Equatorial Guinea , officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish: República de Guinea Ecuatorial , ; French: République de Guinée Équatoriale ) is a country located in Central Africa. With an area of 28,000 km 2 it is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa. It has a population estimated at half a million. It comprises two parts: a Continental Region (Río Muni), including several small offshore islands like Corisco, Elobey Grande and Elobey Chico; and an Insular Region containing Annobón island and Bioko island (formerly Fernando Po ) where the capital Malabo is situated.
Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the east is the mainland region. Equatorial Guinea is bordered by Cameroon on the north, Gabon on the south and east, and the Gulf of Guinea on the west, where the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe is located between Bioko and Annobón. Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name is suggestive of its location near both the equator and the Gulf of Guinea. It is one of the few territories in mainland Africa where Spanish is an official language, besides the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Equatorial Guinea is the third smallest country in continental Africa in terms of population. It is also the second smallest United Nations (UN) member from continental Africa. The discovery of sizeable petroleum reserves in recent years is altering the economic and political status of the country. Equatorial Guinea has been cited as an example of the 'natural resource curse'; gross domestic product (GDP) per capita ranks 31 st in the world; however, most of the country's considerable oil wealth actually lies in the hands of only a few people. For example, despite its high GDP per capita rank, Equatorial Guinea ranks 115 th in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI) worldwide.
History
Main article: History of Equatorial GuineaIn continental region that is now Equatorial Guinea are believed to have been pygmies, of whom only isolated pockets remain in northern Río Muni. Bantu migrations between the 17th and 19th 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 Bubi were the very first human inhabitants of Bioko Island. The Annobon 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 territory in the American continent (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 Rio 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, 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 (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 October 12 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. The economy collapsed, and skilled citizens and foreigners left. Teodoro Obiang deposed Francisco Macías on August 3, 1979 in a bloody coup d'état.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea is located in west central Africa. The country consists of a mainland territory, Rio Muni, which is bordered by Cameroon to the north and Gabon to the east and south. Five small islands, Bioko, Corisco, Annabon, Small Elobey and Great Elobey are also part of the country. Bioko Island lies about 40 kilometers (24.9 mi) from Cameroon. Annobón Island lies about 595 kilometers (370 mi) between Cameroon and Gabon on the mainland. The rest of the islands are located near the continental region, and as adjacent islets to the main island.
Despite its name, no part of Equatorial Guinea's territory lies on the equator. The whole country lies within the Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests ecoregion.
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 obtains. In between 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 (60.8 °F) to 33 °C (91.4 °F), though on the southern Moka Plateau normal high temperatures are only 21 °C (69.8 °F). In Río Muni, the average temperature is about 27 °C (80.6 °F). Annual rainfall varies from 1,930 mm (76.0 in) at Malabo to 10,920 mm (429.9 in)) at Ureka, Bioko, but Río Muni is somewhat drier.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Equatorial GuineaThe president of Equatorial Guinea is Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The 1982 constitution of Equatorial Guinea gives Obiang extensive powers, including naming and dismissing members of the cabinet, making laws by decree, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives, negotiating and ratifying treaties and calling legislative elections. Obiang, a former brigadier general, retains his role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and minister of defence. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and operates under powers designated by the President. The Prime Minister coordinates government activities in areas other than foreign affairs, national defense and security.
On December 15, 2002, Equatorial Guinea's four main opposition parties withdrew from the country's presidential election. Obiang won an election widely considered fraudulent by members of the Western press.
The incumbent president has never equalled the bloodthirsty reputation of former dictator Francisco Macías Nguema, whom he overthrew. On Christmas of 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.
A huge proportion of the £370 million revenue is confiscated by the president while most of the 500,000 people subsist on less than a dollar a day, sewage runs through the streets of the capital Malabo, and there is no public transport and little drinking water or electricity.
According to a March 2004 BBC profile, 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 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. 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.
On February 29, 2008, President Obiang dissolved parliament and announced that municipal and parliamentary elections would be held on May 4. His decree also called for a presidential election in 2010.
Provinces and districts
Main article: Provinces of Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea is divided into seven provinces (capitals appear in parentheses):
- Annobón Province (San Antonio de Palé)
- Bioko Norte Province (Malabo)
- Bioko Sur Province (Luba)
- Centro Sur Province (Evinayong)
- Kié-Ntem Province (Ebebiyín)
- Litoral Province (Bata)
- Wele-Nzas Province (Mongomo)
The provinces are further divided int
Malabo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malabo (pronounced /məˈlɑːboʊ/) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast of Bioko Island (formerly Fernando Pó) on the rim of a sunken volcano. [1]
U.S. Embassy Photo Gallery
Photogallery United States Department of State ... Enter Gallery; Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Dr. Jendayi Frazer traveled to Equatorial Guinea Monday, February 13 ...
Chinese Embassy in Equatorial Guinea, China Embassy in Malabo
Information of China Embassy in Equatorial Guinea and its Economic & Commercial Counselor’s Office: Ambassador, Address, Mailing Address, Tel, Fax, Email
Equatorial Guinea national football team - Wikipedia, the free ...
Equatorial Guinea 2 - 0 Benin (Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; March 29, 2006) Equatorial Guinea 2 - 0 Sierra Leone (Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; June 1, 2008)
U.S. Embassy Photo Gallery
Photogallery United States Department of State ... Enter Gallery; On November 19-23, Embassy Malabo participated in International Education Week (IEW) with the first ever ...
Current local time in Equatorial Guinea – Malabo
Find out current local time in Malabo – Equatorial Guinea. Get Malabo's weather and area codes, time zone and DST. Explore Malabo's sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset.
Equatorial Guinea travel guide
Equatorial Guinea is a small country in Africa. The capital city Malabo is located on an island off the coast. The island of Bioko is really pretty, with a high mountain and a rough ...
Equatorial Guinea - Malabo
Official website of the U.S. representative office in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, though the accredited ambassador resides in Yaounde, Cameroon. With links to U.S government and ...
Equatorial Guinea
conjunct maneuvers between the naval forces in cameroon and equatorial guinea 09/15/09: the malabo district council of e.g.d.p. in preparation 09/11/09
Tropical Agriculture Equatorial Guinea Malabo
From its foundation in 1906, Camasa has been dedicated to agricultural development in the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea.