Equatorial Guinea: History, Politics, Population, and Geography

Created: 01/03/2022, 16:00

The tropical rainforest dominates the flora and fauna of Equatorial Guinea © Tim Laman / IMAGO

Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa where Spanish is primarily spoken.

The country shows some contrasts.

It is rich in mineral resources and has a large and unique fauna.

But the poverty rate is also high.

• Equatorial Guinea

  is a state on the west coast of Africa, the provinces of which extend on the mainland as well as some island regions.

• Despite the rich oil reserves, the republic has a high poverty rate.

• The flora and fauna of the country are characterized by tropical diversity and biodiversity.

Malabo

- With an area of ​​just 28,051 square kilometers,

one of the smallest countries in Africa.

The country opened a dark chapter in its history, especially in the 20th century due to the terror regime of Dikator Nguema.

Today the republic is a member of the

.

Although the state is very attractive to the world powers in terms of foreign policy due to its high oil reserves, it is repeatedly criticized for its disregard for human rights.

Equatorial Guinea: Early History and Colonization

As early as the sixth millennium BC, the mainland area of ​​today's Equatorial Guinea was settled by the

. From the 17th to the 19th century, however, the natives were gradually

displaced

by various

, with the

exception of a few small groups

. Including the

, which was the ethnic population that supported the state at the time of Spanish colonization.

In 1471 the island of

by the Portuguese navigator

.

Around 1500

took

possession of what is now the area under the name of its discoverer.

However, the Portuguese influence ended in 1778. The colony was

ceded

to

, which, however, only partially enforced its claims to power.

In the middle of the 19th century there were considerations to sell the Spanish possessions on the Guinea coast to the British, which was ultimately rejected by the Spanish parliament.

Colonization from the motherland remained unsuccessful due to the murderous climate for Europeans.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the term

was also used more and more

through.

Equatorial Guinea in the 20th century

Up until the middle of the 20th century, the two world wars had only a limited impact on the Spanish possessions in Guinea.

In 1950,

a political association was

founded in

that fought for independence.

Spain's accession to the

(1955) marked another step in Guinea towards

.

In 1966, the

finally

spoke out

in favor of

independence

, which was finally achieved on October 12, 1968.

However, with the new government under

, a terrorist regime that

for several years also began. The new president quickly showed himself to be a bitter opponent of the

Spaniards living

in

, several thousand of whom fled abroad within the year after taking power. In 1973 the country was

declared a

with the promulgation of a new constitution

. Nguema had himself proclaimed president for life.

Nguema's regime is considered to be one of the bloodiest dictatorships in Africa. He is said to have murdered thousands of opponents of the regime. In 1979, the ruler was

overthrown and executed by his nephew

in a military coup. Obiang, who was already in command of the National Guard, now took power himself. Although foreign relations improved, the regime remained dictatorial.

From the 1990s onwards, a multi-party system gradually established itself.

Nevertheless, the opposition parties have repeatedly accused them of massive election manipulation.

To this day, Obiang is President in

.

The last re-election took place on December 15, 2002. Even with the result of 99.5 percent of the vote, a manipulated election can also be assumed here.

Some polling stations even recorded 103 percent of the vote

Equatorial Guinea: The Political System

Over the past ten years, the country has tended to be at the bottom of the democracy index. According to the constitution, it is a

. The president not only has extensive executive powers, he also appoints the prime minister, the chief judges and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. However, human rights analysts refer to the country's political system as dictatorship or

. The President controls and controls not only the entire organization of the elections, but also the entire state apparatus and the media.

The Portuguese non-governmental organization

criticized the supposedly democratic elections, which are only intended to create the fiction that

is a

. The show trial of four alleged putschists in 2002, as well as their torture and execution, caused great international outrage.

Nevertheless, Equatorial Guinea is not uninteresting in terms of foreign policy.

It has been a member of the

since 1968

and was primarily concerned with maintaining good relations with neighboring countries.

While the

hardly any relations with the African state because of the country's human rights violations, the People's Republic of China has used this reluctance for itself and initiated many construction projects here.

But the

has

also

invested

in relations with

because of the oil discoveries

.

Equatorial Guinea: Facts at a Glance

• Capital: Malabo

• Official language: Spanish, French and Portuguese

• Area: 28,051 square kilometers

• Population: 1.4 million (as of 2019)

• Currency: CFA franc BEAC (XAF)

• Administrative division: Two regions with eight provinces

• Religion: 87% Roman Catholic;

  5% Protestants

Equatorial Guinea: Languages ​​and Population

According to the constitution, there are three official languages in

: Spanish, French and Portuguese.

The state is also the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa.

The interesting thing is that more than 80 percent of the population speak the Bantu languages ​​Fang or Bube as their mother tongue.

This sometimes comes from the fact that the Bantu-speaking Fang also make up the majority of the country.

It is also noteworthy, however, that around 17.5 percent of the population was born abroad in 2017.

is therefore the country with the highest proportion of foreigners among the African countries.

Equatorial Guinea: Geography and Cities

With an area of ​​just 28,051 square kilometers,

is one of the smallest countries in Africa.

The mainland rises from the flat west coast of Africa up to 1,200 meters inland.

The state territory also includes the approximately 2,000 square kilometer island of Bioko in the north of the coast of Cameroon and the islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico and Annobón.

The islands are all of volcanic origin.

Equatorial Guinea

is divided into two regions (mainland and island).

These are in turn divided into eight provinces.

The census was created before 2015 (i.e. before the establishment of the Djibloho province).

• 1 Annobón

• Capital: San Antonio de Palé, 5,314 inhabitants, Región Insular

• 2 Bio Norte

• Capital: Malabo, 300,374 inhabitants, Región Insular

• 3 Bioko Sur

• Capital: Luba, 34,674 inhabitants, Región Insular

• 4 Centro Sur

• Capital: Evinayong, 141,986 inhabitants, Región Continental

• 5 Djibloho

• Capital: Ciudad de la Paz, Región Continental

• 6 Kié-Ntem

• Capital: Ebebiyín, 183,664 inhabitants, Región Continental

• 7 littoral

• Capital: Bata, 367,348 inhabitants, Región Continental

• 8 wele-nzas

• Capital: Mongomo, 192,017 inhabitants, Región Continental

Economically, the country can generate a surplus in the state budget, especially through its high oil reserves, and thus make itself independent of financial development aid.

However, a large part of the money goes to the presidential family.

While Obiang is considered to be one of the richest heads of state in the world, there is great poverty and high crime in the country itself.

Equatorial Guinea: interesting facts about the country

In

has a tropical climate. The drying times are rather short. The tropical rainforest dominates the country's flora and fauna. It provides ideal conditions and habitats for numerous plants and animal species. The most common wild animals in the country include chimpanzees, gorillas, drills, mandrills, bear lemurs, leopards, forest elephants, forest buffalo, schirrantilopen and bongos.

Although the country with its rainforest regions has breathtaking flora and fauna, it is very poorly developed for tourism.

In addition to a visa, Germans should also have proof of a yellow fever vaccination, a police clearance certificate and a current HIV test with them.

There is also a high risk of malaria and inadequate medical care.

The quality of the drinking water is also rather poor.

The capital

still has the most important tourist attractions

to offer.

In addition to the President's Palace, the cathedral, the markets and the port are popular destinations for excursions.

If you still want to visit the tropical rainforest, you can

book a guided tour

at the

.