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| (Click to enlarge) |
| Equatorial Guinea |
| (Mapping Specialists, Ltd.) |

For more information on Equatorial Guinea, visit Britannica.com.
Land and People
Río Muni, located just north of the equator, is made up of lowland along the coast, which gradually rises in the interior to c.3,600 ft (1,100 m). Río Muni includes three major rivers-the Campo, which forms part of the northern boundary; the Benito, located in the center; and the Muni, which forms part of the southern boundary. There are forests of okume, mahogany, and walnut along the coast and the rivers. Bioko is made up of three extinct volcanoes, the loftiest of which is c.9,870 ft (3,010 m) high. The island has abundant fertile volcanic soil. Corisco and the Elobey islands are located near the the Muni estuary.
Most of the people in Equatorial Guinea belong to the Bantu ethnolinguistic group. The main ethnic group in Río Muni, where most of the population lives, is the Fang. The population of Bioko is primarily made up of the Bubi (the oldest of the modern-day inhabitants), descendants of slaves from W Africa liberated by the British in the 19th cent., and Nigerians and Fangs who migrated there in the 20th cent. Spanish and French are the official languages, but Fang, Bubi, and other indigenous languages are widely spoken. The population is nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic; some indigenous religions are practiced.
Economy
Subsistence farming is the predominant occupation in Equatorial Guinea, although only 5% of the land is arable. Prior to independence, the money economy was based on the production of cocoa (mostly on Bioko) and coffee and timber (in Río Muni). Following severe deterioration of the rural economy, the government has made efforts to increase production of these products to preindependence levels. Other agricultural products include rice, yams, cassava, bananas, and palm oil. Livestock are raised and there is a fishing industry. There is food processing, sawmilling, and the manufacture of basic consumer items. The discovery and exploitation of large offshore oil and natural gas deposits increased economic growth beginning in the late 1990s, but the oil and gas revenue, largely lost to government corruption, has not significantly improved the standard of living in the generally improverished nation. The country also has unexploited deposits of titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and gold. Both Río Muni and Bioko have substantial road networks; there are no railroads. Malabo is the main port.
The value of Equatorial Guinea's exports is considerably higher than the cost of its imports. The United States is the country's largest trading partner, followed by China, Spain, Italy, and France. The main exports are petroleum, methanol, timber, and cocoa; the chief imports are petroleum equpment and other machinery, foodstuffs, and beverages. Equatorial Guinea continues to depend heavily on foreign investment.
Government
Equatorial Guinea is governed under the constitution of 1991 as amended. The president, who is head of state, is popularly elected for a seven-year term; a two-term limit was adopted in 2011. The government is headed by a prime minister, who is appointed by the president. The unicameral legislature consists of the 100-seat House of People's Representatives, whose members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. However, the legislature has little power, as the constitution vests most authority in the president. Administratively, the country is divided into seven provinces.
History
Before Independence
Bioko was claimed by (and until 1972 named after) Fernão do Po, a Portuguese navigator, in 1472, and Annobón was also claimed. During the 17th cent. the mainland's indigenous pygmy peoples were displaced by other groups, principally the Fang, who now inhabit the area. In 1778, Portugal ceded the islands, and also the commercial rights to a part of the African coast that included present-day Río Muni, to the Spanish. Hoping to export Africans as slaves to their American possessions, the Spanish sent settlers to the islands, but they died of yellow fever, and by 1781 the region was abandoned by the Europeans.
From 1827 to 1843 the British leased bases at Malabo (then called Port Clarence) and San Carlos from Spain for use by their antislavery patrols, and some freed slaves were settled on Bioko (then called Fernando Po). In 1844 the Spanish reacquired Bioko and began to occupy it. In 1879, a Cuban penal settlement was established there, and some of the convicts remained on the island after being released from prison. The general region of Río Muni was awarded to Spain at the Conference of Berlin in 1885, and its boundaries were defined precisely in a treaty with France in 1900. The islands and Río Muni were grouped together as the colony of Spanish Guinea.
Under the Spanish, economic development was largely confined to Bioko, although some measures were taken in Río Muni beginning in the 1940s. By 1960, about 6,000 Europeans (mostly Spanish) were living in the colony, and they controlled the production of cocoa and timber. In 1959 the colony was reorganized into two overseas provinces of Spain, each under a governor. In a further move to assimilate the region to Spain, three Hispano-Guineans were elected to the Spanish Cortes in 1960. However, nationalists were not satisfied with assimilation and demanded independence.
Independence and Beyond
In 1963, Spain granted the country (renamed Equatorial Guinea) a limited amount of autonomy, and on Oct. 12, 1968, it received complete independence. The first president was Francisco Macías Nguema, a Fang from Río Muni. In 1969, there were violent anti-European demonstrations in Río Muni and most Europeans left the country, thus for a time severely dislocating the economy. In 1970 all political parties were merged into the United National party (PUN), headed by Macías Nguema, who in 1972 was appointed president for life. In 1973 a new constitution was adopted that abolished the nation's two semiautonomous provinces and created a unitary state.
Macías Nguema led a dictatorship characterized by campaigns against intellectuals and all those alleged to be plotting the overthrow of the regime; many were imprisoned, killed, or driven into exile. Nigerian migrant workers demanding higher wages were brutally suppressed, straining relations between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Relations with Cameroon and Gabon were also strained as refugees fled to those countries. Equatorial Guinea severed its diplomatic ties with Spain in 1977. Spanish plantation owners shut down their operations, foreign investment declined, and the nation suffered a severe drop in population, with some 25,000 to 80,000 of the country's inhabitants estimated to have been killed by the government.
In 1979 the military staged a coup, executing Macías Nguema and installing his nephew, Lt. Col. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, as head of the military and head of state. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo lifted restrictions on the Roman Catholic Church, freed political prisoners, encouraged refugees to return, and restored diplomatic ties with Western nations. Spain and France began to reinvest, and the European Community helped rehabilitate the road system. These efforts met with limited success.
In 1982 a new constitution was approved that called for a more democratic political structure, and a decade later legislation was passed providing for a multiparty democracy. However, by 1993, when legislative elections were held, only one party, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea (PDGE), held significant power, and the regime was widely denounced for its continued repression of opposition groups. In the 1996 multiparty presidential elections, which were boycotted by major opposition parties, the president won a landslide victory. In the late 1990s, over 100,000 citizens lived in exile abroad, and there was wide dissatisfaction with the slow pace of reform.
Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was reelected unopposed in 2002 after opposition candidates, expecting fraud, withdrew. In Mar., 2004, the government foiled an apparent coup attempt involving mainly South African mercenaries. British and South African mercenaries convicted (2004, 2008) of involvement in the attempt were pardoned in 2009. The national legislative elections two months later occurred in a climate of intimidation that assured a new total victory for the PDGE and its allies; a similar outcome followed the 2008 elections.
When police blamed Cameroonians for armed robberies in late 2007, hundreds of Cameroonians faced harassment in Equatorial Guinea; Equatoguineans in Cameroon were similarly harassed in revenge. There have been attacks against banks and other targets in Equatorial Guinea by gangs operating out of Nigeria's Niger delta region, most notably a Feb., 2009, assault against the presidential palace in Malabo. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was overwhelmingly reelected again in Nov., 2009; the result was denounced by the opposition and international human-rights organizations, who called the election unfair and not credible.
Bibliography
See M. Liniger-Goumaz, Historical Dictionary of Equatorial Guinea (1988); I. K. Sundiata, Equatorial Guinea: Colonialism, State Terror, and the Search for Stability (1990); R. Fegley, Equatorial Guinea (1991).
| Background: | Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards. |

| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon |
| Geographic coordinates: | 2 00 N, 10 00 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land boundaries: | total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km |
| Coastline: | 296 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical; always hot, humid |
| Terrain: | coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay |
| Land use: | arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Total renewable water resources: | 26 cu km (2001) |
| Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | total: 0.11 cu km/yr (83%/16%/1%) per capita: 220 cu m/yr (2000) |
| Natural hazards: | violent windstorms; flash floods |
| Environment - current issues: | tap water is not potable; deforestation |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | insular and continental regions widely separated |
| Population: | 633,441 (July 2009 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 134,823/female 130,308) 15-64 years: 54% (male 167,820/female 174,238) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 11,574/female 14,678) (2009 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18.9 years male: 18.3 years female: 19.6 years (2009 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.703% (2009 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 36.52 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | NA (2009 est.) |
| Urbanization: | urban population: 39% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 2.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 81.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 82.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 61.61 years male: 60.71 years female: 62.54 years (2009 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.08 children born/woman (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 3.4% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 11,000 (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 370 (2001 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever animal contact disease: rabies (2009) |
| Nationality: | noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean |
| Ethnic groups: | Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%, Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census) |
| Religions: | nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices |
| Languages: | Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes French (official), Fang, Bubi) (1994 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87% male: 93.4% female: 80.5% (2000 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): | total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2000) |
| Education expenditures: | 0.6% of GDP (2003) |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale former: Spanish Guinea |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | name: Malabo geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas |
| Independence: | 12 October 1968 (from Spain) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 12 October (1968) |
| Constitution: | approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 |
| Legal system: | partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Ignacio Milan TANG (since 8 July 2008); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 4 May 2008 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 89, EC 10, CPDS 1 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Tribunal |
| Political parties and leaders: | Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MICO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Electoral Coalition or EC; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Avelino MOCACHE]; Popular Union or UP |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | ASODEGUE (Madrid-based pressure group for democratic reform); Global Witness (anti-corruption) |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, CPLP (associate), FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: K-3, Carreterade Aeropuerto, al lado de Restaurante El Paraiso, Malabo; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 2220-1500 FAX: [237] 2220-1572 |
| Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red, with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice) |
| Economy - overview: | The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Government officials and their family members own most businesses. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2008, led by oil. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $19.37 billion (2008 est.) $17.42 billion (2007) $15.91 billion (2006) note: data are in 2008 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $20.16 billion (2008 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 11.2% (2008 est.) 9.5% (2007 est.) -1.9% (2006 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $31,400 (2008 est.) $29,000 (2007 est.) $27,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 2.7% industry: 92.6% services: 4.6% (2008 est.) |
| Labor force: | NA |
| Unemployment rate: | 30% (1998 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Investment (gross fixed): | 30% of GDP (2008 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $7.056 billion expenditures: $3.779 billion (2008 est.) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
| Public debt: | 9.3% of GDP (2008 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 7.5% (2008 est.) |
| Central bank discount rate: | 5.25% (31 December 2007) |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate: | 15% (31 December 2007) |
| Stock of money: | $835.2 million (31 December 2007) |
| Stock of quasi money: | $174.5 million (31 December 2007) |
| Stock of domestic credit: | NA |
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber |
| Industries: | petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 12.5% (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 27 million kWh (2006 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 25.11 million kWh (2006 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 94.3% hydro: 5.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Oil - production: | 368,500 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 918.3 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 375,400 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil - imports: | 1,070 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $1.837 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports: | $15.82 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa |
| Exports - partners: | US 20.6%, China 18.8%, Spain 13.9%, Taiwan 13.4%, France 7.5%, Japan 6.5%, Portugal 6.4% (2007) |
| Imports: | $3.211 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | petroleum sector equipment, other equipment |
| Imports - partners: | US 19.6%, Spain 13.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9%, France 9.6%, China 7.7%, Italy 6.6%, UK 6.4%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $5.517 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $1.652 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Currency (code): | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States |
| Currency code: | XAF |
| Exchange rates: | Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 481.83 (2007), 522.4 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004) note: since 1 January 1999, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; Central African CFA franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using West African CFA francs (XOF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 10,000 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 220,000 (2007) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: digital fixed-line network in most major urban areas and good mobile coverage domestic: fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2007 stood at about 40 percent of the population international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2001) |
| Radios: | 180,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2001) |
| Televisions: | 4,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .gq |
| Internet hosts: | 9 (2008) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2002) |
| Internet users: | 8,000 (2006) |
| Airports: | 6 (2008) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2008) |
| Pipelines: | gas 38 km (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 2,880 km (2000) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 1 by type: cargo 1 (2008) |
| Ports and terminals: | Bata, Malabo |
| Military branches: | National Guard (Guardia Nacional (Army), with Coast Guard (Navy) and Air Wing) (2008) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age (est.) for compulsory military service (2008) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 136,725 females age 16-49: 138,018 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 105,468 females age 16-49: 107,919 (2009 est.) |
| Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: | male: 6,983 female: 6,726 (2009 est.) |
| Military expenditures: | 0.1% of GDP (2006 est.) |
| Disputes - international: | in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River and imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision delay final delimitation; UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane and lesser islands and to create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay |
| Trafficking in persons: | current situation: Equatorial Guinea is primarily a destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and possibly for the purpose of sexual exploitation; children have been trafficked from nearby countries for domestic servitude, market labor, ambulant vending, and possibly sexual exploitation; women may also be trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from Cameroon, Benin, other neighboring countries, and China for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking, particularly in the areas of prosecuting and convicting trafficking offenders and failing to formalize mechanisms to provide assistance to victims; although the government made some effort to enforce laws against child labor exploitation, it failed to report any trafficking prosecutions or convictions in 2007; the government continued to lack shelters or formal procedures for providing care to victims (2008) |

| Republic of Equatorial Guinea
República de Guinea Ecuatorial (Spanish)
République de Guinée équatoriale (French) República da Guiné Equatorial (Portuguese) |
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| Motto: Unidad, Paz, Justicia (Spanish) Unité, Paix, Justice (French) Unidade, Paz, Justiça (Portuguese) Unity, Peace, Justice |
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| Anthem: Caminemos pisando las sendas de nuestra inmensa felicidad Let us walk the path of our Immense Happiness |
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Location of Equatorial Guinea (dark blue)
– in Africa (light blue & dark grey) |
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| Capital | Malabo 3°45′N 8°47′E / 3.75°N 8.783°E |
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| Largest city | Bata | |||||
| Official language(s) | ||||||
| Recognised regional languages | Fang, Bube, Annobonese | |||||
| Ethnic groups (1994) | 85.7% Fang 6.5% Bubi 3.6% Mdowe 1.6% Annobon 1.1% Bujeba 1.4% other (Spanish)[1] |
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| Demonym | Equatoguinean, Equatorial Guinean | |||||
| Government | Unitary presidential republic | |||||
| - | President | Teodoro Obiang | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Vicente Ehate Tomi | ||||
| Legislature | Chamber of People's Representatives | |||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | from Spain | 12 October 1968 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 28,050 km2 (144th) 10,830 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | fresh water negligible, but a significant slice of the Atlantic Ocean is within its boundaries | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2009 estimate | 676,000[2] (166th) | ||||
| - | Density | 24.1/km2 (187th) 62.4/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $24.146 billion[3] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $34,824[3] (22nd) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $14.006 billion[3] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $20,200[3] | ||||
| HDI (2010) | ||||||
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
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| Time zone | West Africa Time (UTC+1) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+1) | ||||
| Drives on the | right side | |||||
| ISO 3166 code | GQ | |||||
| Internet TLD | .gq | |||||
| Calling code | 240 | |||||
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea,[5] is a country located in Central Africa. Equatorial Guinea has two parts: a Continental Region (Río Muni) which has several small offshore islets such as Corisco, Elobey Grande, and Elobey Chico attached to it politically. There are also two populated Islands of Equatorial Guinea, Bioko island (formerly Fernando Po), in the extreme north—where the capital city of Malabo is located—and Annobón Island in the extreme south, off the coast of Gabon, and south of the Equator.
Annobon Island is the southmost island of Equatorial Guinea, and this island is located just south of the Equator. Bioko Island contains the northmost part of Equatorial Guinea. Between these two islands and located east of them is the area of Rio Muni on the mainland. Equatorial Guinea has actual international borders with Cameroon on its north, and Gabon on its south, southeast, and east. To the country's west is found the Gulf of Guinea (part of the Atlantic Ocean). Also, the country of São Tomé and Príncipe is located in the ocean between Bioko and Annobón. There are boundaries between the Exclusive economic zones of that islamd country and Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea was formerly part of the Spanish Empire, namely the colony of Spanish Guinea. Its name after independence comes from the facts of its location near the Equator and also the Gulf of Guinea. Other than in the Spanish inclaves of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern coast of Morocco and the Canary Islands located off the northern African coast, Equatorial Guinea is the only part of Africa with Spanish as one of its official languages.
With a land area of about 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi), Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest countries of Africa. This is also the richest country per capita in Africa [6] but the money is distributed quite unevenly. 70 percent of its population lives under the United Nations Poverty Threshold of $2.00 per day.
With a population of about 650,700, Equatorial Guinea is the third-smallest country in Africa.[7]
Equatorial Guinea is also the second-smallest member of the United Nations in Africa by area, even if island countries like the Cape Verde Islands are included.
The discovery of significamt deposits of oil and natural gas in Equatorial Guinea, especially offshore, during the past two or three decades is changing the economic status of the country. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of Equatorial Guinea is about number 28 in the world.[8] However, most of the present and past income from petroleum is held in by a relatively-few of its citizens.
Equatorial Guinea reportedly 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[9] and Reporters Without Borders ranks President Obiang among its "predators" of press freedom.[10] Out of 44 sub-Saharan countries, Equatorial Guinea ranks 9th highest in the Human Development Index (HDI) and 115th overall, which is among the medium HDI countries.
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Equatorial Guinea is located in west 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, Small Elobey, and Great Elobey. Bioko, the site of the capital city of Malabo, is found about 40 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Cameroon. Annobón island is about 350 kilometers (220 mi) west-southwest 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 four degrees north latitude and two degrees south latitude. This county rests between five degrees west longitude and 12 degrees east longitude. No part of Equatorial Guinea is actually crossed by the Equator. Most of Equatorial Guinea is the Northern Hemisphere, excepting only the island of Annabon, which lies about 155 kilometers south of the Equator.
Equatorial Guinea spans several ecoregions. The region of Río Muni lies within the Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests ecoregion except for groves of Central African mangroves trees along its the coast, especially in the Muni River estuary. The Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests ecoregion covers most of Bioko. and also the adjacent parts of Cameroon and Nigeria. Also, there are the Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests that cover 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.
Equatorial Guinea has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. From June to August, Río Muni is dry, and Bioko is rainy. From December through February, the opposite situation is found. In the months between these, there is 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.[11]
In the continental region that is now Equatorial Guinea there are believed to have been pygmies, of whom only isolated pockets remain in southern Río Muni. Bantu migrations between the 18th and 20th centuries brought the coastal tribes and later the Fang. Elements of the latter may have generated the Bubi, who emigrated to Bioko from Cameroon and Rio Muni in several waves and succeeded former Neolithic populations. The Annobón population, native to Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via São Tomé island (São Tomé and Príncipe).
The Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó, seeking a path to India, is credited as being the first European to discover the island of Bioko in 1472. He called it Formosa ("Beautiful"), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer. The islands of Fernando Pó and Annobón were colonized by Portugal in 1474.
In 1778, the island, adjacent islets, and commercial rights to the mainland between the Niger and Ogoue Rivers were ceded to Spain in exchange for South America´s territory Sacramento (Treaty of El Pardo, between Queen Maria I of Portugal and King Charles III of Spain). Between 1778 and 1810, the territory of Equatorial Guinea depended administratively on the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, with seat in Buenos Aires.
From 1827 to 1843, the United Kingdom established a base on the island to combat the slave trade,[12] which was then moved to Sierra Leone upon agreement with Spain in 1843. In 1844, on restoration of Spanish sovereignty, it became known as the Territorios Españoles del Golfo de Guinea Ecuatorial. The mainland portion, Rio Muni, became a protectorate in 1885 and a colony in 1900. Conflicting claims to the mainland were settled by the Treaty of Paris in 1900, and periodically, the mainland territories were united administratively under Spanish rule. Between 1926 and 1959 they were united as the colony of Spanish Guinea.
In September 1968, Francisco Macías Nguema was elected first president of Equatorial Guinea, and independence was recognised on 12 October 1968. In July 1970, Nguema created a single-party state. Nguema’s reign of terror led to the death or exile of up to 1/3 of the country's population. Out of a population of 300,000, an estimated 80,000 had been killed.[13][14] The economy collapsed, and skilled citizens and foreigners left.[15] Teodoro Obiang deposed Francisco Macías Nguema on 3 August 1979, in a bloody coup d'état.
In 2011 the government announced it was planning a new capital in the country, named Djibloho.[16][17][18][19]
The current president of Equatorial Guinea is Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The 1982 constitution of Equatorial Guinea, written following the 1979 deposition of dictator Francisco Macías Nguema and with help from the UN, gives the presidency extensive powers, including naming and dismissing members of the cabinet, making laws by decree, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives, negotiating and ratifying treaties and serving as commander in chief of the armed forces. The Prime Minister, Ignacio Milam Tang, is appointed by the President, and he operates under powers designated by the President.
On Christmas 1975, Macías had 150 alleged coup plotters executed to the sound of a band playing Mary Hopkin's tune Those Were the Days in a national stadium.[20] It is estimated that 100,000 people (approximately one-third of the population) were killed or fled into exile during Macías' reign.[21]
President Obiang overthrew previous dictator Francisco Macías Nguema on 3 August 1979 in a bloody coup d'état. Since August 1979 some 12 real and perceived unsuccessful coup attempts have occurred. The 'real' coup attempts were often perpetrated in an attempt by rival elites to seize the state's economic resources.[21]
Under President Obiang, the U.S. Agency for International Development entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, 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.[22]
Since 2005, Military Professional Resources Inc., a U.S. based international private military company, has worked in Equatorial Guinea to train police forces in appropriate human rights practices. In February 2010, Equatorial Guinea signed a contract with the MPRI subsidiary of the US defense corporation, L3 Communications for coastal surveillance and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.[23][24]
Although President Obiang signed a national anti-torture decree in 2006 to ban 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,[25] human rights abuses continue. 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.[26][27]
Under President Obiang, the basic infrastructure of Equatorial Guinea has also improved. Asphalt now covers more than 80% of the national roads and ports and airports are being built across the entire country.[28] Progress of this increase in infrastructure was confirmed in October 2011 when a British parliamentary delegation and press entourage toured the country as guests of the president. However, despite all the new infrastructure there were very few of its citizens who seemed to have access to it, with reports of empty three lane highways and many empty buildings during the course of the tour according to a journalist who represented The Guardian newspaper who formed part of the press entourage.[29]
According to a March 2004 BBC profile,[30] politics within the country are currently dominated by tensions between Obiang's son, Teodorin, and other close relatives with powerful positions in the security forces. The tension may be rooted in power shift arising from the dramatic increase in oil production which has occurred since 1997.
A November 2004 report[31] named Mark Thatcher as a financial backer of a 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt to topple Obiang, organized by Simon Mann. Various accounts also name the United Kingdom's MI6, the United States' CIA, and Spain as having been tacit supporters of the coup attempt.[32] Nevertheless, the Amnesty International report released in June 2005[33] 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.
Simon Mann was released from prison on 3 November 2009 for humanitarian reasons. The presidential decree pardoning Mann from prison cites concerns about his physical health and the need for him to receive ongoing care in his home country.[34]
President Obiang was re-elected to serve an additional term in 2009 in an election deemed by the African Union as “in line with electoral law”.[35] The President reappointed Prime Minister Ignacio Milam Tang and installed a new government in Equatorial Guinea on 12 January 2010.[36]
The new government is dedicated to strengthening the “cooperation and friendship” with the Barack Obama administration. During a meeting on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly, President Obiang urged President Obama to institute a U.S–Africa summit, to strengthen the cooperation between the United States and Africa.[28]
Equatorial Guinea is divided into seven provinces (capitals appear in parentheses):
The provinces are further divided into districts.
Pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings. On 1 January 1985, the country became the first non-Francophone African member of the franc zone, adopting the CFA as its currency. The national currency, the ekwele, was previously linked to the Spanish peseta.[37]
The discovery of large oil reserves in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation have contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue. As of 2004,[38] 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.
Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. The deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished any potential for agriculture-led growth.
In July 2004, the United States Senate published an investigation into Riggs Bank, a Washington-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, as to Equatorial Guinea, showed that at least $35 million were siphoned off by Obiang, his family and senior officials of his regime. The president has denied any wrongdoing. While Riggs Bank in February 2005 paid $9 million as restitution for its banking for Chile's Augusto Pinochet, no restitution was made with regard to Equatorial Guinea, as reported in detail in an Anti-Money Laundering Report from Inner City Press.[39]
Equatorial Guinea is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).[40]
Equatorial Guinea tried to become validated as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)–compliant country, working toward transparency in reporting of oil revenues and the prudent use of natural resource wealth. The country was one of 30 candidate countries and obtained candidate status 22 February 2008. It was then required to meet a number of obligations to do so, including committing to working with civil society and companies on EITI implementation, appointing a senior individual to lead on EITI implementation, and publishing a fully costed Work Plan with measurable targets, a timetable for implementation and an assessment of capacity constraints. However, when Equatorial Guinea applied to extend the deadline for completing EITI validation, the EITI Board did not agree to grant Equatorial Guinea an extension.[41]
According to the World Bank, Equatorial Guinea has the highest GNI (Gross National Income) per capita of any other Sub-Saharan country. It is 83 times larger than the GNI per capita of Burundi which is the poorest country.[42]
The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of Bantu origin.[citation needed] The largest tribe, the Fang, is indigenous to the mainland, but substantial migration to Bioko Island has resulted in the Fang population exceeding that of the earlier Bantu inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population[43] and comprise 67 clans. Those in the northern part of Rio 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 neighboring Cameroon (Bulu) and Gabon. These dialects, while still intelligible, are more distinct. The Bulu Fang of Cameroon were traditional rivals of Fang in Rio Muni. The Bubi, who constitute 15% of the population, are indigenous to Bioko Island. The traditional demarcation line between Fang and beach tribes was the village of Niefang (limit of the Fang) inland from Bata.
In addition, there are coastal tribes, 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, these groups compose 5% of the population. Some Europeans (largely of Spanish or Portuguese descent) – among them mixed with African ethnicity – also live in the nation. Most Spaniards left after independence. There is a growing number of foreigners from neighboring Cameroon, Nigeria, and Gabon. Equatorial Guinea received Asians and black 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.
Equatorial Guinea also allowed many fortune-seeking European settlers of other nationalities, including British, French and Germans. There is also a group of Israelis, and Moroccans. After independence, thousands of Equatorial Guineans went to Spain. Another 100,000 Equatorial Guineans went to Cameroon, Gabon, and Nigeria because of the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema. Some Equatorial Guinean communities are also to be found in Latin America, the United States, Portugal, and France. Oil extraction has contributed to a doubling of the population in Malabo.
The principal religion in Equatorial Guinea is Christianity which is the faith of 93% of the population. These are predominately Roman Catholic (87%) while a minority are Protestants (5%). Another 5% of the population follow indigenous beliefs and the final 2% comprises Muslims, Bahá'í Faith, and other beliefs.[44]
The official languages are Spanish (for the local variety see Equatoguinean Spanish), French, and Portuguese. However, the government's official homepage states that: "Spanish is the official administrative language and that of education. French is the second official language and nearly all the ethnic groups speak the languages referred to as Bantu."[45]
Indigenous languages include Fang, Bube, Benga, Pichinglis, Ndowe, Balengue, Bujeba, Bissio, Gumu, nearly extinct Baseke, and others, as well as Annobonese language (Fá d'Ambô) a Portuguese creole, and Fernando Poo Creole English.[citation needed] English and German are also studied as foreign languages.[citation needed]
Aboriginal languages are recognized as integral parts of the "national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998 January 21). The great majority of Equatorial Guineans speak Spanish,[46] especially those living in the capital, Malabo. Spanish has been an official language since 1844.
Some media reported that in October 2011, the Constitutional Law that amends article four of the Constitution of Equatorial Guinea was enacted by Chamber of People's Representatives. This Constitutional Law established the third official language of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea – Portuguese (by that time only the Spanish and French had official status). This was in an effort by the government to improve its communications, trade, and bilateral relations with Portuguese-speaking countries.[47] The adoption of Portuguese followed the announcement in 13 July 2007, by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of his government's decision for Portuguese to become Equatorial Guinea's third official language, in order to meet one of the requirements to apply for full membership in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), the other one being political reforms allowing for effective democracy and the respect for human rights. This upgrading from its current Associate Observer condition would result in Equatorial Guinea being able to access several professional and academic exchange programs and the facilitation of cross-border circulation of citizens. Its application for membership of the CPLP is currently being assessed by the organisations' members.[46] According to draft of the Constitutional Law: “This Constitutional Law will go into effect twenty days from its publication in the Official State Gazette”.[48] In October 2011, the national parliament was discussing this law.[49] So far no official confirmation of approving the decree by the Parliament nor published it in the Official State Gazette. Moreover official Equatorial Guinean sources, do not treat Portuguese as an official language yet.[50]
In February 2012, Equatorial Guinea's foreign minister signed an agreement with the IILP (Instituto Internacional de Língua Portuguesa) on the promotion of Portuguese in Equatorial Guinea.[51] [52]
In June 1984, the First Hispanic-African Cultural Congress was convened to explore the cultural identity of Equatorial Guinea. The congress constituted the center of integration and the marriage of the Hispanic culture with African cultures.[37]
Under the regime of Francisco Macias, education had been significantly neglected with few children receiving any type of education. Under President Obiang, the illiteracy rate dropped from 73 percent to 13 percent [53] and the number of primary school students has risen 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.[37]
The Equatorial Guinea government has also partnered with Hess Corporation and The Academy for Educational Development (AED) to establish a $20 million education program through which primary school teachers participate in a training program to teach modern child development techniques.[54] There are now 51 Model Schools, one for every state. It is hoped the active pedagogy in the Model Schools will be a national reform.
In recent years, with change in economic/political climate and government social agendas, several cultural dispersion and literacy organizations are now located in the country, founded chiefly with the financial support of the Spanish government. 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.[28] The Bata Medical School is supported principally by the government of Cuba and staffed by Cuban medical educators and physicians, however, it is predicted that Equatorial Guinea will have enough national doctors in the country to be self-sufficient within the next five years.[28]
Equatorial Guinea’s innovative malaria control programs have had a remarkable impact on malaria infection, disease, and mortality in the population.[55] 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 very high coverage with long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets (LLINs). The result of their efforts resulted in a reduction in all-cause under-five mortality from 152 to 55 deaths per 1,000 live births (down 64%); and the drop occurred rapidly and timed directly with the beginning of the program.[56]
Every airline registered in the country appears on the list of air carriers prohibited in the European Union (EU) which means that they are banned for safety reasons from operating services of any kind within the EU.[57]
Due to the large oil presence in the country, internationally recognised carriers fly to Malabo (Bioko). The carriers include:
The principal means of communication within the country are three state-operated FM radio stations; there are also five shortwave radio stations. There are two newspapers and two magazines. Television Nacional, the television network, is state operated.[58][59] The international TV programme RTVGE is available via satellites in Africa, Europa, and the Americas and worldwide via Internet.[60]
Most of the media companies practice heavy 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 Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the president's son.
Landline telephone penetration is low, with only two lines available for every 100 persons.[59] There is one GSM mobile telephone operator, with coverage of Malabo, Bata, and several mainland cities.[61][62] As of 2009, approximately forty percent of the population subscribed to mobile telephone services.[63] The only telephone provider in Equatorial Guinea is Orange.
Equatorial Guinea has nine (as of 2009) Internet service providers, which serve more than 8,000 users.[59]
Equatorial Guinea has been chosen to co-host the 2012 African Cup of Nations in partnership with Gabon. The Equatorial Guinea won their first game against Libya 1-0 in group A. 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.
Equatorial Guinea is famous for the national swimming champion Eric Moussambani, nicknamed "Eric the Eel".[citation needed]
Frederick Forsyth's 1974 novel The Dogs of War is set in the fictional platinum-rich 'Republic of Zangaro', which is based on Equatorial Guinea. There is also a 1981 film adaptation of the book, also called The Dogs of War.
Fernando Po (now Bioko) is featured prominently in the 1975 science fiction work The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. The island (and, in turn, the country) experience a series of coups in the story which lead the world to the verge of nuclear war. The story also hypothesizes that Fernando Po is the last remaining piece of the sunken continent of Atlantis.
Most of the action in the American novelist Robin Cook's book, Chromosome 6, takes place at a primate research facility based in Equatorial Guinea due to the country's permissive laws. The book also discusses some of the geography, history, and peoples of the country.
Episode 2 of the British sitcom Yes Minister, "The Official Visit", situates the fictional lesser developed country of Buranda in what is actually Equatorial Guinea.
In the 2009 novel Limit by Frank Schätzing, which takes place in 2025, the country's history (and future history) plays a significant role in the plot.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - Ækvatorial Guinea
Français (French)
n. - Guinée-Équatoriale
Deutsch (German)
n. - Äquatorial-Guinea
Português (Portuguese)
n. - Guinea Equatorial
Español (Spanish)
n. - Guinea Ecuatorial
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
赤道几内亚
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 赤道幾內亞
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - גיניאה המשוונית
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