Equatorial Guinea Country Facts

Equatorial Guinea Country Facts

The only Spanish-speaking country in Africa is hardly developed for tourism. In principle, every region in the state (which is slightly smaller than the state of Brandenburg) can be visited, but poor infrastructure and often corrupt officials do this to travel arduous.

Equatorial Guinea is the only one next to Ecuador in South America country, which has the term equator in its name. The name Guinea probably comes from the word aguinaoui from the Berber language and means something like black.

Statistically, Equatorial Guinea is the richest country in Africa. Due to oil discoveries in the 1990s and the relatively small population, the gross domestic product per capita rose to more than 15,000 US dollars, the second place in Africa is occupied by South Africa with less than 10,000 US dollars. However, the distribution of wealth in Equatorial Guinea is very uneven, so that the majority of the population still lives on the verge of poverty.

The villages and dwellings of the impoverished population are located in the middle of the extensive tropical rainforest. Many Equatorial Guinea residents also live on the coasts because it is easier to feed the family by fishing. In the coastal regions, however, there are widespread mangrove swamps that the population of Equatorial Guinea avoids.

It has been understood how to use the country of Equatorial Guinea. A part was cultivated and created as agricultural land. The rainforest was replaced by farmland. This is particularly the case on the island of Bioko. Large parts of the rainforest have also been converted into usable space on the island of Annobon. Today, numerous oil and coconut palms thrive here.

Numerous animal species live in the still existing rainforest areas. Various monkeys such as chimpanzees, gorillas and mandrills still find good living conditions here. Leopards also roam the forests here. Forest elephants and forest buffaloes stamp through the undergrowth and find enough food here. Cirrus antelopes, okapis and bongos were also spotted in large numbers.

Equatorial Guinea Country Facts

Area: 28,051 sq km (smaller than the state of Brandenburg)

Population: 668,225 (July 2011, COUNTRYAAH.COM). This makes Equatoria Guinea one of the smallest countries in Africa. About 70% of the population lives on the mainland and 30% on organic food. More than 80% belong to the people of the Fang or Fon, 20% are distributed among numerous different races.

Population density: 23.8 people per square kilometer

Population growth: 2.641% per year (2011, CIA)

Capital: Malabo (155,963 residents).

Here is a list of the largest cities in Equatorial Guinea.

Highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Form of government: On October 12, 1968, independence from Spain was achieved. Equatorial Guinea has been a presidential republic since 1982. The constitution dates from 1991, the last time it was amended in 1995. The president has a very strong position. The Parliament (Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo) is made up of 100 members.

Administrative structure: 7 provincias: Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral and Wele-Nza.

Prime Minister: Prime Minister Vicente Ehate Tomi, since May 21, 2012

Head of state: President Teodoro Obiang, re-elected after a coup d’état on August 3, 1979, on February 25, 1996 with 99% and on December 15, 2002 with 99.5% for seven years. In addition, Chief of the Armed Forces.

Language: Official languages ​​are Spanish and French. The Bantu languages ​​Fang and Bubi are spoken by large parts of the population. Creole Portuguese, Pidgin English and Ibo are also common.

Religion: 80% Roman Catholic, alongside followers of Protestant and traditional religions.

Local time: CET. In Equatorial Guinea there is no change between summer and winter time. The time difference to Central Europe is 0 h in winter and -1 h in summer.

Telephone code: 00240 or +240

Internet ID :.gq

Mains voltage: 220/240 V, 50 Hz, but not uniform across the country, adapters are required.

Geography

Equatorial Guinea, measuring 28,051 sq km, is bordered by Gabon to the south and east, Cameroon to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. The mainland share is by far the largest area (about 26,000 square kilometers, about 93% of the total area).

Several islands are located off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. The fourth largest island in Africa with 2,017 sq km and the largest island in the country is Bioko (in colonial times called Fernando Pó and Santa Isabel) with the capital Malabo located 34 km off the coast. The country’s highest peak, the 3,008 m high Pico de Malabo, is also located here. About a fifth of the population of Equatorial Guinea lives on Bioko.

The island of Annobón (called Pagalu until 1973) is about 300 km southwest of Mbini. Annobon, like Bioko, the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, and Mount Cameroon was created on a volcanic hotspot.

The smaller islands of Corisco, Grande and Elobey also belong to Equatorial Guinea. They are located near the coast and are known for their beautiful beaches

The mainland part of Equatorial Guinea is largely covered with tropical rainforests and in the coastal regions of plantations. The coasts are made up of mangrove forests. The country gradually rises to the New Guinea threshold in the interior to about 1,200 m. In the higher regions, the savannah is replaced by the rainforest. The southern region is mountainous and inaccessible, the other areas of the country are used for agriculture.

Equatorial Guinea is dominated by a hot, humid tropical climate.

Population in Equatorial Guinea

This map of the population distribution in Equatorial Guinea was created by the Worldmapper team. Densely populated areas appear bloated, the area of ​​sparsely populated areas is reduced. The shape of the grid has been preserved; an underlying map with the original geographical extent helps interpret the map. The distorted map should help to present abstract statistical information clearly.

Equatorial Guinea Population by Year (Historical)

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