
[[File:Antonov An-72P, Equatorial Guinea - Air Force AN1593110.jpg|thumb|An [[Antonov An-72]]P of the [[Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea]] on | [[File:Antonov An-72P, Equatorial Guinea - Air Force AN1593110.jpg|thumb|An [[Antonov An-72]]P of the [[Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea]] on liftoff]] | ||
The [[Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea]] consists of approximately 2,500 service members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea (01/02) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/26446.htm |access-date=12 September 2024 |website=U.S. Department of State |archive-date=25 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425103344/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/26446.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a [[gendarmerie]], but the number of members is unknown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea (06/08) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/106170.htm |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=U.S. Department of State |archive-date=1 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201022235/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/106170.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | The [[Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea]] consists of approximately 2,500 service members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea (01/02) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/26446.htm |access-date=12 September 2024 |website=U.S. Department of State |archive-date=25 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425103344/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/26446.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a [[gendarmerie]], but the number of members is unknown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea (06/08) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/106170.htm |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=U.S. Department of State |archive-date=1 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201022235/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/106170.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
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== Geography == | == Geography == | ||
{{Main|Geography of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Geography of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
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 | |||
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 {{convert|40|km|sp=us}} off the coast of Cameroon. Annobón Island is about {{convert|350|km|sp=us}} 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. | |||
Equatorial Guinea lies between latitudes [[4th parallel north|4°N]] and [[2nd parallel south|2°S]], and longitudes [[5th meridian east|5°]] and [[12th meridian east|12°E]]. Despite its name, no part of the country's territory lies on the equator—it is in the northern hemisphere, except for the insular [[Annobón Province]], which is about {{convert|155|km|abbr=on}} south of the equator. | Equatorial Guinea lies between latitudes [[4th parallel north|4°N]] and [[2nd parallel south|2°S]], and longitudes [[5th meridian east|5°]] and [[12th meridian east|12°E]]. Despite its name, no part of the country's territory lies on the equator—it is in the northern hemisphere, except for the insular [[Annobón Province]], which is about {{convert|155|km|abbr=on}} south of the equator. | ||
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==== Wildlife ==== | ==== Wildlife ==== | ||
{{Main|Wildlife of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Wildlife of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
Equatorial Guinea is home to [[gorilla]]s, [[chimpanzee]]s, various monkeys, [[leopard]]s, [[African Buffalo|buffalo]], [[antelope]], [[elephant]]s, [[hippopotamus]]es, [[crocodile]]s, and various [[snake]]s, including [[Pythonidae|pythons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Equatorial-Guinea|title=Equatorial Guinea – Plant and animal life|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=29 November 2023|access-date=1 August 2020|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126031136/https://www.britannica.com/place/Equatorial-Guinea|url-status=live}}</ref> | Equatorial Guinea is home to [[gorilla]]s, [[chimpanzee]]s, various monkeys, [[leopard]]s, [[African Buffalo|buffalo]], [[antelope]], [[elephant]]s, [[hippopotamus]]es, [[crocodile]]s, and various [[snake]]s, including [[Pythonidae|pythons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Equatorial-Guinea|title=Equatorial Guinea – Plant and animal life|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=29 November 2023|access-date=1 August 2020|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126031136/https://www.britannica.com/place/Equatorial-Guinea|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
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=== Administrative divisions === | === Administrative divisions === | ||
{{Main|Subdivisions of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Subdivisions of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
{{Provinces of Equatorial Guinea Image Map}} | {{Provinces of Equatorial Guinea Image Map}} | ||
Equatorial Guinea is divided into eight [[Provinces of Equatorial Guinea|provinces]].<ref name=statoids>{{cite web |last=Law |first=Gwillim |url=http://www.statoids.com/ugq.html |title=Provinces of Equatorial Guinea |website=Statoids |date=22 March 2016 |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010185255/http://www.statoids.com/ugq.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pdge-guineaecuatorial.com/gobierno-inicia-actividades-djibloho/ |title=El Gobierno inicia sus actividades en Djibloho |language=es |publisher=[[PDGE]] |date=7 February 2017 |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=26 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926102956/http://www.pdge-guineaecuatorial.com/gobierno-inicia-actividades-djibloho/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The newest province is [[Djibloho]], created in 2017 with its headquarters at [[Ciudad de la Paz]], the country's | Equatorial Guinea is divided into eight [[Provinces of Equatorial Guinea|provinces]].<ref name=statoids>{{cite web |last=Law |first=Gwillim |url=http://www.statoids.com/ugq.html |title=Provinces of Equatorial Guinea |website=Statoids |date=22 March 2016 |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010185255/http://www.statoids.com/ugq.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pdge-guineaecuatorial.com/gobierno-inicia-actividades-djibloho/ |title=El Gobierno inicia sus actividades en Djibloho |language=es |publisher=[[PDGE]] |date=7 February 2017 |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=26 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926102956/http://www.pdge-guineaecuatorial.com/gobierno-inicia-actividades-djibloho/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The newest province is [[Djibloho]], created in 2017 with its headquarters at [[Ciudad de la Paz]], the country's capital.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=9945 |title=La Presidencia de la República sanciona dos nuevas leyes |language=es |date=23 June 2017 |publisher=Equatorial Guinea Press and Information Office |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=25 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625100844/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=9945 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38911573 |title=Equatorial Guinea government moves to new city in rainforest |date=8 February 2017 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=28 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928104720/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38911573 |url-status=live }}</ref> The eight provinces are as follows (numbers correspond to those on the map; provincial capitals appear in parentheses):<ref name=statoids /> | ||
# [[Annobón]] ([[San Antonio de Palé]]) | # [[Annobón]] ([[San Antonio de Palé]]) | ||
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The discovery of large [[oil reserves]] in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue. {{As of|2004}},<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1101-2004Sep6.html|title=U.S. Oil Firms Entwined in Equatorial Guinea Deals|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|author=Justin Blum|date=7 September 2004|access-date=9 July 2008|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125204645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?next_url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1101-2004Sep6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest [[List of countries by oil production|oil producer]] in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. Its oil production has risen to {{convert|360000|oilbbl/d}}, up from 220,000 only two years earlier. Oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea include [[ExxonMobil]], [[Marathon Oil]], [[Kosmos Energy]] and [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Equatorial Guinea grants two year extensions on oil & gas exploration |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-equatorialguinea-idUSKBN22G1XG |work=[[Reuters]] |date=4 May 2020 |access-date=22 January 2022 |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122143326/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-equatorialguinea-idUSKBN22G1XG |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Chevron, Equatorial Guinea sign production-sharing agreement for offshore block |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-equatorial-guinea-sign-production-sharing-agreement-offshore-oil-block-2021-12-09/ |work=Reuters |date=10 December 2021 |access-date=22 January 2022 |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122143324/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-equatorial-guinea-sign-production-sharing-agreement-offshore-oil-block-2021-12-09/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | The discovery of large [[oil reserves]] in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue. {{As of|2004}},<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1101-2004Sep6.html|title=U.S. Oil Firms Entwined in Equatorial Guinea Deals|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|author=Justin Blum|date=7 September 2004|access-date=9 July 2008|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125204645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?next_url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1101-2004Sep6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest [[List of countries by oil production|oil producer]] in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. Its oil production has risen to {{convert|360000|oilbbl/d}}, up from 220,000 only two years earlier. Oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea include [[ExxonMobil]], [[Marathon Oil]], [[Kosmos Energy]] and [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Equatorial Guinea grants two year extensions on oil & gas exploration |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-equatorialguinea-idUSKBN22G1XG |work=[[Reuters]] |date=4 May 2020 |access-date=22 January 2022 |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122143326/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-equatorialguinea-idUSKBN22G1XG |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Chevron, Equatorial Guinea sign production-sharing agreement for offshore block |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-equatorial-guinea-sign-production-sharing-agreement-offshore-oil-block-2021-12-09/ |work=Reuters |date=10 December 2021 |access-date=22 January 2022 |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122143324/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-equatorial-guinea-sign-production-sharing-agreement-offshore-oil-block-2021-12-09/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
In July 2004, the [[United States Senate]] published an investigation into [[Riggs Bank]], a [[Washington | In July 2004, the [[United States Senate]] published an investigation into [[Riggs Bank]], a [[Washington, D.C.]]-based bank into which most of Equatorial Guinea's oil revenues were paid until recently, and which also banked for [[Chile]]'s [[Augusto Pinochet]]. The Senate report showed at least $35 million siphoned off by Obiang, his family and regime senior officials. The president has denied any wrongdoing. Riggs Bank in February 2005 paid $9 million in restitution for Pinochet's banking, but no restitution was made with regard to Equatorial Guinea.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inner City Press / Finance Watch: "Follow the Money, Watchdog the Regulators" |url=http://www.innercitypress.org/finwatch.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511083001/http://www.innercitypress.org/finwatch.html |archive-date=11 May 2011 |access-date=3 May 2010 |publisher=[[Inner City Press]]}}</ref> | ||
Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of the country's [[gross domestic product]] (GDP). Subsistence farming predominates. Agriculture is the country's main source of employment, providing income for 57% of rural households and employment for 52% of the workforce.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Overview|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/guinea/overview|access-date=16 October 2021|website=[[World Bank]]|language=en|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021820/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/guinea/overview|url-status=live}}</ref> From 2000 to 2010, Equatorial Guinea had the highest average annual increase in GDP, 17%.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glenday |first=Craig |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/123 |title=Guinness Book of Records 2014 |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-908843-15-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/123]}}</ref> | Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of the country's [[gross domestic product]] (GDP). Subsistence farming predominates. Agriculture is the country's main source of employment, providing income for 57% of rural households and employment for 52% of the workforce.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Overview|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/guinea/overview|access-date=16 October 2021|website=[[World Bank]]|language=en|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021820/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/guinea/overview|url-status=live}}</ref> From 2000 to 2010, Equatorial Guinea had the highest average annual increase in GDP, 17%.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glenday |first=Craig |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/123 |title=Guinness Book of Records 2014 |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-908843-15-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/123]}}</ref> | ||
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[[File:Torre de la Libertad.jpg|thumb|[[Torre de La Libertad]] ("Freedom Tower")]] | [[File:Torre de la Libertad.jpg|thumb|[[Torre de La Libertad]] ("Freedom Tower")]] | ||
According to the [[World Bank]], Equatorial Guinea has the highest [[gross national income]] (GNI) per capita of any African country, 83 times larger than the GNI per capita of [[Burundi]], the poorest country.<ref>{{cite web|title=50 Things You Didn't Know About Africa|work=[[World Bank]]|url=http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/polsc325-4.1-50-Things-you-didnt-know-about-Africa.pdf|access-date=7 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725192911/http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/polsc325-4.1-50-Things-you-didnt-know-about-Africa.pdf|archive-date=25 July 2013}}</ref> However, Equatorial Guinea has extreme poverty brought about by [[wealth inequality]].<ref name="CIA 2024 h869">{{cite web | title=The World Factbook: Equatorial Guinea | website=CIA | date=16 April 2024 | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea/ | access-date=23 April 2024 | archive-date=9 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235259/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea | url-status= | According to the [[World Bank]], Equatorial Guinea has the highest [[gross national income]] (GNI) per capita of any African country, 83 times larger than the GNI per capita of [[Burundi]], the poorest country.<ref>{{cite web|title=50 Things You Didn't Know About Africa|work=[[World Bank]]|url=http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/polsc325-4.1-50-Things-you-didnt-know-about-Africa.pdf|access-date=7 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725192911/http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/polsc325-4.1-50-Things-you-didnt-know-about-Africa.pdf|archive-date=25 July 2013}}</ref> However, Equatorial Guinea has extreme poverty brought about by [[wealth inequality]].<ref name="CIA 2024 h869">{{cite web | title=The World Factbook: Equatorial Guinea | website=CIA | date=16 April 2024 | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea/ | access-date=23 April 2024 | archive-date=9 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235259/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 2011 m648">{{cite news |last=Hicks |first=Tyler | title=A Wealth Gap in Equatorial Guinea | website=The New York Times | date=31 May 2011 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/05/30/world/africa/20110531-GUINEA/s/20110531-GUINEA-slide-BKHR.html | access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref> According to the 2016 United Nations Human Development Report, Equatorial Guinea had a GDP per capita of $21,517, one of the highest levels of wealth in Africa. However, it is one of the most unequal countries in the world according to the [[Gini index]], with 70 per cent of the population living on one dollar a day.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.playgroundmag.net/now/documental-prohibido-guinea-ecuatorial-obiang-franquismo-africa_42978422.html |title=El franquismo resiste en algún lugar de África | PlayGround |access-date=24 November 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127091730/https://www.playgroundmag.net/now/documental-prohibido-guinea-ecuatorial-obiang-franquismo-africa_42978422.html }}</ref> The country ranks 145th out of 189 on the [[United Nations Human Development Index]] in 2019.<ref name="mondediplo.com" /> | ||
Hydrocarbons account for 97% of the state's exports, and it is a member of the [[African Petroleum Producers' Organization|African Petroleum Producers Organization]]. In 2020, it faces its eighth year of recession, due in part to endemic corruption.<ref name="mondediplo.com" /> The economy of Equatorial Guinea was expected to grow about 2.6% in 2021, a projection that was based on the successful completion of a large gas project and the recovery of the world economy by the second half of the year. But the country is expected to return to recession in 2022, with a real GDP decline of about 4.4%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2019 |title=Equatorial Guinea Economic Outlook |url=https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/equatorial-guinea/equatorial-guinea-economic-outlook |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021328/https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/equatorial-guinea/equatorial-guinea-economic-outlook |archive-date=16 October 2021 |access-date=16 October 2021 |website=[[African Development Bank]] |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, the country's [[Gini coefficient]] was 58.8.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guinea |url=https://www.worldeconomics.com/Inequality/Gini-Coefficient/Guinea.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712052718/https://www.worldeconomics.com/Inequality/Gini-Coefficient/Guinea.aspx |archive-date=12 July 2023 |access-date=12 July 2023 |website=World Economics}}</ref> | Hydrocarbons account for 97% of the state's exports, and it is a member of the [[African Petroleum Producers' Organization|African Petroleum Producers Organization]]. In 2020, it faces its eighth year of recession, due in part to endemic [[Corruption in Equatorial Guinea|corruption]].<ref name="mondediplo.com" /> The economy of Equatorial Guinea was expected to grow about 2.6% in 2021, a projection that was based on the successful completion of a large gas project and the recovery of the world economy by the second half of the year. But the country is expected to return to recession in 2022, with a real GDP decline of about 4.4%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2019 |title=Equatorial Guinea Economic Outlook |url=https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/equatorial-guinea/equatorial-guinea-economic-outlook |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021328/https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/equatorial-guinea/equatorial-guinea-economic-outlook |archive-date=16 October 2021 |access-date=16 October 2021 |website=[[African Development Bank]] |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, the country's [[Gini coefficient]] was 58.8.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guinea |url=https://www.worldeconomics.com/Inequality/Gini-Coefficient/Guinea.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712052718/https://www.worldeconomics.com/Inequality/Gini-Coefficient/Guinea.aspx |archive-date=12 July 2023 |access-date=12 July 2023 |website=World Economics}}</ref> | ||
== Transportation == | == Transportation == | ||
{{Main|Transport in Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Transport in Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[File:Aerial view of Malabo Airport.jpeg|thumb|left|[[Malabo International Airport]] (''Aeropuerto de Malabo'' in Spanish), in [[Punta Europa (Ecuatorial Guinea)|Punta Europa]], island of [[Bioko]]]] | |||
{{See also|List of airports in Equatorial Guinea}}[[File:Aerial view of Malabo Airport.jpeg|thumb|left|[[Malabo International Airport]] (''Aeropuerto de Malabo'' in Spanish), in [[Punta Europa (Ecuatorial Guinea)|Punta Europa]], island of [[Bioko]]]] | |||
[[File:Malabo a 13-oct-01.jpg|thumb|The port of [[Malabo]]]] | [[File:Malabo a 13-oct-01.jpg|thumb|The port of [[Malabo]]]] | ||
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 | 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.<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/doc/list_en.pdf List of banned EU air carriers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404114740/http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/doc/list_en.pdf |date=4 April 2012 }}. Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved on 5 May 2013. | 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.<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/doc/list_en.pdf List of banned EU air carriers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404114740/http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/doc/list_en.pdf |date=4 April 2012 }}. Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> | ||
== Demographics == | == Demographics == | ||
{{Main|Demographics of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Demographics of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[File:Equatorial Guinea population.svg|thumb|left|Timeline of the Equatoguinean population between 1960 and 2017. Population in thousands of inhabitants.]] | [[File:Equatorial Guinea population.svg|thumb|left|Timeline of the Equatoguinean population between 1960 and 2017. Population in thousands of inhabitants.]] | ||
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|} | |} | ||
The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of [[Bantu people|Bantu]] origin.<ref>{{cite book|title=Well Oiled: Oil and Human Rights in Equatorial Guinea|first=Alex|last=Vines|page=9|publisher=Human Rights Watch|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56432-516-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnlkA-QBizAC&pg=PA9|access-date=19 December 2012|archive-date=16 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216172501/https://books.google.com/books?id=CnlkA-QBizAC&pg=PA9|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest ethnic group, the [[Fang people|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 people|Bubi]] inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population<ref>{{cite news|title=Equatorial Guinea's God|access-date=26 May 2011|newspaper=BBC|date=26 July 2003|url= | The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of [[Bantu people|Bantu]] origin.<ref>{{cite book|title=Well Oiled: Oil and Human Rights in Equatorial Guinea|first=Alex|last=Vines|page=9|publisher=Human Rights Watch|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56432-516-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnlkA-QBizAC&pg=PA9|access-date=19 December 2012|archive-date=16 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216172501/https://books.google.com/books?id=CnlkA-QBizAC&pg=PA9|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest ethnic group, the [[Fang people|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 people|Bubi]] inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population<ref>{{cite news|title=Equatorial Guinea's God|access-date=26 May 2011|newspaper=BBC|date=26 July 2003|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3098007.stm|archive-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728131339/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3098007.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> 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. These dialects, while still intelligible, are more distinct. The Bubi, who constitute 15% of the population, are indigenous to Bioko Island. The traditional demarcation line between Fang and 'Beach' (inland) ethnic groups was the village of [[Niefang]] (limit of the Fang), east of Bata. | ||
Coastal ethnic groups, sometimes referred to as [[Ndowe]] or "Playeros" (''Beach People'' in Spanish): [[Combe people|Combes]], [[Bujeba people|Bujebas]], [[Balengue people|Balengues]], and [[Benga people|Bengas]] on the mainland and small islands, and [[Fernandinos]], a [[Sierra Leone Krio people|Krio]] community on Bioko Island together comprise 5% of the population. Europeans (largely of Spanish or [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] descent, some with partial African ancestry) also live in the country, but most ethnic Spaniards left after independence.{{cn|date=June 2025}} | Coastal ethnic groups, sometimes referred to as [[Ndowe]] or "Playeros" (''Beach People'' in Spanish): [[Combe people|Combes]], [[Bujeba people|Bujebas]], [[Balengue people|Balengues]], and [[Benga people|Bengas]] on the mainland and small islands, and [[Fernandinos]], a [[Sierra Leone Krio people|Krio]] community on Bioko Island together comprise 5% of the population. Europeans (largely of Spanish or [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] descent, some with partial African ancestry) also live in the country, but most ethnic Spaniards left after independence.{{cn|date=June 2025}} | ||
[[File: | [[File:Bubi children from Equatorial Guinea.jpg|thumb|Equatorial Guinean children of [[Bubi people|Bubi]] descent]] | ||
A growing number of foreigners from | A growing number of foreigners from neighbouring [[Cameroon]], Nigeria, and [[Gabon]] have immigrated to the country. According to the ''Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations'' (2002) 7% of Bioko islanders were [[Igbo people|Igbo]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: A-C|first=James|last=Minahan|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2002|isbn=0-313-32109-4|page=330}}</ref> Equatorial Guinea received [[Asians]] and native Africans from other countries as workers on cocoa and coffee plantations. Other black Africans came from [[Liberia]], Angola, and [[Mozambique]]. Most of the Asian population is [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]], with small numbers of [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indians]]. | ||
=== Languages === | === Languages === | ||
{{Main|Equatoguinean Spanish|Academia Ecuatoguineana de la Lengua Española}} | {{Main|Equatoguinean Spanish|Academia Ecuatoguineana de la Lengua Española}} | ||
[[File:Malabo (16511251451).jpg|thumb|left|Floral inscription with the name of the country in Spanish in [[Malabo]]]] | [[File:Malabo (16511251451).jpg|thumb|left|Floral inscription with the name of the country in Spanish in [[Malabo]]]] | ||
Since its independence in 1968, the main official language of Equatorial Guinea has been Spanish (the local variant is [[Equatoguinean Spanish]]), which acts as a lingua franca among its different ethnic groups. In 1970, during Macías' rule, Spanish was replaced by [[Fang language|Fang]], the language of its [[Fang people|majority ethnic group]], to which Macías belonged. That decision was reverted in 1979 after Macías' fall. Spanish remained as its lone official language until 1998, when French was added as its second one, as it had previously joined the [[Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa]] (CEMAC), whose founding members are French-speaking nations, two of them (Cameroon and Gabon) surrounding its continental region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_09/gil_otero/p05.htm|title=5. Guinea Ecuatorial – Centro Virtual Cervantes|language=es|access-date=25 January 2022|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126002920/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_09/gil_otero/p05.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=CIA /> Portuguese was adopted as its third official language in 2010.<ref name="CPLP">{{cite web|url=http://www.cplp.org/id-258.aspx|title=Guiné Equatorial|publisher=CPLP|access-date=28 November 2014|language=pt|archive-date=27 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127113041/http://www.cplp.org/id-258.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sol">{{cite web|url=http://www.sol.pt/noticia/99354|title=Formação de professores e programas televisivos introduzem português na Guiné-Equatorial|language=pt|trans-title=Teacher formation and television programs introduce Portuguese in Equatorial Guinea|publisher=Sol|date=5 February 2014|access-date=27 November 2014|archive-date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101000230/http://www.sol.pt/noticia/99354|url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish has been an official language since 1844. It is still the language of education and administration. 67.6% of Equatorial Guineans can speak it, especially those living in the capital, [[Malabo]].<ref name=obi> | Since its independence in 1968, the main official language of Equatorial Guinea has been Spanish (the local variant is [[Equatoguinean Spanish]]), which acts as a lingua franca among its different ethnic groups. In 1970, during Macías' rule, Spanish was replaced by [[Fang language|Fang]], the language of its [[Fang people|majority ethnic group]], to which Macías belonged. That decision was reverted in 1979 after Macías' fall. Spanish remained as its lone official language until 1998, when French was added as its second one, as it had previously joined the [[Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa]] (CEMAC), whose founding members are French-speaking nations, two of them (Cameroon and Gabon) surrounding its continental region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_09/gil_otero/p05.htm|title=5. Guinea Ecuatorial – Centro Virtual Cervantes|language=es|access-date=25 January 2022|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126002920/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_09/gil_otero/p05.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=CIA /> Portuguese was adopted as its third official language in 2010.<ref name="CPLP">{{cite web|url=http://www.cplp.org/id-258.aspx|title=Guiné Equatorial|publisher=CPLP|access-date=28 November 2014|language=pt|archive-date=27 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127113041/http://www.cplp.org/id-258.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sol">{{cite web|url=http://www.sol.pt/noticia/99354|title=Formação de professores e programas televisivos introduzem português na Guiné-Equatorial|language=pt|trans-title=Teacher formation and television programs introduce Portuguese in Equatorial Guinea|publisher=Sol|date=5 February 2014|access-date=27 November 2014|archive-date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101000230/http://www.sol.pt/noticia/99354|url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish has been an official language since 1844. It is still the language of education and administration. 67.6% of Equatorial Guineans can speak it, especially those living in the former capital, [[Malabo]].<ref name=obi>{{cite web |url=http://actualidad.terra.es/internacional/articulo/obiang_comunidad_naciones_1710388.htm |title=Obiang convierte al portugués en tercer idioma oficial para entrar en la Comunidad lusófona de Naciones |work=Terra |date=13 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216191116/http://actualidad.terra.es/internacional/articulo/obiang_comunidad_naciones_1710388.htm |archive-date=16 February 2008 |lang=es}}</ref> Spanish is spoken as a native language by a small minority usually in larger cities.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Victor |last=Kiprop |date=2018-09-24 |title=What Languages Are Spoken In Equatorial Guinea? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-equatorial-guinea.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gomashie |first=Grace A. |title=Language Vitality of Spanish in Equatorial Guinea: Language Use and Attitudes |url=https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/guinea_ecuatorial_humanities.pdf |journal=Humanities |year=2019 |volume=8 |issue=1 |page=33 |doi=10.3390/h8010033 |doi-access=free}}</ref> | ||
French was only made official in order to join the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]], and it is not locally spoken, except in some border towns; and Portuguese was only made official in order to join the [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]], so it too is not locally spoken, although the Annobonese and local Catholics have links to the language. | |||
Aboriginal languages are recognised as integral parts of the "national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998, 21 January). Indigenous languages (some of them [[Creole language|creoles]]) include [[Fang language|Fang]], [[Bube language|Bube]], [[Benga language|Benga]], [[Combe language|Ndowe]], [[Balengue language|Balengue]], [[Bujeba language|Bujeba]], Bissio, Gumu, [[Igbo language|Igbo]], [[Pichinglis]], [[Annobonese language|Fa d'Ambô]] and the nearly extinct [[Baseke language|Baseke]]. Most African ethnic groups speak [[Bantu languages]].<ref name="GEpress_noticia134en">[http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=134&lang=en Oficina de Información y Prensa de Guinea Ecuatorial, Ministerio de Información, Cultura y Turismo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109193517/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=134&lang=en |date=9 January 2014 }}. Guineaecuatorialpress.com. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> | Aboriginal languages are recognised as integral parts of the "national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998, 21 January). Indigenous languages (some of them [[Creole language|creoles]]) include [[Fang language|Fang]], [[Bube language|Bube]], [[Benga language|Benga]], [[Combe language|Ndowe]], [[Balengue language|Balengue]], [[Bujeba language|Bujeba]], Bissio, Gumu, [[Igbo language|Igbo]], [[Pichinglis]], [[Annobonese language|Fa d'Ambô]] and the nearly extinct [[Baseke language|Baseke]]. Most African ethnic groups speak [[Bantu languages]].<ref name="GEpress_noticia134en">[http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=134&lang=en Oficina de Información y Prensa de Guinea Ecuatorial, Ministerio de Información, Cultura y Turismo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109193517/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=134&lang=en |date=9 January 2014 }}. Guineaecuatorialpress.com. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> | ||
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Some of the motivations for Equatorial Guinea's pursuit of membership in the [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]] (CPLP) included access to several professional and academic exchange programmes and facilitated cross-border circulation of citizens.<ref name=obi /> The adoption of Portuguese as an official language was the primary requirement to apply for CPLP acceptance. In addition, the country was told it must adopt political reforms allowing effective democracy and respect for human rights.<ref>[http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=703 "Portuguese will be the third official language of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104083320/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=703 |date=4 November 2011 }}. ''Guinea Ecuatorial Press'', (20 July 2010). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> The national parliament discussed this law in October 2011.<ref name="GEpress_noticia1980">{{cite web|url=http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=1980|title=S. E. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo clausura el Segundo Periodo Ordinario de Sesiones del pleno de la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo|language=es|trans-title=President Obiang closes second session period of parliament|author=María Jesús Nsang Nguema (Prensa Presidencial)|publisher=Oficina de Información y Prensa de Guinea Ecuatorial (D. G. Base Internet)|date=15 October 2011|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107084939/http://guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=1980|url-status=live}}</ref> | Some of the motivations for Equatorial Guinea's pursuit of membership in the [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]] (CPLP) included access to several professional and academic exchange programmes and facilitated cross-border circulation of citizens.<ref name=obi /> The adoption of Portuguese as an official language was the primary requirement to apply for CPLP acceptance. In addition, the country was told it must adopt political reforms allowing effective democracy and respect for human rights.<ref>[http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=703 "Portuguese will be the third official language of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104083320/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=703 |date=4 November 2011 }}. ''Guinea Ecuatorial Press'', (20 July 2010). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> The national parliament discussed this law in October 2011.<ref name="GEpress_noticia1980">{{cite web|url=http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=1980|title=S. E. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo clausura el Segundo Periodo Ordinario de Sesiones del pleno de la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo|language=es|trans-title=President Obiang closes second session period of parliament|author=María Jesús Nsang Nguema (Prensa Presidencial)|publisher=Oficina de Información y Prensa de Guinea Ecuatorial (D. G. Base Internet)|date=15 October 2011|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107084939/http://guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=1980|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
In February 2012, Equatorial Guinea's foreign minister signed an agreement with the IILP on the promotion of Portuguese in the country.<ref name="IILP_Blog2012-02-07">{{cite web|url=http://iilp.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/assinado-termo-de-cooperacao-entre-iilp-e-guine-equatorial/|title=Assinado termo de cooperação entre IILP e Guiné Equatorial|language=pt|trans-title=Protocol signed on cooperation between IILP and Guinea Equatorial|publisher=Instituto Internacional de Língua Portuguesa|date=7 February 2012|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=22 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222061328/http://iilp.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/assinado-termo-de-cooperacao-entre-iilp-e-guine-equatorial/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CPLP_News1875">{{cite web|url=http://www.cplp.org/Default.aspx?ID=316&M=News&PID=304&NewsID=1875|title=Protocolo de Cooperação entre a Guiné-Equatorial e o IILP|language=pt|trans-title=Protocol on cooperation between IILP and Guinea Equatorial|publisher=CPLP|date=7 February 2012|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=13 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713062429/http://www.cplp.org/Default.aspx?ID=316&M=News&PID=304&NewsID=1875|url-status=live}} This note contains a link to the text of the protocol in PDF format.</ref> In July 2012, the CPLP refused Equatorial Guinea full membership, primarily because of its continued serious violations of human rights. The government responded by legalising political parties, declaring a moratorium on the death penalty, and starting a dialog with all political factions.<ref name="sol" /><ref name="expr">{{cite web|url=https://expresso.sapo.pt/cplp-vai-ajudar-guine-equatorial-a-assimilar-valores=f890337 | In February 2012, Equatorial Guinea's foreign minister signed an agreement with the IILP on the promotion of Portuguese in the country.<ref name="IILP_Blog2012-02-07">{{cite web|url=http://iilp.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/assinado-termo-de-cooperacao-entre-iilp-e-guine-equatorial/|title=Assinado termo de cooperação entre IILP e Guiné Equatorial|language=pt|trans-title=Protocol signed on cooperation between IILP and Guinea Equatorial|publisher=Instituto Internacional de Língua Portuguesa|date=7 February 2012|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=22 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222061328/http://iilp.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/assinado-termo-de-cooperacao-entre-iilp-e-guine-equatorial/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CPLP_News1875">{{cite web|url=http://www.cplp.org/Default.aspx?ID=316&M=News&PID=304&NewsID=1875|title=Protocolo de Cooperação entre a Guiné-Equatorial e o IILP|language=pt|trans-title=Protocol on cooperation between IILP and Guinea Equatorial|publisher=CPLP|date=7 February 2012|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=13 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713062429/http://www.cplp.org/Default.aspx?ID=316&M=News&PID=304&NewsID=1875|url-status=live}} This note contains a link to the text of the protocol in PDF format.</ref> In July 2012, the CPLP refused Equatorial Guinea full membership, primarily because of its continued serious violations of human rights. The government responded by legalising political parties, declaring a moratorium on the death penalty, and starting a dialog with all political factions.<ref name="sol" /><ref name="expr">{{cite web|url=https://expresso.sapo.pt/cplp-vai-ajudar-guine-equatorial-a-assimilar-valores=f890337|title=CPLP vai ajudar Guiné-Equatorial a "assimilar valores"|language=pt|publisher=Expresso|date=20 September 2014|access-date=24 November 2012}}</ref>{{New archival link needed|date=April 2026}} Additionally, the IILP secured land from the government for the construction of Portuguese language cultural centres in Bata and Malabo.<ref name="sol" /> At its tenth summit in [[Dili]] in July 2014, Equatorial Guinea was admitted as a CPLP member. Abolition of the death penalty and the promotion of Portuguese as an official language were preconditions of the approval.<ref name="CPLP_NewsID1635">{{cite web|url=http://www.cplp.org/Default.aspx?ID=316&M=News&PID=304&NewsID=1635|title=Nota informativa: Missão da CPLP à Guiné Equatorial|language=pt|publisher=CPLP|date=3 May 2011|access-date=27 March 2012|archive-date=12 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212105328/http://www.cplp.org/Default.aspx?ID=316&M=News&PID=304&NewsID=1635|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
=== Religion === | === Religion === | ||
{{Main|Religion in Equatorial Guinea}} | |||
{{bar box | {{bar box | ||
|title= Religion in Equatorial Guinea | |title= Religion in Equatorial Guinea | ||
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{{Main|Health in Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Health in Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
Equatorial Guinea's [[malaria]] programs in the early 21st century achieved success in reducing | Equatorial Guinea's [[malaria]] programs in the early 21st century achieved success in reducing malaria infection and [[mortality rate|mortality]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Steketee|first1=R. W.|title=Good news in malaria control... Now what?|journal=The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene|volume=80|issue=6|pages=879–880|year=2009|doi=10.4269/ajtmh.2009.80.879|pmid=19478241|doi-access=free}}</ref> Their program consists of twice-yearly indoor residual spraying (IRS), the introduction of [[Antimalarial medication|artemisinin]] combination treatment (ACTs), the use of [[Intermittent preventive therapy|intermittent preventive treatment]] in pregnant women (IPTp), and the introduction of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (LLINs). Their efforts resulted in a reduction in all-cause under-five mortality from 152 to 55 deaths per 1,000 live births (down 64%), a drop that coincided with the launch of the program.<ref>[http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/6/882?ijkey=42e57e2ed496ad1cc91ad3c34a8636edd294d458&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha Marked Increase in Child Survival after Four Years of Intensive Malaria Control] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510015151/http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/6/882?ijkey=42e57e2ed496ad1cc91ad3c34a8636edd294d458&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha |date=10 May 2011 }}. Ajtmh.org. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> | ||
In June 2014, four cases of [[Poliomyelitis|polio]] were reported, making it the country's first outbreak of that disease.<ref name="EquatorialGuinea">{{cite news|title=Detection of poliovirus in São Paulo airport sewage: WHO|url=http://www.brazilnews.net/index.php/sid/223187509/scat/24437442923341f1/ht/Detection-of-poliovirus-in-Sao-Paulo-airport-sewage-WHO|access-date=23 June 2014|publisher=Brazil News.Net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710234957/http://www.brazilnews.net/index.php/sid/223187509/scat/24437442923341f1/ht/Detection-of-poliovirus-in-Sao-Paulo-airport-sewage-WHO|archive-date=10 July 2014}}</ref> | In June 2014, four cases of [[Poliomyelitis|polio]] were reported, making it the country's first outbreak of that disease.<ref name="EquatorialGuinea">{{cite news|title=Detection of poliovirus in São Paulo airport sewage: WHO|url=http://www.brazilnews.net/index.php/sid/223187509/scat/24437442923341f1/ht/Detection-of-poliovirus-in-Sao-Paulo-airport-sewage-WHO|access-date=23 June 2014|publisher=Brazil News.Net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710234957/http://www.brazilnews.net/index.php/sid/223187509/scat/24437442923341f1/ht/Detection-of-poliovirus-in-Sao-Paulo-airport-sewage-WHO|archive-date=10 July 2014}}</ref> | ||
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[[File:Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Deportes (Malabo) (6510104101).jpg|thumb|Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (''Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Deportes'' in Spanish)]] | [[File:Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Deportes (Malabo) (6510104101).jpg|thumb|Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (''Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Deportes'' in Spanish)]] | ||
Among sub-Saharan African countries, Equatorial Guinea has one of the highest literacy rates.<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/literacy/|title=Literacy – The World Factbook|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=13 April 2022|archive-date=1 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014237/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/literacy/|url-status= | Among sub-Saharan African countries, Equatorial Guinea has one of the highest literacy rates.<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/literacy/|title=Literacy – The World Factbook|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=13 April 2022|archive-date=1 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014237/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/literacy/|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, {{as of|2015|lc=y}}, 95.3% of the population age 15 and over were able to read and write in the country.<ref name="cia.gov"/> Under [[Francisco Macias]], few children received any type of education. Under President Obiang, the illiteracy rate dropped from 73% to 13%,<ref name=CIA /> and the number of primary school students rose from 65,000 in 1986 to more than 100,000 in 1994. Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14.<ref name="web.archive.org" /> | ||
The Equatorial Guinea government has partnered with [[Hess Corporation]] and The Academy for Educational Development (AED) to establish a $20 million education program for primary school teachers to teach modern child development techniques.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081120025210/http://www.aed.org/News/Stories/equatorial_guinea_partnership.cfm HESS and AED Partner to Improve Education in Equatorial Guinea]. AED.org</ref> There are now 51 model schools whose active pedagogy will be a national reform.{{update inline|date=December 2018}} | The Equatorial Guinea government has partnered with [[Hess Corporation]] and The Academy for Educational Development (AED) to establish a $20 million education program for primary school teachers to teach modern child development techniques.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081120025210/http://www.aed.org/News/Stories/equatorial_guinea_partnership.cfm HESS and AED Partner to Improve Education in Equatorial Guinea]. AED.org</ref> There are now 51 model schools whose active pedagogy will be a national reform.{{update inline|date=December 2018}} | ||
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== Culture == | == Culture == | ||
{{Main|Culture of Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Culture of Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[File:Centro Cultural de España en Malabo.jpg|thumb|Centro Cultural de España (Cultural Centre of Spain) in Malabo]] | [[File:Centro Cultural de España en Malabo.jpg|thumb|Centro Cultural de España (Cultural Centre of Spain) in Malabo]] | ||
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{{as of|2020}}, Equatorial Guinea has no [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] or tentative sites for the World Heritage List.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/?action=listtentative&pattern=Equatorial+Guinea&state=&theme=&criteria_restrication=&date_start=&date_end=&order= Tentative Lists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215152047/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/?action=listtentative&pattern=Equatorial+Guinea&state=&theme=&criteria_restrication=&date_start=&date_end=&order= |date=15 February 2020 }}. unesco.org</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/state/equatorial-guinea-GQ Equatorial Guinea – intangible heritage – Culture Sector] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919211125/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/state/equatorial-guinea-GQ |date=19 September 2016 }}. UNESCO. Retrieved on 19 January 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/grid Memory of the World | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]. Unesco.org. Retrieved on 22 April 2025.</ref> | {{as of|2020}}, Equatorial Guinea has no [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] or tentative sites for the World Heritage List.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/?action=listtentative&pattern=Equatorial+Guinea&state=&theme=&criteria_restrication=&date_start=&date_end=&order= Tentative Lists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215152047/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/?action=listtentative&pattern=Equatorial+Guinea&state=&theme=&criteria_restrication=&date_start=&date_end=&order= |date=15 February 2020 }}. unesco.org</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/state/equatorial-guinea-GQ Equatorial Guinea – intangible heritage – Culture Sector] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919211125/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/state/equatorial-guinea-GQ |date=19 September 2016 }}. UNESCO. Retrieved on 19 January 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/grid Memory of the World | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]. Unesco.org. Retrieved on 22 April 2025.</ref> | ||
Tourist attractions are the colonial quarter in Malabo, the southern part of Bioko where hikers can visit the Iladyi cascades and remote beaches with nesting turtles, Bata with its shoreline Paseo Maritimo and the tower of liberty, Mongomo with its [[Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Mongomo|basilica]] (the second largest Catholic church in Africa) and the | Tourist attractions are the colonial quarter in Malabo, the southern part of Bioko where hikers can visit the Iladyi cascades and remote beaches with nesting turtles, Bata with its shoreline Paseo Maritimo and the tower of liberty, Mongomo with its [[Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Mongomo|basilica]] (the second largest Catholic church in Africa) and the planned capital [[Ciudad de la Paz]]. | ||
=== Media and communications === | === Media and communications === | ||
{{Main|Media in Equatorial Guinea|Telecommunications in Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Main|Media in Equatorial Guinea|Telecommunications in Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[File:UNED-GQ IMG 6269 (6510136445).jpg|thumb|right|Edition of the television magazine ''Malabeando'' at the Cultural Centre of Spain in Malabo]] | [[File:UNED-GQ IMG 6269 (6510136445).jpg|thumb|right|Edition of the television magazine ''Malabeando'' at the Cultural Centre of Spain in Malabo]] | ||
The principal means of communication within Equatorial Guinea are three state-operated [[FM radio]] stations: the [[BBC World Service]], [[Radio France Internationale]] and Gabon-based Africa No 1 broadcast on FM in Malabo. There is also an independent radio option called Radio Macuto; it is a web-based radio and news source known for publishing news that calls out Obiang's regime. There are also five [[shortwave]] radio stations. [[TVGE|Televisión de Guinea Ecuatorial]], the television network, is state-operated.<ref name=CIA /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174#media|title=Country Profile: Equatorial Guinea: Media|publisher=BBC News|date=11 April 2023|access-date=22 April 2025|archive-date=16 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716225956/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174#media|url-status=live}}</ref> The international TV programme RTVGE is available via satellites in Africa, Europe, and the Americas and worldwide via the Internet.<ref name="Lyngsat_TVGE">{{cite web|url=http://www.lyngsat.com/tvchannels/gq/TVGE-Internacional.html|title=TVGE Internacional|publisher=LyngSat|access-date=28 March 2012|archive-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330114511/http://www.lyngsat.com/tvchannels/gq/TVGE-Internacional.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There are two newspapers and two magazines. | The principal means of communication within Equatorial Guinea are three state-operated [[FM radio]] stations: the [[BBC World Service]], [[Radio France Internationale]] and Gabon-based Africa No 1 broadcast on FM in Malabo. There is also an independent radio option called Radio Macuto; it is a web-based radio and news source known for publishing news that calls out Obiang's regime. There are also five [[shortwave]] radio stations. [[TVGE|Televisión de Guinea Ecuatorial]], the television network, is state-operated.<ref name=CIA /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174#media|title=Country Profile: Equatorial Guinea: Media|publisher=BBC News|date=11 April 2023|access-date=22 April 2025|archive-date=16 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716225956/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174#media|url-status=live}}</ref> The international TV programme RTVGE is available via satellites in Africa, Europe, and the Americas and worldwide via the Internet.<ref name="Lyngsat_TVGE">{{cite web|url=http://www.lyngsat.com/tvchannels/gq/TVGE-Internacional.html|title=TVGE Internacional|publisher=LyngSat|access-date=28 March 2012|archive-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330114511/http://www.lyngsat.com/tvchannels/gq/TVGE-Internacional.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There are two newspapers and two magazines. | ||
Equatorial Guinea ranked 161st out of 179 countries in the 2012 [[Reporters Without Borders]] press freedom index. The watchdog says the national broadcaster obeys the orders of the information ministry. Most of the media companies practice [[self-censorship]], and are banned by law from criticising public figures. The state-owned media and the main private radio station are under the directorship of the president's son, [[Teodor Obiang]]. | Equatorial Guinea ranked 161st out of 179 countries in the 2012 [[Reporters Without Borders]] press freedom index. The watchdog says the national broadcaster obeys the orders of the information ministry. Most of the media companies practice [[self-censorship]], and are banned by law from criticising public figures. The state-owned media and the main private radio station are under the directorship of the president's son, [[Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue|Teodor Obiang]]. | ||
Landline telephone penetration is low, with only two lines available per 100 people.<ref name=CIA /> There is one [[GSM]] mobile telephone operator, with coverage of [[Malabo]], [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]], and several mainland cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_gq.shtml|title=GSMWorld Providers: Equatorial Guinea|publisher=GSM World|year=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414201455/http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_gq.shtml|archive-date=14 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=gq&net=ge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108045953/http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=gq&net=ge |archive-date=8 January 2009|title=GSMWorld GETESA Coverage Map|publisher=GSM World|year=2008}}</ref> {{As of|2009}}, approximately 40% of the population subscribed to mobile telephone services.<ref name=CIA /> The only telephone provider in Equatorial Guinea is [[Orange S.A.|Orange]]. According to the World Bank, there were more than a million Internet users by 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea |url=https://data.worldbank.org/country/equatorial-guinea |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=World Bank Open Data |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121121900/https://data.worldbank.org/country/equatorial-guinea |url-status=live }}</ref> | Landline telephone penetration is low, with only two lines available per 100 people.<ref name=CIA /> There is one [[GSM]] mobile telephone operator, with coverage of [[Malabo]], [[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]], and several mainland cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_gq.shtml|title=GSMWorld Providers: Equatorial Guinea|publisher=GSM World|year=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414201455/http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_gq.shtml|archive-date=14 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=gq&net=ge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108045953/http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=gq&net=ge |archive-date=8 January 2009|title=GSMWorld GETESA Coverage Map|publisher=GSM World|year=2008}}</ref> {{As of|2009}}, approximately 40% of the population subscribed to mobile telephone services.<ref name=CIA /> The only telephone provider in Equatorial Guinea is [[Orange S.A.|Orange]]. According to the World Bank, there were more than a million Internet users by 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea |url=https://data.worldbank.org/country/equatorial-guinea |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=World Bank Open Data |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121121900/https://data.worldbank.org/country/equatorial-guinea |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
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=== Sports === | === Sports === | ||
{{Category see also|Sport in Equatorial Guinea}} | {{Category see also|Sport in Equatorial Guinea}} | ||
[[File:Estadio de Bata (15896733814).jpg|thumb|[[ | [[File:Estadio de Bata (15896733814).jpg|thumb|[[Bata, Equatorial Guinea|Bata]] [[Estadio de Bata|Stadium]]]] | ||
Equatorial Guinea was chosen to co-host the [[2012 African Cup of Nations]] in partnership with [[Gabon]], and hosted the [[2015 Africa Cup of Nations|2015 edition]]. The country was also chosen to host the [[2008 Women's African Football Championship]], which they won. The [[Equatorial Guinea women's national football team|women's national team]] qualified for the [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup|2011 World Cup]] in Germany. In June 2016, Equatorial Guinea was chosen to host the [[2019 African Games|12th African Games]] in 2019. | Equatorial Guinea was chosen to co-host the [[2012 African Cup of Nations]] in partnership with [[Gabon]], and hosted the [[2015 Africa Cup of Nations|2015 edition]]. The country was also chosen to host the [[2008 Women's African Football Championship]], which they won. The [[Equatorial Guinea women's national football team|women's national team]] qualified for the [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup|2011 World Cup]] in Germany. In June 2016, Equatorial Guinea was chosen to host the [[2019 African Games|12th African Games]] in 2019. | ||
Equatorial Guinea is famous for the swimmers [[Eric Moussambani]], nicknamed "Eric the Eel",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/archive/swimmings19o.html|archive-url=https://archive. | Equatorial Guinea is famous for the swimmers [[Eric Moussambani]], nicknamed "Eric the Eel",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/archive/swimmings19o.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050420123724/http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/archive/swimmings19o.html|archive-date=20 April 2005|title=London 2012 Olympics: how Eric 'the Eel' Moussambani inspired a generation in swimming pool at Sydney Games|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|last=O'Mahony|first=Jennifer|date=27 July 2012|access-date=18 December 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Paula Barila Bolopa]], "Paula the Crawler", who attended the [[2000 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/swimming/937133.stm|title='Paula the Crawler' sets record|work=BBC News|date=22 September 2000|access-date=18 December 2012|archive-date=27 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627204302/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics2000/swimming/937133.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
[[Basketball]] has been increasing in popularity.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Scafidi|first1=Oscar|title=Equatorial Guinea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1engCgAAQBAJ|access-date=10 September 2021|date=1 November 2015|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides Ltd|isbn=978-1-78477-136-2|page=126}}</ref> | [[Basketball]] has been increasing in popularity.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Scafidi|first1=Oscar|title=Equatorial Guinea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1engCgAAQBAJ|access-date=10 September 2021|date=1 November 2015|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides Ltd|isbn=978-1-78477-136-2|page=126}}</ref> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
{{portal| | {{portal|Countries|Africa | ||
}} | |||
* [[Outline of Equatorial Guinea]] | * [[Outline of Equatorial Guinea]] | ||
* [[Agriculture in Equatorial Guinea]] | * [[Agriculture in Equatorial Guinea]] | ||
{{Clear}} | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
| Line 445: | Line 475: | ||
* [http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/estadistica.php?lang=en Guinea in Figures – Official Web Page of the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503234753/https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/estadistica.php?lang=en |date=3 May 2021 }}. | * [http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/estadistica.php?lang=en Guinea in Figures – Official Web Page of the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503234753/https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/estadistica.php?lang=en |date=3 May 2021 }}. | ||
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174 Country Profile] from [[BBC News]]. | * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174 Country Profile] from [[BBC News]]. | ||
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea/ Equatorial Guinea]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. | * [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea/ Equatorial Guinea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235259/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/equatorial-guinea |date=9 January 2021 }}. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080607084803/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/equatorialguinea.htm Equatorial Guinea] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' (archived 7 June 2008) | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080607084803/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/equatorialguinea.htm Equatorial Guinea] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' (archived 7 June 2008) | ||
Latest revision as of 11:23, 26 May 2026
Template:Infobox country Equatorial Guinea,[lower-alpha 1] officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea,[lower-alpha 2] is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equator and in the African region of Guinea. As of 2025[update], the country has a population of 1,853,559,[1] over 85% of whom are members of the Fang people, the country's dominant ethnic group. The Bubi people, indigenous to Bioko, are the second largest group at approximately 6.5% of the population. Its capital is Ciudad de la Paz, while its largest city is Bata.[2]
Despite its name, the Equator does not pass through the mainland of Equatorial Guinea. However, its southernmost territory, the Annobón island, lies about 1.4° south of the Equator, meaning the equator runs just north of the island and south of the mainland of the country and passes only through the country’s territorial waters.
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 and is the location of Bata, Equatorial Guinea's largest city, and Ciudad de la Paz, a developing community. 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 the country's former capital, Malabo. The Portuguese-speaking island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe is located between Bioko and Annobón.
Pygmies are the first confirmed inhabitants to settle in the area of present-day Equatorial Guinea, followed by a migration of Bantu-speaking groups in the 6th century BC. The Portuguese explorer Fernando Pó explored the area in 1472. Via the 1778 Treaty of El Pardo, Portugal ceded territories in the Bight of Biafra to Spain; the new territory was declared Spanish Guinea during the Scramble for Africa. Nearly 200 years later, it gained independence in 1968 under the bloody dictatorship of President Francisco Macías Nguema. He declared himself president for life in 1972, but was overthrown in a coup in 1979 by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has served as the country's president since. Obiang's regime has also been widely characterized as a dictatorship by foreign observers.
Since the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea has become one of sub-Saharan Africa's largest oil producers.[3] It has subsequently become one of the richest countries per capita in Africa;[4] however, the wealth is extremely unevenly distributed, with few people benefiting from the oil riches. The country ranks 133rd on the 2023 Human Development Index,[5] with less than half the population having access to clean drinking water and 7.9% of children dying before the age of five.[6][7]
Since Equatorial Guinea is a former Spanish colony, Spanish is the main official language. French and (as of 2010[update]) Portuguese have also been made official.[8] It is one of the two countries in Africa (the other being the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) and the only sovereign country in the same continent where Spanish is an official language.[9] Equatorial Guinea's government is authoritarian and sultanist[10] and has one of the worst human rights records in the world, consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey of political and civil rights.[11] Reporters Without Borders ranks Obiang among its "predators" of press freedom.[12] Human trafficking is a significant problem, with the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report identifying Equatorial Guinea as a source and destination country for forced labour and sex trafficking.[13] The country is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Francophonie, OPEC, and the CPLP.
History
Pygmies likely once lived in the continental region that is now Equatorial Guinea, 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).[14] They must have settled continental Equatorial Guinea around 500 BC at the latest.[15][16] The earliest settlements on Bioko Island are dated to AD 530.[17] The Annobón population, originally native to Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via São Tomé island.[18]
First European contact and Portuguese rule (1472–1778)
The Portuguese explorer Fernando Pó, seeking a path to India, is credited as being the first European to see the island of Bioko, in 1472. He called it Formosa ("Beautiful"), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer. Fernando Pó and Annobón were colonized by Portugal in 1474. The first factories were established on the islands around 1500 as the Portuguese quickly recognized the positives of the islands including volcanic soil and disease-resistant highlands. Despite natural advantages, initial Portuguese efforts in 1507 to establish a sugarcane plantation and town near what is now Concepción on Fernando Pó failed due to Bubi hostility and fever.[19]
Early Spanish rule and lease to Britain (1778–1844)
In 1778, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of El Pardo. The treaty ceded Bioko and adjacent islets along with commercial rights to the Bight of Biafra between the Niger and Ogoue rivers to Spain in exchange for large areas of modern-day western Brazil being ceded to Portugal. Brigadier Felipe José, Count of Arjelejos of the Spanish Navy formally took possession of Bioko from Portugal on 21 October 1778. While sailing to Annobón to take possession of it, Arjelejos died from a tropical disease contracted on Bioko and his fever-ridden crew mutinied. The crew, after having lost over 80% of their men to sickness, instead landed on São Tomé where they were imprisoned by Portuguese colonial authorities.[20]
As a result of this disaster, Spain was subsequently hesitant to invest heavily in its new possession. However, despite such a setback, Spanish merchants began to use the island as a base for engaging in the Atlantic slave trade. Between 1778 and 1810, the territory of what became Equatorial Guinea was administered by the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, based in Buenos Aires.[21] Unwilling to significantly invest in the development of Fernando Pó, from 1827 to 1843 the Spanish leased a base in Bioko to the United Kingdom, which the British had sought as part of their efforts to suppress the slave trade.[22]
In the same year the Spanish leased the base in Bioko, Britain unilaterally moved the headquarters of the Mixed Commission for the Suppression of Slave Traffic to Fernando Pó in 1827, before moving it back to Sierra Leone under an agreement with Spain in 1843. Spain's decision to abolish its involvement in the slave trade under British pressure in 1817 damaged the colony's perceived value to the Spanish and so leasing naval bases was an effective revenue earner from an otherwise unprofitable possession.[21] Plans by Spain to sell its African colony to Britain were cancelled in 1841 due to opposition from Spanish politicians and the public.[23]
Late 19th century (1844–1900)
In 1844, the British returned the island to Spanish control and the area became known as the "Territorios Españoles del Golfo de Guinea". Due to epidemics, Spain did not invest much in the colony, and in 1862, an outbreak of yellow fever killed many of the whites that had settled on the island. Despite this, plantations continued to be established by private citizens through the second half of the 19th century.[24]
The plantations of Fernando Pó were mostly run by a black Creole elite, later known as Fernandinos. The British settled some 2,000 Sierra Leoneans and freed slaves there during their rule, and a trickle of immigration from West Africa and the West Indies continued after the British left. A number of freed Angolan slaves, Portuguese-African creoles and immigrants from Nigeria, and Liberia also began to be settled in the colony, where they quickly began to join the new group.[25] To the local mix were added Cubans, Filipinos, Jews and Spaniards of various colours, many of whom had been deported to Africa for political or other crimes, as well as some settlers backed by the government.[26]
By 1870, the prognosis of whites that lived on the island was much improved after recommendations that they live in the highlands, and by 1884 much of the minimal administrative machinery and key plantations had moved to Basile hundreds of meters above sea level. Henry Morton Stanley had labelled Fernando Pó "a jewel which Spain did not polish" for refusing to enact such a policy. Despite the improved survival chances of Europeans living on the island, Mary Kingsley, who was staying on the island, still described Fernando Pó as "a more uncomfortable form of execution" for Spaniards appointed there.[24]
There was also a trickle of immigration from the neighbouring Portuguese islands, escaped slaves, and prospective planters. Although a few of the Fernandinos were Catholic and Spanish-speaking, about nine-tenths of them were Protestant and English-speaking on the eve of the First World War, and pidgin English was the lingua franca of the island. The Sierra Leoneans were particularly well placed as planters while labour recruitment on the Windward coast continued. The Fernandinos became traders and middlemen between the natives and Europeans.[25] A freed slave from the West Indies by way of Sierra Leone named William Pratt established the cocoa crop on Fernando Pó.[27]
Early 20th century (1900–1945)
Spain had not occupied the large area in the Bight of Biafra to which it had right by treaty, and the French had expanded their occupation at the expense of the territory claimed by Spain. Madrid only partly backed the explorations of men like Manuel Iradier who had signed treaties in the interior as far as Gabon and Cameroon, leaving much of the land out of "effective occupation" as demanded by the terms of the 1885 Berlin Conference. Minimal government backing for mainland annexation came as a result of public opinion and a need for labour on Fernando Pó.[28]
The eventual treaty of Paris in 1900 left Spain with the continental enclave of Río Muni, only 26,000 km2 out of the 300,000km2 stretching east to the Ubangi river which the Spaniards had initially claimed.[29] The humiliation of the Franco-Spanish negotiations, combined with the disaster in Cuba led to the head of the Spanish negotiating team, Pedro Gover y Tovar, committing suicide on the voyage home on 21 October 1901.[30] Iradier himself died in despair in 1911; decades later, the port of Cogo was renamed Puerto Iradier in his honour.[citation needed]
Land regulations issued in 1904–1905 favoured Spaniards, and most of the later big planters arrived from Spain after that.[citation needed] An agreement was made with Liberia in 1914 to import cheap labour.[31] Due to malpractice however, the Liberian government eventually ended the treaty after revelations about the state of Liberian workers on Fernando Pó in the Christy Report which brought down the country's president Charles D. B. King in 1930.[32]
By the late nineteenth century, the Bubi were protected from the demands of the planters by Spanish Claretian missionaries, who were very influential in the colony and eventually organised the Bubi into little mission theocracies reminiscent of the famous Jesuit reductions in Paraguay. Catholic penetration was furthered by two small insurrections in 1898 and 1910 protesting conscription of forced labour for the plantations. The Bubi were disarmed in 1917, and left dependent on the missionaries.[29] Serious labour shortages were temporarily solved by a massive influx of refugees from German Kamerun, along with thousands of white German soldiers who stayed on the island for several years.[30]
Between 1926 and 1959, Bioko and Río Muni were united as the colony of Spanish Guinea. The economy was based on large cacao and coffee plantations and logging concessions and the workforce was mostly immigrant contract labour from Liberia, Nigeria, and Cameroun.[33] Between 1914 and 1930, an estimated 10,000 Liberians went to Fernando Po under a labour treaty that was stopped altogether in 1930.[34] With Liberian workers no longer available, planters of Fernando Po turned to Río Muni. Campaigns were mounted to subdue the Fang people in the 1920s, at the time that Liberia was beginning to cut back on recruitment. There were garrisons of the colonial guard throughout the enclave by 1926, and the whole colony was considered 'pacified' by 1929.[35]
The Spanish Civil War had a major impact on the colony. A group of 150 Spanish whites, including the Governor-General and Vice-Governor-General of Río Muni, created a socialist party called the Popular Front in the enclave which served to oppose the interests of the Fernando Pó plantation owners. When the War broke out Francisco Franco ordered Nationalist forces based in the Canaries to ensure control over Equatorial Guinea. In September 1936, Nationalist forces backed by Falangists from Fernando Pó took control of Río Muni, which under Governor-General Luiz Sanchez Guerra Saez and his deputy Porcel had backed the Republican government. By November, the Popular Front and its supporters had been defeated and Equatorial Guinea secured for Franco. The commander in charge of the occupation, Juan Fontán Lobé, was appointed Governor-General by Franco and began to exert more Spanish control over the enclave interior.[36]
Río Muni officially had a little over 100,000 people in the 1930s; escape into Cameroun or Gabon was easy. Fernando Pó thus continued to suffer from labour shortages. The French only briefly permitted recruitment in Cameroun, and the main source of labour came to be Igbo smuggled in canoes from Calabar in Nigeria. This resolution led to Fernando Pó becoming one of Africa's most productive agricultural areas after the Second World War.[29]
Final years of Spanish rule (1945–1968)
Politically, post-war colonial history has three fairly distinct phases: up to 1959, when its status was raised from "colonial" to "provincial", following the approach of the Portuguese Empire; between 1960 and 1968, when Madrid attempted a partial decolonisation aimed at keeping the territory as part of the Spanish system; and from 1968 on, after the territory became an independent republic. The first phase consisted of little more than a continuation of previous policies; these closely resembled the policies of Portugal and France, notably in dividing the population into a vast majority governed as 'natives' or non-citizens, and a very small minority (together with whites) admitted to civic status as emancipados, assimilation to the metropolitan culture being the only permissible means of advancement.[37]
This "provincial" phase saw the beginnings of nationalism, but chiefly among small groups who had taken refuge from the Caudillo's paternal hand in Cameroun and Gabon. They formed two bodies: the Movimiento Nacional de Liberación de la Guinea (MONALIGE), and the Idea Popular de Guinea Ecuatorial (IPGE). By the late 1960s, much of the African continent had been granted independence. Aware of this trend, the Spanish began to increase efforts to prepare the country for independence. The gross national product per capita in 1965 was $466, which was the highest in black Africa; the Spanish constructed an international airport at Santa Isabel, a television station and increased the literacy rate to 89%. In 1967, the number of hospital beds per capita in Equatorial Guinea was higher than Spain itself, with 1637 beds in 16 hospitals. By the end of colonial rule, the number of Africans in higher education was in only the double digits.[38]
A decision of 9 August 1963, approved by a referendum of 15 December 1963, gave the territory a measure of autonomy and the administrative promotion of a 'moderate' group, the Movimiento de Unión Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial (MUNGE). This was unsuccessful, and, with growing pressure for change from the UN, Madrid was gradually forced to give way to the currents of nationalism. Two General Assembly resolutions were passed in 1965 ordering Spain to grant independence to the colony, and in 1966, a UN Commission toured the country before recommending the same thing. In response, the Spanish declared that they would hold a constitutional convention on 27 October 1967 to negotiate a new constitution for an independent Equatorial Guinea. The conference was attended by 41 local delegates and 25 Spaniards. The Africans were principally divided between Fernandinos and Bubi on one side, who feared a loss of privileges and 'swamping' by the Fang majority, and the Río Muni Fang nationalists on the other. At the conference, the leading Fang figure, the later first president Francisco Macías Nguema, gave a controversial speech in which he claimed that Adolf Hitler had "saved Africa".[39] After nine sessions, the conference was suspended due to deadlock between the "unionists" and "separatists" who wanted a separate Fernando Pó. Macías resolved to travel to the UN to bolster international awareness of the issue, and his firebrand speeches in New York contributed to Spain naming a date for both independence and general elections. In July 1968 virtually all Bubi leaders went to the UN in New York to try and raise awareness for their cause, but the world community was uninterested in quibbling over the specifics of colonial independence. The 1960s were a time of great optimism over the future of the former African colonies, and groups that had been close to European rulers, like the Bubi, were not viewed positively.[40]
Independence under Macías (1968–1979)
Independence from Spain was gained on 12 October 1968, at noon in the country's then capital, Malabo. The new country became the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (the date is celebrated as the country's Independence Day[41]). Macías became president in the country's only free and fair election to date.[42] The Spanish (ruled by Franco) had backed Macías in the election; much of his campaigning involved visiting rural areas of Río Muni and promising that they would have the houses and wives of the Spanish if they voted for him.[citation needed] He had won in the second round of voting.
During the Nigerian Civil War, Fernando Pó was inhabited by many Biafra-supporting Ibo migrant workers and many refugees from the breakaway state fled to the island. The International Committee of the Red Cross began running relief flights out of Equatorial Guinea, but Macías quickly shut the flights down, refusing to allow them to fly diesel fuel for their trucks nor oxygen tanks for medical operations. The Biafran separatists were starved into submission without international backing.[43]
After the Public Prosecutor complained about "excesses and maltreatment" by government officials, Macías had 150 alleged coup-plotters executed in a purge on Christmas Eve 1969, all of whom were political opponents.[44] Macias Nguema further consolidated his totalitarian powers by outlawing opposition political parties in July 1970 and making himself president for life in 1972.[45][46] He broke off ties with Spain and the West. In spite of his condemnation of Marxism, which he deemed "neo-colonialist", Equatorial Guinea maintained special relations with communist states, notably China, Cuba, East Germany and the USSR. Macias Nguema signed a preferential trade agreement and a shipping treaty with the Soviet Union. The Soviets also made loans to Equatorial Guinea.[47] The shipping agreement gave the Soviets permission for a pilot fishery development project and also a naval base at Luba. In return, the USSR was to supply fish to Equatorial Guinea. China and Cuba also gave different forms of financial, military, and technical assistance to Equatorial Guinea, which got them a measure of influence there. For the USSR, there was an advantage to be gained in the war in Angola from access to Luba base and later on to Malabo International Airport.[47]
In 1974, the World Council of Churches affirmed that large numbers of people had been murdered since 1968 in an ongoing reign of terror. A quarter of the entire population had fled abroad, they said, while 'the prisons are overflowing and to all intents and purposes form one vast concentration camp'. Out of a population of 300,000, an estimated 80,000 were killed.[48] Apart from allegedly committing genocide against the ethnic minority Bubi people, Macias Nguema ordered the deaths of thousands of suspected opponents, closed down churches and presided over the economy's collapse as skilled citizens and foreigners fled the country.[49]
Obiang (1979–present)
The nephew of Macías Nguema, Teodoro Obiang deposed his uncle on 3 August 1979, in a bloody coup d'état; over two weeks of civil war ensued until Macías Nguema was captured. He was tried and executed soon afterward, with Obiang succeeding him as a less bloody, but still authoritarian president.[50]
In 1995, Mobil, an American oil company, discovered oil in Equatorial Guinea. The country subsequently experienced rapid economic development, but earnings from the country's oil wealth have not reached the population and the country ranks low on the UN human development index. 7.9% of children die before the age of 5, and more than 50% of the population lacks access to clean drinking water.[7] Obiang is widely suspected of using the country's oil wealth to enrich himself[51] and his associates. In 2006, Forbes estimated his personal wealth at $600 million.[52]
In 2011, the government announced it was planning a new capital for the country, named Oyala.[53][54][55][56] The city was renamed Ciudad de la Paz ("City of Peace") in 2017.
As of May 2026[update], Obiang is Africa's longest serving leader.[citation needed] Equatorial Guinea was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council 2018–2019.[57] On 7 March 2021, there were munition explosions at a military base near the city of Bata, causing 107 deaths.[58] In November 2022, Obiang was re-elected in the 2022 Equatorial Guinean general election with 99.7% of the vote amid accusations of fraud by the opposition.[59][60]
In 2024 it was published that mercenaries from the Wagner Group (now called "Africa Corps") had entered Equatorial Guinea at the request of Teodoro Obiang.[61] According to opponents, the objective of the mercenaries was to help consolidate a hypothetical succession of Obiang's power to his son "Teodorín".[62]
On 19 May 2025 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) granted Equatorial Guinea sovereignty over Mbanie Island, Cocoteros Island, and Conga Island in response to territorial claims that neighbouring Gabon had been making since 1972.[63][64]
On 10 November 2025 it was reported that the second Trump administration had sent $7.5M to the government of Equatorial Guinea to accept non-citizen deportees from the United States,[65] an amount far exceeding the total amount of U.S. aid sent to the country in the past eight years according to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.[66]
On 2 January 2026, Obiang officially declared Ciudad de la Paz as the country's new capital.[2]
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.[citation needed] The constitution defines the nation as a unitary state.[67] 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.[68] Since August 1979, some 12 perceived unsuccessful coup attempts have occurred.[69] According to a March 2004 BBC profile,[70] politics within the country were dominated by tensions with Obiang's son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.
In 2004, a planeload of suspected mercenaries was intercepted in Zimbabwe while allegedly on the way to overthrow Obiang. A November 2004 report[71] named Mark Thatcher as a financial backer of the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt organized by Simon Mann. Various accounts also named the United Kingdom's MI6, the United States' CIA, and Spain as tacit supporters of the coup attempt.[72] Nevertheless, the Amnesty International report released in June 2005 on the ensuing trial of those allegedly involved highlighted the prosecution's failure to produce conclusive evidence that a coup attempt had actually taken place.[73] Simon Mann was released from prison on 3 November 2009 for humanitarian reasons.[74]
Since 2005, Military Professional Resources Inc., a US-based international private military company, has worked in Equatorial Guinea to train police forces in appropriate human rights practices. In 2006, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed Obiang as a "good friend" despite repeated criticism of his human rights and civil liberties record. The US Agency for International Development entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Obiang in April 2006 to establish a social development fund in the country, implementing projects in the areas of health, education, women's affairs and the environment.[75]
In 2006, Obiang signed an anti-torture decree banning all forms of abuse and improper treatment in Equatorial Guinea, and commissioned the renovation and modernization of Black Beach prison in 2007 to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners.[76] However, human rights abuses have continued. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International among other non-governmental organizations have documented severe human rights abuses in prisons, including torture, beatings, unexplained deaths and illegal detention.[77][78] Obiang was re-elected to serve an additional term in 2009 in an election the African Union deemed "in line with electoral law".[79] Obiang re-appointed Prime Minister Ignacio Milam Tang in 2010.[80]
In November 2011, a new constitution was approved. The vote on the constitution was taken, though neither the text nor its content was revealed to the public before the vote. Under the new constitution, the president was limited to a maximum of two seven-year terms and would be both the head of state and head of the government, therefore eliminating the prime minister. The new constitution also introduced the figure of a vice president and called for the creation of a 70-member senate with 55 senators elected by the people and the 15 remaining designated by the president. In the following cabinet reshuffle, it was announced that there would be two vice-presidents in clear violation of the constitution that was just taking effect.[82]
In October 2012, during an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN, Obiang was asked whether he would step down at the end of the current term (2009–2016) since the new constitution limited the number of terms to two and he has been reelected at least 4 times. Obiang answered he refused to step aside because the new constitution was not retroactive and the two-term limit would only become applicable from 2016.[83]
The elections on 26 May 2013 combined the senate, lower house and mayoral contests in a single package. Like all previous elections, this was denounced by the opposition, and it too was won by Obiang's PDGE. During the electoral contest, the ruling party hosted internal elections, which were later scrapped. Clara Nsegue Eyi and Natalia Angue Edjodjomo, coordinators of the Movimiento de Protesta Popular (People's Protest Movement), were arrested. They were detained on 13 May. They called for a peaceful protest at the Plaza de la Mujer square on 15 May. Coordinator Enrique Nsolo Nzo was also arrested and taken to Malabo Central Police Station. Nsolo Nzo was released later that day without charge.[84]
Shortly after the elections, opposition party Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS) announced that they were going to protest peacefully against the 26 May elections on 25 June.[85] Interior minister Clemente Engonga refused to authorise the protest on the grounds that it could "destabilize" the country and CPDS decided to go forward, claiming constitutional right. On the night of 24 June, the CPDS headquarters in Malabo were surrounded by heavily armed police officers to keep those inside from leaving and thus effectively blocking the protest. Several leading members of CPDS were detained in Malabo and others in Bata were kept from boarding several local flights to Malabo.[86]
In 2016, Obiang was reelected for an additional seven-year term in an election that, according to Freedom House, was plagued by police violence, detentions and torture against opposition factions.[87]
Following the 2022 general elections, President Obiang's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea holds all of the 100 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and all of those in the Senate. The opposition is almost non-existent in the country and is organized from Spain mainly within the social-democratic Convergence for Social Democracy. Most of the media are under state control; the private television channels, those of the Asonga group, belong to the president's family.[88]
In their 2024 publishing, Transparency International awarded Equatorial Guinea a total score of 13 on their Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). CPI ranks countries by their perceived level of public corruption where zero is very corrupt and 100 is extremely clean. Equatorial Guinea was ranked 173rd out of a total of 180 countries.[89] Freedom House, a pro-democracy and human rights NGO, described Obiang as one of the world's "most kleptocratic living autocrats", and complained about the US government welcoming his administration and buying oil from it.[90] According to 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices, Equatorial Guinea is the 7th least democratic country in Africa.[91]
Armed forces
The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea consists of approximately 2,500 service members.[92] The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a gendarmerie, but the number of members is unknown.[93]
According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Equatorial Guinea is the 94th most peaceful country in the world.[94]
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.
Equatorial Guinea lies between latitudes 4°N and 2°S, and longitudes 5° and 12°E. Despite its name, no part of the country's territory lies on the equator—it is in the northern hemisphere, except for the insular Annobón Province, which is about 155 km (96 mi) south of the equator.
Climate
Equatorial Guinea has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. From June to August, Río Muni is dry and Bioko wet; from December to February, the reverse occurs. In between it, there is a gradual transition. Rain or mist occurs daily on Annobón, where a cloudless day has never been registered. The temperature at Malabo, Bioko, ranges from 16 °C (61 °F) to 33 °C (91 °F), though on the southern Moka Plateau, normal high temperatures are only 21 °C (70 °F). In Río Muni, the average temperature is about 27 °C (81 °F). Annual rainfall varies from 1,930 mm (76 in) at Malabo to 10,920 mm (430 in) at Ureka, Bioko, but Río Muni is somewhat drier.
Ecology
Equatorial Guinea spans several ecoregions. Río Muni region lies within the Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests ecoregion except for patches of Central African mangroves on the coast, especially in the Muni River estuary. The Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests ecoregion covers most of Bioko and the adjacent portions of Cameroon and Nigeria on the African mainland, and the Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests ecoregion covers the highlands of Bioko and nearby Mount Cameroon. The São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón moist lowland forests ecoregion covers all of Annobón, as well as São Tomé and Príncipe.[95]
The country had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.99/10, ranking it 30th globally out of 172 countries.[96]
- Ecology of Equatorial Guinea
-
Near Ciudad de la Paz
Wildlife
Equatorial Guinea is home to gorillas, chimpanzees, various monkeys, leopards, buffalo, antelope, elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and various snakes, including pythons.[97]
- Wildlife of Equatorial Guinea
Administrative divisions
Template:Provinces of Equatorial Guinea Image Map
Equatorial Guinea is divided into eight provinces.[98][99] The newest province is Djibloho, created in 2017 with its headquarters at Ciudad de la Paz, the country's capital.[100][101] The eight provinces are as follows (numbers correspond to those on the map; provincial capitals appear in parentheses):[98]
- Annobón (San Antonio de Palé)
- Bioko Norte (Malabo)
- Bioko Sur (Luba)
- Centro Sur (Evinayong)
- Djibloho (Ciudad de la Paz)
- Kié-Ntem (Ebebiyín)
- Litoral (Bata)
- Wele-Nzas (Mongomo)
The provinces are further divided into 19 districts and 37 municipalities.[102]
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.[103]
The discovery of large oil reserves in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue. As of 2004[update],[104] Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its oil production has risen to 360,000 barrels per day (57,000 m3/d), up from 220,000 only two years earlier. Oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea include ExxonMobil, Marathon Oil, Kosmos Energy and Chevron.[105][106]
In July 2004, the United States Senate published an investigation into Riggs Bank, a Washington, D.C.-based bank into which most of Equatorial Guinea's oil revenues were paid until recently, and which also banked for Chile's Augusto Pinochet. The Senate report showed at least $35 million siphoned off by Obiang, his family and regime senior officials. The president has denied any wrongdoing. Riggs Bank in February 2005 paid $9 million in restitution for Pinochet's banking, but no restitution was made with regard to Equatorial Guinea.[107]
Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Subsistence farming predominates. Agriculture is the country's main source of employment, providing income for 57% of rural households and employment for 52% of the workforce.[108] From 2000 to 2010, Equatorial Guinea had the highest average annual increase in GDP, 17%.[109]
Equatorial Guinea is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).[110] Equatorial Guinea is also a member of the Central African Monetary and Economic Union (CEMAC), a subregion that comprises more than 50 million people.[111] Equatorial Guinea tried to be validated as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)-compliant country. The country obtained candidate status on 22 February 2008; when Equatorial Guinea applied to extend the deadline for completing EITI's validation, the EITI Board did not agree to the extension.[112]
According to the World Bank, Equatorial Guinea has the highest gross national income (GNI) per capita of any African country, 83 times larger than the GNI per capita of Burundi, the poorest country.[113] However, Equatorial Guinea has extreme poverty brought about by wealth inequality.[114][115] According to the 2016 United Nations Human Development Report, Equatorial Guinea had a GDP per capita of $21,517, one of the highest levels of wealth in Africa. However, it is one of the most unequal countries in the world according to the Gini index, with 70 per cent of the population living on one dollar a day.[116] The country ranks 145th out of 189 on the United Nations Human Development Index in 2019.[88]
Hydrocarbons account for 97% of the state's exports, and it is a member of the African Petroleum Producers Organization. In 2020, it faces its eighth year of recession, due in part to endemic corruption.[88] The economy of Equatorial Guinea was expected to grow about 2.6% in 2021, a projection that was based on the successful completion of a large gas project and the recovery of the world economy by the second half of the year. But the country is expected to return to recession in 2022, with a real GDP decline of about 4.4%.[117] In 2022, the country's Gini coefficient was 58.8.[118]
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.[119]
Demographics
| Year | Million |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.2 |
| 2000 | 0.6 |
| 2020 | 1.4 |
The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of Bantu origin.[121] 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[122] 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. These dialects, while still intelligible, are more distinct. The Bubi, who constitute 15% of the population, are indigenous to Bioko Island. The traditional demarcation line between Fang and 'Beach' (inland) ethnic groups was the village of Niefang (limit of the Fang), east of Bata.
Coastal ethnic groups, sometimes referred to as Ndowe or "Playeros" (Beach People in Spanish): Combes, Bujebas, Balengues, and Bengas on the mainland and small islands, and Fernandinos, a Krio community on Bioko Island together comprise 5% of the population. Europeans (largely of Spanish or Portuguese descent, some with partial African ancestry) also live in the country, but most ethnic Spaniards left after independence.[citation needed]
A growing number of foreigners from neighbouring Cameroon, Nigeria, and Gabon have immigrated to the country. According to the Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations (2002) 7% of Bioko islanders were Igbo.[123] Equatorial Guinea received Asians and native Africans from other countries as workers on cocoa and coffee plantations. Other black Africans came from Liberia, Angola, and Mozambique. Most of the Asian population is Chinese, with small numbers of Indians.
Languages
Since its independence in 1968, the main official language of Equatorial Guinea has been Spanish (the local variant is Equatoguinean Spanish), which acts as a lingua franca among its different ethnic groups. In 1970, during Macías' rule, Spanish was replaced by Fang, the language of its majority ethnic group, to which Macías belonged. That decision was reverted in 1979 after Macías' fall. Spanish remained as its lone official language until 1998, when French was added as its second one, as it had previously joined the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), whose founding members are French-speaking nations, two of them (Cameroon and Gabon) surrounding its continental region.[124][125] Portuguese was adopted as its third official language in 2010.[126][127] Spanish has been an official language since 1844. It is still the language of education and administration. 67.6% of Equatorial Guineans can speak it, especially those living in the former capital, Malabo.[128] Spanish is spoken as a native language by a small minority usually in larger cities.[129][130]
French was only made official in order to join the Francophonie, and it is not locally spoken, except in some border towns; and Portuguese was only made official in order to join the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, so it too is not locally spoken, although the Annobonese and local Catholics have links to the language.
Aboriginal languages are recognised as integral parts of the "national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998, 21 January). Indigenous languages (some of them creoles) include Fang, Bube, Benga, Ndowe, Balengue, Bujeba, Bissio, Gumu, Igbo, Pichinglis, Fa d'Ambô and the nearly extinct Baseke. Most African ethnic groups speak Bantu languages.[131]
Fa d'Ambô, a Portuguese creole, is in use in Annobón Province, in Malabo, and on Equatorial Guinea's mainland. Many residents of Bioko can also speak Spanish, particularly in the capital, and the local trade language, Pichinglis, an English-based creole. Spanish is not spoken much in Annobón. In government and education, Spanish is used. Noncreolized Portuguese is used as a liturgical language by local Catholics.[132] The Annobonese ethnic community tried to gain membership in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). The government financed an Instituto Internacional da Língua Portuguesa (IILP) sociolinguistic study in Annobón. It documented strong links with the Portuguese creole populations in São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.[127]
Due to historical and cultural ties, in 2010, the legislature amended Article 4 of the Constitution of Equatorial Guinea to establish Portuguese as an official language of the Republic. This was an effort by the government to improve its communications, trade, and bilateral relations with Portuguese-speaking countries.[133][134][135] It also recognises long historical ties with Portugal and with Portuguese-speaking peoples of Brazil, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cape Verde.
Some of the motivations for Equatorial Guinea's pursuit of membership in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) included access to several professional and academic exchange programmes and facilitated cross-border circulation of citizens.[128] The adoption of Portuguese as an official language was the primary requirement to apply for CPLP acceptance. In addition, the country was told it must adopt political reforms allowing effective democracy and respect for human rights.[136] The national parliament discussed this law in October 2011.[137]
In February 2012, Equatorial Guinea's foreign minister signed an agreement with the IILP on the promotion of Portuguese in the country.[138][139] In July 2012, the CPLP refused Equatorial Guinea full membership, primarily because of its continued serious violations of human rights. The government responded by legalising political parties, declaring a moratorium on the death penalty, and starting a dialog with all political factions.[127][140]Template:New archival link needed Additionally, the IILP secured land from the government for the construction of Portuguese language cultural centres in Bata and Malabo.[127] At its tenth summit in Dili in July 2014, Equatorial Guinea was admitted as a CPLP member. Abolition of the death penalty and the promotion of Portuguese as an official language were preconditions of the approval.[141]
Religion
The principal religion in Equatorial Guinea is Christianity, the faith of 93% of the population. Roman Catholics make up the majority (88%), while a minority are Protestants (5%). Of the population, 2% follows Islam (mainly Sunni). The remaining 5% practise Animism, Baháʼí, and other beliefs,[142] and traditional animist beliefs are often mixed with Catholicism.[143]
Health
Equatorial Guinea's malaria programs in the early 21st century achieved success in reducing malaria infection and mortality.[144] Their program consists of twice-yearly indoor residual spraying (IRS), the introduction of artemisinin combination treatment (ACTs), the use of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women (IPTp), and the introduction of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (LLINs). Their efforts resulted in a reduction in all-cause under-five mortality from 152 to 55 deaths per 1,000 live births (down 64%), a drop that coincided with the launch of the program.[145]
In June 2014, four cases of polio were reported, making it the country's first outbreak of that disease.[146]
Education
Among sub-Saharan African countries, Equatorial Guinea has one of the highest literacy rates.[147] According to the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, as of 2015[update], 95.3% of the population age 15 and over were able to read and write in the country.[147] Under Francisco Macias, few children received any type of education. Under President Obiang, the illiteracy rate dropped from 73% to 13%,[125] and the number of primary school students rose from 65,000 in 1986 to more than 100,000 in 1994. Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14.[103]
The Equatorial Guinea government has partnered with Hess Corporation and The Academy for Educational Development (AED) to establish a $20 million education program for primary school teachers to teach modern child development techniques.[148] There are now 51 model schools whose active pedagogy will be a national reform.[needs update]
The country has one university, the Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial (UNGE), with a campus in Malabo and a Faculty of Medicine located in Bata on the mainland. In 2009 the university produced the first 110 national doctors. The Bata Medical School is supported principally by the government of Cuba and staffed by Cuban medical educators and physicians.[149]
Culture
In June 1984, the First Hispanic-African Cultural Congress was convened to explore the cultural identity of Equatorial Guinea.[103]
Tourism
As of 2020[update], Equatorial Guinea has no UNESCO World Heritage Site or tentative sites for the World Heritage List.[150] 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.[151][152]
Tourist attractions are the colonial quarter in Malabo, the southern part of Bioko where hikers can visit the Iladyi cascades and remote beaches with nesting turtles, Bata with its shoreline Paseo Maritimo and the tower of liberty, Mongomo with its basilica (the second largest Catholic church in Africa) and the planned capital Ciudad de la Paz.
Media and communications
The principal means of communication within Equatorial Guinea are three state-operated FM radio stations: the BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale and Gabon-based Africa No 1 broadcast on FM in Malabo. There is also an independent radio option called Radio Macuto; it is a web-based radio and news source known for publishing news that calls out Obiang's regime. There are also five shortwave radio stations. Televisión de Guinea Ecuatorial, the television network, is state-operated.[125][153] The international TV programme RTVGE is available via satellites in Africa, Europe, and the Americas and worldwide via the Internet.[154] There are two newspapers and two magazines.
Equatorial Guinea ranked 161st out of 179 countries in the 2012 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. The watchdog says the national broadcaster obeys the orders of the information ministry. Most of the media companies practice self-censorship, and are banned by law from criticising public figures. The state-owned media and the main private radio station are under the directorship of the president's son, Teodor Obiang.
Landline telephone penetration is low, with only two lines available per 100 people.[125] There is one GSM mobile telephone operator, with coverage of Malabo, Bata, and several mainland cities.[155][156] As of 2009[update], approximately 40% of the population subscribed to mobile telephone services.[125] The only telephone provider in Equatorial Guinea is Orange. According to the World Bank, there were more than a million Internet users by 2022.[157]
Music
Pan-African styles like soukous and makossa are popular, as are reggaeton, Latin trap, reggae and rock and roll.
Cinema
In 2014, the South African-Dutch-Equatorial Guinean drama film Where the Road Runs Out was shot in the country. There is also the documentary The Writer from a Country Without Bookstores.[158] It is openly critical of Obiang's regime.
Sports
Equatorial Guinea was chosen to co-host the 2012 African Cup of Nations in partnership with Gabon, and hosted the 2015 edition. The country was also chosen to host the 2008 Women's African Football Championship, which they won. The women's national team qualified for the 2011 World Cup in Germany. In June 2016, Equatorial Guinea was chosen to host the 12th African Games in 2019.
Equatorial Guinea is famous for the swimmers Eric Moussambani, nicknamed "Eric the Eel",[159] and Paula Barila Bolopa, "Paula the Crawler", who attended the 2000 Summer Olympics.[160]
Basketball has been increasing in popularity.[161]
See also
Notes
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References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCIAWorldFactbook - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Decreto Ley por el que se declara la Ciudad de la Paz, Djibloho, capital de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial". Guinea Ecuatorial (in Spanish). 2 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ↑ Appel, Hannah (13 December 2019). The Licit Life of Capitalism. Duke University Press. doi:10.1515/9781478004578. ISBN 978-1-4780-0457-8. S2CID 242248625.
- ↑ GDP – per capita (PPP) – Country Comparison Archived 10 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Indexmundi.com. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2025" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 6 May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ↑ "Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) | Data". data.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Equatorial Guinea profile". BBC. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ↑ "Guiné Equatorial oficializa português – Portugal – DN". 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2020 – via web.archive.org.
- ↑ "Guinea Ecuatorial se convierte en el valedor del español en África". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ↑ Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics, Fourth Edition. University of Toronto Press. 31 December 2022. ISBN 978-1-4875-3692-3.
- ↑ Worst of the Worst 2010. The World's Most Repressive Societies. freedomhouse.org
- ↑ Equatorial Guinea – Reporters Without Borders Archived 15 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. En.rsf.org. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.
- ↑ "Equatorial Guinea". Trafficking in Persons Report 2020 Archived 17 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. U.S. Department of State (16 June 2020). This source is in the public domain.
- ↑ Bostoen (K.), Clist (B.), Doumenge (C.), Grollemund (R.), Hombert (J.-M.), Koni Muluwa (J.) & Maley (J.), 2015, Middle to Late Holocene Paleoclimatic Change and the Early Bantu Expansion in the Rain Forests of Western Central Africa, Current Anthropology, 56 (3), pp.354–384.
- ↑ Clist (B.). 1990, Des derniers chasseurs aux premiers métallurgistes : sédentarisation et débuts de la métallurgie du fer (Cameroun, Gabon, Guinée-Equatoriale). In Lanfranchi (R.) & Schwartz (D.) éds. Paysages quaternaires de l'Afrique Centrale Atlantique. Paris : ORSTOM, Collection didactiques : 458–478
- ↑ Clist (B.). 1998. Nouvelles données archéologiques sur l'histoire ancienne de la Guinée-Equatoriale. L'Anthropologie 102 (2) : 213–217
- ↑ Sánchez-Elipe Lorente (M.). 2015. Las comunidades de la eda del hierro en África Centro-Occidental: cultura material e identidad, Tesi Doctoral, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid
- ↑ Skutsch, Carl, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 1-57958-468-3.
- ↑ Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy, p. 5. Peter Lang, New York. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4
- ↑ Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy, p. 6. Peter Lang, New York. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy, p. 6–7. Peter Lang, New York. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4
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- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy, p. 9. Peter Lang, New York. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4
- ↑ Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy, p. 8–9. Peter Lang, New York. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4
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- ↑ Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy. New York: Peter Lang. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4.
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- ↑ Fegley, Randall (1989). Equatorial Guinea: An African Tragedy, p. 51–52. Peter Lang, New York. ISBN 0-8204-0977-4
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCIA - ↑ "Guiné Equatorial" (in Portuguese). CPLP. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
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Sources
- D. L. Claret. Cien años de evangelización en Guinea Ecuatorial (1883–1983) / One Hundred Years of Evangelism in Equatorial Guinea (1983, Barcelona: Claretian Missionaries).
- Robert Klitgaard. 1990. Tropical Gangsters. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-08760-4. A World Bank economist tries to assist pre-oil Equatorial Guinea.
- Max Liniger-Goumaz, Small Is Not Always Beautiful: The Story of Equatorial Guinea (French 1986, translated 1989) ISBN 0-389-20861-2.
- Adam Roberts, The Wonga Coup: Guns, Thugs and a Ruthless Determination to Create Mayhem in an Oil-Rich Corner of Africa (2006, PublicAffairs) ISBN 1-58648-371-4.
Attribution Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.
Further reading
- Aixelà-Cabré, Yolanda. Spain's African Colonial Legacies: Morocco and Equatorial Guinea Compared (Brill, 2022) online review Archived 11 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- Lewis, Marvin. An Introduction to the Literature of Equatorial Guinea: Between Colonialism and Dictatorship. (2007). online Archived 13 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- McSherry, Brendan. "The Political Economy of Oil in Equatorial Guinea." African Studies Quarterly 8.3 (2006). online[permanent dead link]
- Sundiata, Ibrahim K. Equatorial Guinea: colonialism, state terror, and the search for stability (Routledge, 2019). online Archived 13 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- Ugarte, Michael. Africans in Europe: The culture of exile and emigration from Equatorial Guinea to Spain (University of Illinois Press, 2010) online Archived 13 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
External links
- Template:Wikiatlas
- Official Government of Equatorial Guinea website
- Guinea in Figures – Official Web Page of the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Archived 3 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
- Country Profile from BBC News.
- Equatorial Guinea Archived 9 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- Equatorial Guinea from UCB Libraries GovPubs (archived 7 June 2008)
- CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
- CS1 French-language sources (fr)
- CS1 Portuguese-language sources (pt)
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- 1968 establishments in Africa
- Countries in Central Africa
- Countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language
- Countries in Africa
- Former least developed countries
- Former Portuguese colonies
- Former Spanish colonies
- Countries and territories where French is an official language
- Member states of OPEC
- Member states of the African Union
- Member states of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries
- Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
- Member states of the United Nations
- Republics
- Countries and territories where Spanish is an official language
- States and territories established in 1968