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Equatorial Guinea Tourism - Travel to Equatorial Guinea

        

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Composed of a mainland portion and five inhabited islands, Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. The tiny country, one of the smallest on the African continent, has been ruled by President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO since he seized power in a coup in 1979. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being flawed.

Table of contents

1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography in Equatorial Guinea

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
water: 0 sq km
land: 28,051 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

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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

oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium

Land use

arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

NA sq km

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, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

insular and continental regions rather widely separated

People in Equatorial Guinea

Population

498,144 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.4% (male 106,061; female 105,071)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 128,489; female 139,732)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,385; female 10,406) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

2.45% (2002 est.)

Birth rate

37.33 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

12.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate

NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate

90.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 54.35 years
female: 56.5 years (2002 est.)
male: 52.26 years

Total fertility rate

4.81 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.51% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,100 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

120 (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups

Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Religions

nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Languages

Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.5%
male: 89.6%
female: 68.1% (1995 est.)

Government in Equatorial Guinea

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial
former: Spanish Guinea

Government type

republic

Capital

Malabo

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal adult

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)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA 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
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
head of government: Prime Minister Candido Muatetema RIVAS (since 26 February 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG (since NA January 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998)

Legislative branch

unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDGE 80%, UP 6%, CPDS 5%; seats by party - PDGE 75, UP 4 and CPDS 1
note: opposition parties have refused to take up their seats in the House to protest widespread irregularities in the 1999 legislative elections

Judicial branch

Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders

Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Pastor Micha ONDO BILE
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 528-5252
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador George McDade STAPLES; note - the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department is considering opening a Consulate Agency in Malabo

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 in Equatorial Guinea

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 unsuccessfully trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Boosts in production and higher world oil prices stimulated growth in 2002, with oil accounting for 90% of increased exports.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.04 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 20%
industry: 60%
services: 20% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6% (2001 est.)

Labor force

NA

Unemployment rate

30% (1998 est.)

Budget

revenues: $200 million
expenditures: $158 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries

petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate

7.4% (1994 est.)

Electricity - production

22 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 91%
hydro: 9%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption

20.46 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products

coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber

Exports

$2.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum, timber, cocoa

Exports - partners

China 24%, Japan 7%, US 7%, South Korea 5% (1999)

Imports

$736 million f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities

petroleum sector equipment, manufactured goods and equipment

Imports - partners

US 60%, France 12%, Spain 8%, Italy 6% (1999)

Debt - external

$225 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$33.8 million (1995) (1995)

Currency

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code

XAF

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro

Fiscal year

1 January - 31 December

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use

6,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

300 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)

Radios

180,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2002)

Televisions

4,000 (1997)

Internet country code

.gq

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2002)

Internet users

900 (2002)

Transportation in Equatorial Guinea

Railways

total: 0 km

Highways

total: 2,880 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 2,880 km (1996)

Waterways

none

Ports and harbors

Bata, Luba, Malabo

Merchant marine

total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,413 GRT/16,251 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2002 est.)

Airports

3 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force, National Police

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 112,664 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 57,194 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$27.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.5% (FY01)

Transnational Issues in Equatorial Guinea

Disputes - international

tripartite maritime boundary and economic zone dispute with Cameroon and Nigeria is currently before the ICJ; maritime boundary dispute with Gabon because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay

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