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National Map
Of |
Equatorial Guinea |
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National Flag
Of |
Equatorial Guinea |
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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)
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Equatorial Guinea |
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National Anthem
Of |
Equatorial Guinea |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Equatorial Guinea |
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Background:
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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 OBIANG
NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country for over two
decades since seizing power from his uncle, then
President MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a
constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002
presidential elections - as well as the 1999 legislative
elections - were widely seen as being flawed. The
president controls most opposition parties through the
judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's
economic windfall from oil production resulting in a
massive increase in government revenue in recent years,
there have been few improvements in the country's living
standards. |
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Location:
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Western
Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon
and Gabon |
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Geographic coordinates:
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2 00 N,
10 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total:
28,051 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
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Coastline:
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296 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical;
always hot, humid |
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Terrain:
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coastal
plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds,
tantalum, sand and gravel, clay |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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violent
windstorms, flash floods |
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Environment - current issues:
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tap water
is not potable; deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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insular
and continental regions rather widely separated |
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Population:
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535,881
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 41.7% (male 112,326/female 111,244)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 140,568/female 151,500)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,900/female
11,343) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.83 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 19.46 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.42%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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36.18
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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12
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
85.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 91.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 78.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 49.7 years
male: 48.01 years
female: 51.44 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.62
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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3.4%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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5,900
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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370 (2001
est.) |
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree
of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2004) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
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Ethnic groups:
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Bioko
(primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily
Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish |
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Religions:
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nominally
Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan
practices |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang,
Bubi, Ibo |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.7%
male: 93.3%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial
Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
former: Spanish Guinea |
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Malabo
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Administrative divisions:
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7
provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon,
Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral,
Wele-Nzas |
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Independence:
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12
October 1968 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 12 October (1968) |
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Constitution:
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approved
by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January
1995 |
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Legal system:
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partly
based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal adult |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG
NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power
in a military coup)
head of government: Prime Minister Miguel Abia
BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004); First Deputy Prime
Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004);
Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since
15 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by popular vote for
a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002
(next to be held December 2009); prime minister and
deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO
reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG
NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%;
elections marred by widespread fraud |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara
de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be
held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDGE 98, NA 2
note: Parliament has little power since the
constitution vests all executive authority in the
president |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Tribunal |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido
MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or
PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO];
Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo
MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE
[Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises
Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP
[Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent
Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT,
ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC
20009
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700
FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy
closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is
accredited to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department
is considering opening a Consulate Agency in Malabo |
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Flag description:
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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) |
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Economy - overview:
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The
discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have
contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years.
Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components
of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. 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.
No longer eligible for concessional financing because of
large oil revenues, the government has been
unsuccessfully trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal
management program with the World Bank and IMF.
Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government
officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural
resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese,
uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth presumably remained
strong in 2004, led by oil. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.27
billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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20% (2002
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3%
industry: 95.7%
services: 1.3% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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NA |
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Unemployment rate:
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30% (1998
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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8.5%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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50.8% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $813.2 million
expenditures: $375.3 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee,
cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil
nuts; livestock; timber |
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Industries:
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petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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30% (2002
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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26.69
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 94.3%
hydro: 5.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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24.82
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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350,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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563.5
million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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20
million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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20
million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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68.53
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$-578.6
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$2.771
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa |
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Exports - partners:
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US 29.3%,
China 22.8%, Spain 16%, Taiwan 14.9%, Canada 6.8% (2004)
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Imports:
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$1.167
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum
sector equipment, other equipment |
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Imports - partners:
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US 26.8%,
Cote d'Ivoire 21.4%, Spain 13.6%, France 8.8%, UK 7.8%,
Italy 4.4% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$235.2
million (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$248
million (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$33.8
million (1995) |
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Currency (code):
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African
States |
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Currency code:
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XAF |
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002),
733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 January
- 31 December |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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9,600
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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41,500
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: poor system with adequate
government services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 240; international
communications from Bata and Malabo to African and
European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 0, FM
3, shortwave 5 (2002) |
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Radios:
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180,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2002)
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Televisions:
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4,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.gq |
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Internet hosts:
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3 (2004)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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1 (2002)
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Internet users:
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1,800
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
2,880 km (1999 est.) |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km;
oil 24 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Malabo
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Merchant marine:
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total:
1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2005) |
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Airports:
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4 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force (2005) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age (est.) (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 106,571 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 66,379 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$126.2
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.5%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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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, imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in
the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation
contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has been
pressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to
resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied
Mbane Island and create a maritime boundary in the
hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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