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The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a country in Central Africa. It is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa, and comprises two regions: Río Muni, continental region including several offshore islands; and Insular Region containing Annobón island in the South Atlantic Ocean, and Bioko island (formerly Fernando Pó) that contains the capital, Malabo.
Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just north of the equator. Bioko island is the nothernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the east is the mainland region. Equatorial Guinea borders Cameroon on the north, Gabon on the south and east, and the Gulf of Guinea on the west, where the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe is located between Bioko and Annobón. Formerly the Spanish colony called Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name is suggestive of its location near both the Equator and the Gulf of Guinea. It is one of the territories in mainland Africa where Spanish is an official language, besides the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the UN-recognised but Moroccan-occupied Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara).
Equatorial Guinea is the smallest country in continental Africa in terms of population. (Seychelles and São Tomé and Príncipe are smaller in terms of area, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has a smaller population but is disputed.) It is also the smallest United Nations member from continental Africa. The discovery of sizeable petroleum reserves in recent years is altering the economic and political status of the country.
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The first inhabitants were of the continental region that is now Equatorial Guinea are believed to have been labelabes, of whom only isolated pockets remain in northern Río Muni. Bantu migrations between the 17th and 19th centuries brought the coastal tribes and later the Fang. Elements of the latter may have generated the Bubi, who emigrated to Bioko from Cameroon and Rio Muni in several waves and succeeded former Neolithic populations. The Bubi were the very first human inhabitants of Bioko Island. The Annobon population, native to Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via São Tomé Island (São Tomé and Príncipe).
The Portuguese explorer, Fernão do Pó, seeking a path to India, is credited with having discovered the island of Bioko in 1472. He called it Formosa ("Beautiful"), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer. The islands of Fernando Pó and Annobón were colonized by Portugal in 1474. In 1778, the island, adjacent islets, and commercial rights to the mainland between the Niger and Ogoue Rivers were ceded to Spain in exchange for territory in the American continent (Treaty of El Pardo, between Queen Maria I of Portugal and King Charles III of Spain). Between 1778 and 1810, the territory of Equatorial Guinea depended administratively on the viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, with seat in Buenos Aires. From 1827 to 1843, Britain established a base on the island to combat the slave tradeSee Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, "Fernando Po", which was then moved to Sierra Leone upon agreement with Spain in 1843. In 1844, on restoration of Spanish sovereignty, it became known as the Territorios Españoles del Golfo de Guinea Ecuatorial. The mainland portion, Rio Muni, became a protectorate in 1885 and a colony in 1900. Conflicting claims to the mainland were settled by the Treaty of Paris (1900), and periodically, the mainland territories were united administratively under Spanish rule. Between 1926 and 1959 they were united as the colony of Spanish Guinea.
Map of Equatorial Guinea
The current president of Equatorial Guinea is Retired Brig. Gen. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The 1982 constitution of Equatorial Guinea gives Obiang extensive powers, including naming and dismissing members of the cabinet, making laws by decree, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives, negotiating and ratifying treaties and calling legislative elections. Obiang retains his role as commander in chief of the armed forces and minister of defence, and he maintains close supervision of the military activity. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and operates under powers designated by the President. The Prime Minister coordinates government activities in areas other than foreign affairs, national defense and security.
On December 15, 2002,"Equatorial Guinea: Obiang Sure to Win As Opposition Quits Poll", allAfrica, 2002-12-16. Equatorial Guinea\'s four main opposition parties withdrew from the country\'s presidential election. Obiang won an election widely considered fraudulent by members of the Western press.
Diplomats and even ministers have been caught smuggling drugs, sometimes using diplomatic bags and even the president\'s baggage on state trips. The incumbent president has never equalled the bloodthirsty reputation of former dictator Francisco Macías Nguema, whom he overthrew. On Christmas of 1975, Macías had 150 alleged coup plotters executed to the sound of a band playing Mary Hopkin\'s tune Those Were the Days in a national stadium."Oil Gives African Nation a Chance for Change", The Washington Post, 2001-05-13.
Francisco Macías Nguema has commonly and incorrectly been identified as Obiang\'s uncle; however, this is as a result of western misunderstanding of tribal naming conventions. In Equatorial Guinea\'s tribal culture, all members of a tribe use familial terms to refer to fellow tribe members. People refer to their tribal elders as their aunts and uncles. Likewise non-sibling peers are cousins and those who are younger but not biologically related are nieces or nephews. Obiang is a member of the Fang Tribe which represents 85% of the country’s population. Thus, by tribal custom, an overwhelming majority of the nation is “related” to President Obiang. This fact has been recognized by the CIA"CIA World Factbook", Central Intelligence Agency, 2007-11-10. and US State Department."US Department of State Country Page", The US Department of State, 2007-11-10.
Furthermore, neither Teodoro Obiang\'s father nor his mother have any siblings with the last name Macias. The name Nguema, the only name that Obiang and Macias share, is a very common name in Equatorial Guinea—similar to Smith in the United States or Lee in China.
A huge proportion of the £370 million revenue is confiscated by the president while most of the 500,000 subjects subsist on less than a dollar a day, sewage runs through the streets of the capital Malabo, and there is no public transport and little drinking water or electricity."Playboy waits for his African throne", The Sunday Times, 2006-09-03.
According to a March 2004 BBC profile,"Profile: Equatorial Guinea\'s great survivor", BBC News, 2004-03-17. politics within the country are currently dominated by tensions between Obiang\'s son, Teodorin, and other close relatives with powerful positions in the security forces. The tension may be rooted in power shift arising from the dramatic increase in oil production which has occurred since 1997.
A November 2004 report"Thatcher faces 15 years in prison", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2004-08-27. named Mark Thatcher as a financial backer of a March 2004 attempt to topple Obiang, organized by Simon Mann. Various accounts also name Britain\'s MI6, America\'s CIA, and Spain as having been tacit supporters of the coup attempt."The US knew, Spain knew, Britain knew. Whose coup was it?", Sunday Herald, 2004-08-29. Nevertheless, the Amnesty International report released in June 2005Equatorial Guinea, A trial with too many flaws. Amnesty International (2005-06-07). on the ensuing trial of those allegedly involved highlighted the prosecution\'s failure to produce conclusive evidence that a coup attempt had actually taken place.
Provinces of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea is divided into seven provinces (capitals appear in parentheses):
Pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings. It had the highest per capita income of Africa in 1959.
The discovery of large oil reserves in 1996 and its subsequent exploitation have contributed to a dramatic increase in government revenue. As of 2004,U.S. Oil Firms Entwined in Equatorial Guinea Deals (washingtonpost.com) Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its oil production has risen to 360,000 barrels/day, up from 220,000 only two years earlier.
Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. The deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished any potential for agriculture-led growth.
Despite a per capita GDP (PPP) of more than US$30,000World Economic Outlook IMF Database, September 2005 (CIA Factbook $50,200CIA - The World Factbook - Equatorial Guinea) which is as of 2006 the second highest in the world (after Luxembourg), Equatorial Guinea ranks 121st out of 177 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.
In July 2004, the US Senate published an investigation into Riggs Bank, a Washington-based bank into which most of Equatorial Guinea\'s oil revenues were paid until recently, and which also banked for Chile\'s Augusto Pinochet. The Senate report, as to Equatorial Guinea, showed that at least $35 million were siphoned off by Obiang, his family and senior officials of his regime. The president has denied any wrongdoing. While Riggs Bank in February 2005 paid $9 million as restitution for its banking for Chile\'s Augusto Pinochet, no restitution was made with regard to Equatorial Guinea, as reported in detail in an Anti-Money Laundering Report from Inner City Press.Inner City Press / Finance Watch: "Follow the Money, Watchdog the Regulators"
On August 9, 2006, Harper\'s Magazine published an article by Ken Silverstein highlighting Obiang\'s recent connections with the US State Department and Independence Federal Savings Bank."Obiang\'s Banking Again: State Department and Washington insiders help a dictator get what he wants", Harper\'s Magazine, 2006-08-09.
While Equatorial Guinea is currently one of the largest producers of oil in Africa, few improvements have been made to the living conditions of the people and most live in poverty.
Equatorial Guinean children of Bubi descent.
The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of Bantu origin. The largest tribe, the Fang, is indigenous to the mainland, but substantial migration to Bioko Island has resulted in Fang dominance over the earlier Bantu inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population and comprise 67 clans. Those in the northern part of Rio Muni speak Fang-Ntumu, while those in the south speak Fang-Okah; the two dialects have differences but are mutually intelligible. Dialects of Fang are also spoken in parts of neighboring Cameroon (Bulu) and Gabon. These dialects, while still intelligible, are more distinct. The Bulu Fang of Cameroon were traditional rivals of Fang in Rio Muni. (The Bubi, who constitute 15% of the population, are indigenous to Bioko Island. The traditional demarcation line between Fang and beach tribes was the village of Niefang (limit of the fang) inland from Bata.
In addition, there are coastal tribes, sometimes referred to as "Playeros" (Beach People in Spanish): Ndowes, Bujebas, Balengues, Kombis, and Bengas on the mainland and small islands, and "Fernandinos", a Creole community, on Bioko. Together, these groups compose 5% of the population. Some Europeans (largely of Spanish or Portuguese descent) – among them mixed with African ethnicity – also live in the nation. Most Spaniards left after independence. There is a growing number of foreigners from neighboring Cameroon, Nigeria, and Gabon. Equatorial Guinea received Asians and black Africans from other countries as workers on cocoa and coffee plantations. Other black Africans came from Liberia, Angola, and Mozambique. Most of the Asian population is Chinese, with small numbers of Indians. Equatorial Guinea also allowed many fortune-seeking European settlers of other nationalities, including British, French and Germans. After independence, thousands of Equatorial Guineans went to Spain. Another 100,000 Equatorial Guineans went to Cameroon, Gabon, and Nigeria because of the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema. Some of its communities also live in Brazil, some Spanish-speaking Latin American nations, the United States, Portugal, and France.
Oil extraction has contributed to a doubling of the population in Malabo.
The Constitutional Law which amends article 4 of the Fundamental Law of the State establishes that "the official languages of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea are Spanish and French. The aboriginal languages are recognized as integral parts of the national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998 of 21 January). The great majority of Equatorial Guineans speak Spanish"Obiang convierte al portugués en tercer idioma oficial para entrar en la Comunidad lusófona de Naciones", Terra. 13-07-2007 (translate), especially those living in the capital, Malabo. Spanish has been an official language since 1844. In July 2007, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema announced his government\'s decision for Portuguese to become Equatorial Guinea\'s third official language, in order to meet the requirements to apply for full membership in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). This upgrading from its current Associate Observer condition would result in Equatorial Guinea being able to access several professional and academic exchange programs and the facilitation of cross-border circulation of citizens. Its application is currently being assessed by other CPLP members.
Several cultural dispersion and literacy organizations are located in the country, founded chiefly with the financial support of the Spanish government. The country has one university, the Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial (UNGE) with a campus in Malabo and a Faculty of Medicine located in Bata on the mainland. The Bata Medical School is supported principally by the government of Cuba and staffed by Cuban medical educators and physicians.
The most dominant form of mass media in the country is the three state-operated FM radio stations. There are also five shortwave radio stations.
A July 2003 article from the BBC"Equatorial Guinea\'s "God"", BBC News, 2003-07-26. points out there are no daily newspapers in the country and described how a Fang program called "Bidze-Nduan" ("Bury the Fire") on a widely listened-to state radio station declared that Obiang was "in permanent contact with the Almighty"; a presidential aide on the show also said:
| “ | He [Obiang] can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell because it is God himself, with whom he is in permanent contact, and who gives him this strength. | ” |
Most of the media companies practice heavy self-censorship, and are banned by law from criticising public figures. The state-owned media and the main private radio station are under the directorship of Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the president\'s son. Some media-related statistics from The World Factbook are summarized in a section on communications in Equatorial Guinea.
The country has been chosen to co-host the 2012 African Nations Cup in partnership with neighboring Gabon.
In the war novel The dogs of war by Frederick Forsyth, published in 1974, the fictional platinum-rich \'Republic of Zangaro\' is based upon Equatorial Guinea.
Fernando Pó (now Bioko) is featured prominently in the 1975 science fiction work The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. The island (and, in turn, the country) experience a series of coups in the story which lead the world to the verge of nuclear war. The trilogy also establishes, fantastically, that Fernando Pó is the last remaining piece of the sunken continent of Atlantis.
Most of the action in Robin Cook\'s book, Chromosome 6, takes place in Equatorial Guinea, where an international biochemical corporation, "GenSys", established a primate research facility because the country had permissive laws. The book indicates something of the geography, history and people of Equatorial Guinea.
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
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