The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea consists of approximately 2,500 service members. The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a Gendarmerie, but the number of members is unknown. The Gendarmerie is a new branch of the service in which training and education is being supported by the French Military Cooperation in Equatorial Guinea. Military appointments are all reviewed by President Teodoro Obiang, and few of the native militiamen come from outside of Obiang's Mongomo-based Esangui clan. Obiang was a general when he overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema.
A transitional agreement, signed in October 1968, implemented a Spanish preindependence decision to assist Equatorial Guinea and provided for the temporary maintenance of Spanish forces there. A dispute with President Francisco Macías Nguema in 1969 led to a request that all Spanish troops immediately depart, and a large number of civilians left at the same time. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were never broken but were suspended by Spain in March 1977 in the wake of renewed disputes. After Macias' fall in 1979, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo asked for Spanish assistance, and since then, Spain has regained influence in Equatorial Guinea's diplomatic relations. The two countries signed permanent agreements for economic and technical cooperation, private concessions, and trade relations. President Obiang made an official visit to Madrid in March 2001, and senior Spanish Foreign Ministry officials visited Malabo during 2001 as well. Spain maintained a bilateral assistance program in Equatorial Guinea. Some Equato-Guinean opposition elements are based in Spain to the annoyance of the government in Malabo.
.gq is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Equatorial Guinea. Freenom relaunched the TLD on October 1, 2014, and domains became available for free on January 1, 2015.
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue is the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, in office since 2012. He is a son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the President of Equatorial Guinea, by his first wife, Constancia Mangue Nsue Okomo. He served for years as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in his father's government before being appointed as Second Vice-President, in charge of defense and security, in May 2012. He was promoted to the position of First Vice-President in June, 2016.
The Equatorial Guinea national football team, nicknamed Nzalang Nacional, is the national team of Equatorial Guinea and is controlled by the Equatoguinean Football Federation. It is a member of Confederation of African Football (CAF). Though Equatorial Guinea has traditionally been one of the lowest ranked teams in Africa, the recent influx of Spanish-born players of Equatoguinean heritage has strengthened the national team and resulted in some solid performances. They qualified as co-hosts for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. The hosting of the tournament lead to the construction of two new football stadia in the country: Estadio de Bata in Bata on the mainland, and Estadio de Malabo in Malabo. The national team managed a creditable fourth place at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Equatorial Guinea.
Annobón is a small province of Equatorial Guinea consisting of the island of Annobón and its associated islets in the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean's Cameroon line. The provincial capital is San Antonio de Palé on the north side of the island; the other town is Mabana, formerly known as San Pedro. The roadstead is relatively safe, and some passing vessels take advantage of it in order to obtain water and fresh provisions, of which Annobon has offered an abundant supply. However, there is no regular shipping service to the rest of Equatorial Guinea, and ships call as infrequently as every few months. According to the 2015 census it had 5,232 inhabitants, a small population increase from the 5,008 registered by the 2001 census. The official language is Spanish but most of the inhabitants speak a creole form of Portuguese. The island's main industries are fishing and timbering.
The Catholic Church in Equatorial Guinea is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Equatorial Guinea competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States, which were held from 28 July to 12 August. This was the first time the country took part in a Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of four athletics competitors: sprinters Gustavo Envela and Secundino Borabota, and middle-distance runners Bartolomé Esono Asumu and Diosdado Lozano. All four failed to advance beyond the initial heats in their respective competitions. The best performance came from Envela who placed fifth in the eighth heat of the men's 100 metres.
The Equatorial Guinea women's national football team is the women's national team for Equatorial Guinea. Their nickname is the Nzalang Nacional.
Rui Fernando da Gracia Gomes, simply known as Rui, is a footballer who plays as a defender for Villarrubia CF.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Equatorial Guinea, formerly known as Spanish Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes, Benjamín Enzema and Bibiana Olama who both qualified for the Games via wildcard places because their fastest times did not meet the required qualification standards. Olama was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Both athletes did not advance beyond the first round of their respective events.
Gloria Chinasa Okoro is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Estrellas de Waiso Ipola and the Equatorial Guinea women's national team.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Francophone Affairs is Equatorial Guinea's foreign affairs ministry, with its headquarters located in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The current Minister is Simeón Oyono Esono Angue, appointed in 2018.
Equatorial Guinea–Russia relations refer to the foreign relations between Russia and Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea–North Korea relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Equatorial Guinea and North Korea. While Equatorial Guinea has no representation in North Korea, it is one of few African states to have a North Korean embassy, located in the capital of Malabo.
Equatorial Guinea–India relations refers to the international relations that exist between Equatorial Guinea and India.
