Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa, with an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name evokes its location near both the Equator and the Gulf of Guinea. As of 2021, the country had a population of 1,468,777.
The History of Equatorial Guinea is marked by centuries of colonial domination by the Portuguese, British and Spanish colonial empires, and by the local kingdoms.
The politics of Equatorial Guinea take place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President is both the head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Chamber of People's Representatives
Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko,. In 2018, the city had a population of approximately 297,000 inhabitants.
Río Muni is the Continental Region of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering 26,017 square kilometres (10,045 sq mi). The name is derived from the Muni River, along which the early Europeans had built the Muni River Settlements.
While lying on the enriched continent of Africa, Equatorial Guinea has proved to be entrenched in ancient rituals and songs. This is especially true for the Fang, a people whose territories begin at the southern edge of Cameroon south of Kribi, Djoum, and Mvangan in the South Province and continue south across the border, including all of Río Muni in Equatorial Guinea, and from there south into Gabon and Congo. The capital island of Bioko has largely been influenced by Spanish customs and traditions during the colonial period, when education and health services were developed in the country.
Equatorial Guinea is divided into two regions and eight provinces. The newest province is Djibloho, created in 2017 with its headquarters at Ciudad de la Paz, the country's future capital.
The Bubi people are a Bantu ethnic group of Central Africa who are indigenous to Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Once the majority group in the region, the population experienced a sharp decline due to war and disease during Portuguese expeditions. By the end of Spanish colonial rule in the mid 20th century, and after substantial intermarriage with newly introduced populations, such as Afro-Cubans, Krio people, Portuguese people and Spaniards, the Bubi people, again, experienced a great decline in number. Seventy-five percent perished due to tribal/clan rooted political genocide during a civil war that led to Spanish Guinea's independence from Spain. This, too, sparked mass exodus from their homeland with most of the exiles and refugees immigrating into Spain. The indigenous Bubi of Bioko Island have since co-existed with non-indigenous Krio Fernandinos; and members of the Fang ethnic group, who have immigrated in large numbers from Río Muni. Once numbering approximately 3 million, the Bubi currently number around 100,000 worldwide.
Spanish Guinea was a set of insular and continental territories controlled by Spain from 1778 in the Gulf of Guinea and on the Bight of Bonny, in Central Africa. It gained independence in 1968 as Equatorial Guinea.
Bioko Norte is the second-most populated of the seven provinces of Equatorial Guinea, after the Wele-Nzas province. Both the provincial capital, Rebola, and the national capital, Malabo are located here. Heavily forested with little urban development, the southern central part includes part of the Parque Nacional del Pico Basilé, a 330 square kilometres (130 sq mi) national park which was established in 2000. On the northeast coast is a hotel run by the Sofitel chain.
Bioko Sur is a province of Equatorial Guinea. Its capital is Luba. It occupies the southern part of the island of Bioko, the remainder of which is part of Bioko Norte.
Pico Basilé, located on the island of Bioko, is the tallest mountain of Equatorial Guinea. With an altitude of 9,878 ft, it is the summit of the largest and highest of three overlapping basaltic shield volcanoes which form the island. From the summit, Mt. Cameroon can be seen to the northeast. Pico Basilé lies close to the city of Malabo. The very top is used as a broadcast transmitting station for RTVGE and microwave relay station for various communication networks.
Articles related to Equatorial Guinea include:
Equatoguinean Spanish is the variety of Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea. This is the only Spanish variety that holds national official status in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is regulated by the Equatoguinean Academy of the Spanish Language and is spoken by about 90% of the population, estimated at 1,170,308 for the year 2010, all of them second-language speakers.
Pichinglis, commonly referred to by its speakers as Pichi and formally known as Fernando Po Creole English (Fernandino), is an Atlantic English-lexicon Creole language spoken on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. It is an offshoot of the Krio language of Sierra Leone, and was brought to Bioko by Krios who immigrated to the island during the colonial era in the 19th century.
The Insular Region of Equatorial Guinea comprises the former Spanish territory of Fernando Po, together with Annobón island, the latter formerly part of the Spanish territory of Elobey, Annobón and Corisco, which was located in the Gulf of Guinea and in the Corisco Bay.
According to Article 3 of the Constitution of Equatorial Guinea, the country is divided for administrative and economic purposes into regions, provinces, districts, and municipalities. In practice, the provinces serve as the first-level administrative divisions. Municipalities are subdivided into village councils and neighbourhood communities. Many of the sub-municipal entities are grouped into urban districts, which remain subordinate to municipalities and are distinct from districts proper.
Francisco Malabo Beosá or King Malabo II, was an African monarch, born on the island of Fernando Po in Spanish Guinea, was the son of former Bubi king Malabo Lopelo Melaka and the last legitimate successor of the Bubi Kingdom.
Bioko is an island 32 km (20 mi) off the west coast of Africa and the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea. Its population was 335,048 at the 2015 census and it covers an area of 2,017 km2 (779 sq mi). The island is located off the Ambazonian segment of Cameroon, in the Bight of Biafra portion of the Gulf of Guinea. Its geology is volcanic; its highest peak is Pico Basile at 3,012 m (9,882 ft). Malabo, on the north coast of the island, is the capital city of Equatorial Guinea.
The Pico Basilé National Park is a protected area with the status of national park on the island of Bioko in the northern part of the African country of Equatorial Guinea, near the Gulf of Guinea, in the Atlantic Ocean. It stands out for its diversity of landscapes and vegetation and especially for its population of primates, that are threatened by the illegal hunting. Although in 2007 the government of that country prohibited the hunting of diverse species, international organisms have shown concern for the noncompliance of the decree.
