Map of Equatorial Guinea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Composed of a mainland portion and five inhabited islands Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by ruthless leaders who have badly mismanaged the economy since independence from 190 years of Spanish rule in 1968. The country has nominally been a constitutional democracy since 1991.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

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

Natural resources: timber, crude oil, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium

Land use: arable land: 8%; permanent crops: 4%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 51%; other 33%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: insular and continental regions rather widely separated


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Population: 378,729 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s; adjective--Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups: indigenous population of Bioko, primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos; Rio Muni, primarily Fang; less than 1,000 Europeans, mostly Spanish

Languages: Spanish (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Religions: natives all nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic; some pagan practices retained

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 42 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 16 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to violent windstorms

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 116 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 50% (male 64%, female 37%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea

Government type: republic

Capital: Malabo

Administrative divisions: 2 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia; Bioko, Rio Muni; note--there may now be 6 provinces named Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele Nzas

Dependent areas

Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain; formerly Spanish Guinea)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Constitution: 15 August 1982

Legal system: in transition; partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal adult at age NA

Executive branch: Chief of State--President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979; Head of Government--Prime Minister Cristino SERICHE BIOKO MALABO (since 15 August 1982; Deputy Prime Minister Isidoro Eyi MONSUY ANDEME (since 15 August 1989)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, National Police

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS (associate), NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Damaso OBIANG NDONG; Chancery at 801 Second Avenue, Suite 1403, New York, NY 10,017; telephone (212) 599-1523; US--Ambassador (vacant; Charge d'Affaires William MITHOEFER; Embassy at Calle de Los Ministros, Malabo (mailing address is P. O. Box 597, Malabo; telephone [240] (9) 2,185, 2,406, 2,507

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) Equatorial Guinea Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy, destroyed during the regime of former President Macias Nguema, is now based on agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which account for about 60% of GNP and nearly all exports. Subsistence agriculture predominates, with cocoa, coffee, and wood products providing income, foreign exchange, and government revenues. There is little industry. Commerce accounts for about 10% of GNP, and the construction, public works, and service sectors for about 34%. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration, taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms, has been moderately successful, and some revenues from oil exports will begin rolling in by mid-1991.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: cash crops--timber and coffee from Rio Muni, cocoa from Bioko; food crops--rice, yams, cassava, bananas, oil palm nuts, manioc, livestock

Industries: fishing, sawmilling

Industrial production growth rate: - 6.8% (1990 est.), acounts for about 4% of GDP

Labor force: 172,000 (1986 est.), agriculture 66%, services 23%, industry 11% (1980; labor shortages on plantations; 58% of population of working age (1985)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $23 million; expenditures $31 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $41 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
Commodities: coffee, timber, cocoa beans
Partners: Spain 44%, FRG 19%, Italy 12%, Netherlands 11% (1987)

Imports: $57.1 million (c.i.f., 1988)
Commodities: petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery
Partners: Spain 34%, Italy 16%, France 14%, Netherlands 8% (1987)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $195 million (1989)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 23,000 kW capacity; 60 million kWh produced, 170 kWh per capita (1989)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $NA, 11% of GNP (FY81 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,413 GRT/6,699 DWT; includes 1 cargo and 1 passenger-cargo

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: maritime boundary dispute with Gabon because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs