Background: Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991 the 1996 2002 and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 2004 and 2008 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N 10 00 E

Area
Rank: 146
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline: 296 km

Climate: tropical; always hot humid

Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas timber gold bauxite diamonds tantalum sand and gravel clay

Irrigated land: NA

Total renewable water resources: 26 km³ (2001)

Natural hazards: violent windstorms; flash floods

Geography
Note: insular and continental regions widely separated

Population: 685,991 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 166
Growth rate: 2.607% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 25
Below poverty line: NA%

Ethnic groups: Fang 85.7% Bubi 6.5% Mdowe 3.6% Annobon 1.6% Bujeba 1.1% other 1.4% (1994 census)

Languages: Spanish (official) 67.6% other (includes French (official) Fang Bubi) 32.4% (1994 census)

Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic pagan practices

Population growth rate: 2.607% (2012 est.)
Rank: 25

Birth rate: 34.88 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 29

Death rate: 8.81 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 72

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 82

Environment
Current issues: tap water is not potable; deforestation

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 14

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 181

Total fertility rate: 4.83 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 25

Physicians density: 0.3 physicians/1000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density: 1.92 beds/1000 population (2009)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 5% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 15
People living with hivaids: 20,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 76
Deaths: fewer than 1000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 76

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 10.6% (2004)
Rank: 65

Education expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (2003)
Rank: 163

Government type: republic

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: mixed system of civil and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders: Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MICO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] (ruling party); Electoral Coalition or EC; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Avelino MOCACHE]; Popular Union or UP [Daniel MARTINEZ Ayecaba]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU BDEAC CEMAC CPLP (associate) FAO FZ G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IPU ITSO ITU MIGA NAM OAS (observer) OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WHO WIPO WTO (observer)

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); green symbolizes the jungle and natural resources blue represents the sea that connects the mainland to the islands white stands for peace and red recalls the fight for independence

National symbols: silk cotton tree

Economy overview: The discovery and exploitation of large oil and gas reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth but fluctuating oil prices have produced huge swings in GDP growth in recent years. Forestry and farming are also minor components of GDP. Subsistence farming is the dominate form of livelihood. 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. The government has been widely criticized for its lack of transparency and misuse of oil revenues; however in 2010 under Equatorial Guinea's candidacy in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative the government published oil revenue figures for the first time. Undeveloped natural resources include gold zinc diamonds columbite-tantalite and other base metals. The economy recovered from the global recession in 2011-12 stimulated by higher oil prices and large investments in public infrastructure and hotels.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 114

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 46

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 63

Agriculture products: coffee cocoa rice yams cassava (manioc) bananas palm oil nuts; livestock; timber

Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (2010 est.)
Rank: 127

Labor force: 195,200 (2007)
Rank: 172

Unemployment rate: 22.3% (2009 est.)
Rank: 166

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 2.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 18

Taxes and other revenues: 49.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 18

Public debt: 5.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 150

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 164

Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 83

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 48

Stock of narrow money: $1.936 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 120

Stock of broad money: $2.166 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 143

Stock of domestic credit: $570.8 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 172

Current account balance: -$945 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 51

Exports: $15.63 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 75
Commodities: petroleum products timber
Partners: Spain 14.8% China 13.1% Italy 10.9% Japan 10.5% US 9.5% Netherlands 7.6% Canada 5.5% Brazil 5% France 4.7% South Korea 4.1% (2011)

Imports: $7.32 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 109
Commodities: petroleum sector equipment other equipment construction materials vehicles
Partners: Spain 17.1% US 13.1% France 12.4% China 12.3% Italy 6.7% Cote dIvoire 6% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.054 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 100

Debt external: $1.149 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 150

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 97 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 198
Consumption: 90.21 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 197
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 190
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 182
Installed generating capacity: 31,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 190
Generation sources fossil fuels: 96.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 66
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 83
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 129
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 126

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 302,500 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 36
Crude oil exports: 299,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 25
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 180
Crude oil proven reserves: 1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 40

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 142
Products consumption: 1588 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 195
Products exports: 25,670 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 71
Products imports: 4,561 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 161

Natural gas
Production: 6.74 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 49
Consumption: 1.58 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 84
Exports: 5.16 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 31
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 190
Proven reserves: 36.81 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 69

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 5.005 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 123

Telephones
Main lines in use: 13,500 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 198
Mobile cellular: 426,000 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 169

Broadcast media: state maintains control of broadcast media with domestic broadcast media limited to 1 state-owned TV station 1 state-owned radio station and 1 private radio station owned by the president's eldest son; satellite TV service is available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are accessible (2007)

Internet
Country code: .gq
Hosts: 7 (2012)
Hosts rank: 228
Users: 14,400 (2009)
Users rank: 200

Military expenditures: 0.1% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 171

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; service obligation 2 years; women hold only administrative positions in the Coast Guard (2012)

Airports: 7 (2012)
Rank: 169

Pipelines: gas 37 km (2010)

Roadways
Rank: 168

Merchant marine
Rank: 124

Ports and terminals: Bata Luba Malabo (2010)

Disputes international: in 2002 ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River and imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision delayed final delimitation; UN urged Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane and lesser islands and to create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay