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Equatorial Guinea

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Coordinates: 1°55′29.34″N 10°06′41.94″E / 1.9248167°N 10.1116500°E / 1.9248167; 10.1116500
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República de Guinea Ecuatorial   Template:Es icon
République de Guinée Équatoriale  Template:Fr icon
Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Motto: Unidad, Paz, Justicia  Template:Es icon
Unité, Paix, Justice  Template:Fr icon
Unity, Peace, Justice
Anthem: Caminemos pisando la senda
Location of Equatorial Guinea
Capital
and largest city
Malabo
Official languagesSpanish and French
Recognised regional languagesFang, Bube, Annobonese
National languageSpanish
Ethnic groups
85.7% Fang, 6.5% Bubi, 3.6% Mdowe, 1.6% Annobon, 1.1% Bujeba, 1.4% other (Spanish)[1]
Demonym(s)Equatoguinean, Equatorial Guinean
GovernmentPresidential Republic
• President
Teodoro Obiang
Ignacio Milam
Independence
• from Spain
October 12, 1968
Area
• Total
28,051 km2 (10,831 sq mi) (144th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2009 estimate
676,000[2] (166th)
• Density
24.1/km2 (62.4/sq mi) (187th)
GDP (PPP)2008 estimate
• Total
$22.389 billion[3]
• Per capita
$18,058[3]
GDP (nominal)2008 estimate
• Total
$18.525 billion[3]
• Per capita
$14,941[3]
HDI (2007)Increase 0.717 [4]
Error: Invalid HDI value (115th)
CurrencyCentral African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+1 (not observed)
Drives onright
Calling code240
ISO 3166 codeGQ
Internet TLD.gq

Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish: República de Guinea Ecuatorial, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðe ɣiˈne.a ekwatoˈɾjal]; French: République de Guinée Équatoriale) is a country located in Central Africa. With an area of 28,000 km2 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.[5] 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 31st in the world[6]; 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 115th in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI) worldwide.

History

Main article: History of Equatorial Guinea

The first inhabitants of the 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,[7] 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 in October.[8] 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.[9][10] The economy collapsed, and skilled citizens and foreigners left.[11] Teodoro Obiang deposed Francisco Macías on August 3, 1979 in a bloody coup d'état.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is located in west central Africa. 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. Near to the continental region are located the islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico, and adjacent islets.

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.[12]

Politics

Main article: Politics of Equatorial Guinea
Map of Equatorial Guinea

The 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,[13] 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.[citation needed]

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.[14]

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.[15]

According to a March 2004 BBC profile,[16] 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[17] 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.[18] Nevertheless, the Amnesty International report released in June 2005[19] 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.[20]

Provinces and districts

Main article: Provinces of Equatorial Guinea
Provinces of Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is divided into seven provinces (capitals appear in parentheses):

  1. Annobón Province (San Antonio de Palé)
  2. Bioko Norte Province (Malabo)
  3. Bioko Sur Province (Luba)
  4. Centro Sur Province (Evinayong)
  5. Kié-Ntem Province (Ebebiyín)
  6. Litoral Province (Bata)
  7. Wele-Nzas Province (Mongomo)

The provinces are further divided into districts.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Equatorial Guinea

Pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings. It had the highest per capita income of Africa in 1959.

The discovery of large oil reserves in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation have contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue. As of 2004,[21] Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its oil production has risen to 360,000 barrels/day, 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.

Despite a per capita GDP (PPP) of more than US$30,000[22][23], Equatorial Guinea ranks 121st out of 177 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.

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.[24]

On August 9, 2006, Harper's Magazine published an article by Ken Silverstein highlighting Obiang's recent connections with the US State Department and Independence Federal Savings Bank.[25]

While Equatorial Guinea is currently one of the largest producers of oil in Africa, few improvements have been made to the living conditions of the people and most live in poverty. It has one of the ten last ranks among the countries on the Corruption Perception Index.

Equatorial Guinea is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).[26]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinean children of Bubi descent.

The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of Bantu origin. The largest tribe, the Fang, is indigenous to the mainland, but substantial migration to Bioko Island has resulted in Fang dominance over the earlier Bantu inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population 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.

File:Fang in Equatorial Guinea.jpg
Equatorial Guinean children of Fang descent.

In addition, there are coastal tribes, sometimes referred to as "Playeros" (Beach People in Spanish): Ndowes, Bujebas, Balengues, Kombis, and Bengas on the mainland and small islands, and "Fernandinos", a Creole community, on Bioko. 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, which are employed at the Centro Médico La Paz in Bata[citation needed]. 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 of its communities also live in Latin America, the United States, Portugal, and France. Oil extraction has contributed to a doubling of the population in Malabo.

Religion in Equatorial Guinea
religion percent
Christian
 
 67%
Islam
 
 31%
Other
 
 2%

Religion

The principal religion in Equatorial Guinea is Christianity which is the faith of 93% of the population. These are predominately Catholic (87%) while a minority are Protestants or other denominations (5%). Another 5% of the population follow indigenous beliefs and the final 2% comprises Muslims, followers of Baha'i and other beliefs.[27]

Official languages

The Constitutional Law which amends article 4 of the Fundamental Law of the State establishes that the official languages of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea are Spanish and French. The aboriginal languages are recognized as integral parts of the national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998 of January 21). The great majority of Equatorial Guineans speak Spanish,[28] especially those living in the capital, Malabo. Spanish has been an official language since 1844. In July 2007, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema announced his government's decision for Portuguese to become Equatorial Guinea's third official language, in order to meet the requirements to apply for full membership in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). 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 is currently being assessed by other CPLP members[28], although the CPLP website already states that Portuguese is Equatorial Guinea's third official language.[29][failed verification] Official numbers: Spanish (90.5%), Native languages (including fang, bube, and others, 7%), French (2%), Others (mainly English, or German, 1.5%).

Education

Main articles: Culture of Equatorial Guinea and Music of Equatorial Guinea

Several cultural dispersion and literacy organizations are 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. The Bata Medical School is supported principally by the government of Cuba and staffed by Cuban medical educators and physicians.

Transportation

Main article: Transport in Equatorial Guinea

Air travel

Every airline registered in this country appears on the list of air carriers prohibited in the European Union (EU) which means that it is banned for safety reasons from operating services of any kind within the EU. [30]


Getting to Equatorial Guinea from Europe however is a different story. Due to the big-oil presence in the country, internationally recognised carriers fly to Malabo (Bioko) on a daily basis. The carriers include:

Air France - Flights 7 days a week during the European summer, 5-6 days a week during winter, departing Paris, France

Lufthansa - Flights 2-3 days a week, departing Frankfurt, Germany

Swiss Air - Flights 1-2 days a week, departing Zurich, Switzerland

Iberia - Flights 1-2 days a week, departing Madrid, Spain

Communications

Main article: Telecommunications in Equatorial Guinea

The principal means of communication within the country are three state-operated FM radio stations. There are also five shortwave radio stations. There are also two newspapers and two magazines. Television Nacional, the television network, is state operated.[31][32]

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.[32] There is one GSM mobile telephone operator, with coverage of Malabo, Bata, and several mainland cities.[33][34] As of 2009, approximately forty percent of the population subscribed to mobile telephone services. [35] The only telephone provider in Equatorial Guinea is Orange.

Equatorial Guinea has one Internet service provider, which serves about 8,000 users.[32]

Sports

Football

Further information: Equatorial Guinea national football team and Equatorial Guinea women's national football team

Equatorial Guinea has been chosen to co-host the 2012 African Cup of Nations in partnership with Gabon. The country was also chosen to host the 2008 Women's African Football Championship, which they won.

Swimming

Equatorial Guinea is also famous for the national swimming champion Eric Moussambani, nicknamed "Eric the Eel".

In fiction

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.

See also

Main articles: Outline of Equatorial Guinea and Index of Equatorial Guinea-related articles

Notes and references

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

  1. ^ Cia World Factbook; Equatorial Guinea
  2. ^ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009). "World Population Prospects, Table A.1" (.PDF). 2008 revision. United Nations. Retrieved 2009-03-12. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); line feed character in |author= at position 42 (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Equatorial Guinea". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  4. ^ http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDI_2008_EN_Tables.pdf
  5. ^ Seychelles, The Gambia, Djibouti, Rwanda, Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Swaziland, and São Tomé and Príncipe are smaller in terms of area, and Djibouti and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic have smaller populations, although the population of the latter is disputed
  6. ^ CIA World Factbook: GDP - per capita (PPP), The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency. Data last updated on April 23, 2009. Accessed on April 24, 2009
  7. ^ See Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, "Fernando Po"
  8. ^ Francisco Macias Nguema
  9. ^ Coup plotter faces life in Africa's most notorious jail
  10. ^ True hell on earth: Simon Mann faces imprisonment in the cruellest jail on the planet
  11. ^ If you think this one's bad you should have seen his uncle
  12. ^ Credit goes to Nations Encyclopedia
  13. ^ "Equatorial Guinea: Obiang Sure to Win As Opposition Quits Poll". allAfrica. 2002-12-16.
  14. ^ "Oil Gives African Nation a Chance for Change". The Washington Post. 2001-05-13.
  15. ^ "Playboy waits for his African throne". The Sunday Times. 2006-09-03.
  16. ^ "Profile: Equatorial Guinea's great survivor". BBC News. 2004-03-17.
  17. ^ "Thatcher faces 15 years in prison". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-08-27.
  18. ^ "The US knew, Spain knew, Britain knew. Whose coup was it?". Sunday Herald. 2004-08-29.
  19. ^ "Equatorial Guinea, A trial with too many flaws". Amnesty International. 2005-06-07.
  20. ^ "EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Poll Timetable". Africa Research Bulletin; Political, Social, and Cultural series. 45(3). Blackwell: 17458A.
  21. ^ Justin Blum (September 7, 2004). "U.S. Oil Firms Entwined in Equatorial Guinea Deals". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  22. ^ World Economic Outlook IMF Database, September 2005
  23. ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Equatorial Guinea
  24. ^ Inner City Press / Finance Watch: "Follow the Money, Watchdog the Regulators"
  25. ^ "Obiang's Banking Again: State Department and Washington insiders help a dictator get what he wants". Harper's Magazine. 2006-08-09.
  26. ^ OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa, retrieved 2009-03-22
  27. ^ U.S. Department of State
  28. ^ a b "Obiang convierte al portugués en tercer idioma oficial para entrar en la Comunidad lusófona de Naciones", Terra. 13-07-2007 (translate)
  29. ^ "Guiné-Equatorial", CPLP
  30. ^ List of banned E.U. air carriers
  31. ^ "Country Profile: Equatorial Guinea: Media". BBC News. 2008-01-26.
  32. ^ a b c "CIA World Factbook: Equatorial Guinea; Communications". Central Intelligence Agency. 2008-03-20.
  33. ^ "GSMWorld Providers: Equatorial Guinea". GSM World. 2008.
  34. ^ "GSMWorld GETESA Coverage Map". GSM World. 2008.
  35. ^ "CIA World Factbook: Equatorial Guinea". Central Intelligence Agency. 2009-02-09.

Books

  • Max Liniger-Goumaz, Small is not Always Beautiful: The Story of Equatorial Guinea (French 1986, translated 1989) ISBN 0-389-20861-2
  • Ibrahim K. Sundiata, Equatorial Guinea: Colonialism, State Terror, and the Search for Stability (1990, Boulder: Westview Press) ISBN 0-8133-0429-6
  • Robert Klitgaard. 1990. Tropical Gangsters. New York: Basic Books. (World Bank economist tries to assist pre-oil Equatorial Guinea -clever book, factual account) ISBN 0465087604
  • D.L. Claret. Cien años de evangelización en Guinea Ecuatorial (1883-1983)/ One Hundred Years of Evangelism in Equatorial Guinea (1983, Barcelona: Claretian Missionaries)
  • 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
Government
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1°55′29.34″N 10°06′41.94″E / 1.9248167°N 10.1116500°E / 1.9248167; 10.1116500

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