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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 OBIANG NGUEM 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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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 28,051 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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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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oil, petroleum,
timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese,
uranium, titanium, iron ore |
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Land use:
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arable land:
4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (1998 est.) |
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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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523,051 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
42% (male 110,268; female 109,222)
15-64 years: 54.3% (male 136,370; female 147,431)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,745; female 11,015)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.7 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 19.4 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.43% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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36.56
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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12.27
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
87.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 93.27 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 55.15 years
male: 53 years
female: 57.36 years (2004 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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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 short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
local long form: Republica de 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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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)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to
be held NA 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
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president
head of government: Prime Minister Candido Muatetema
RIVAS (since 26 February 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister
Miguel OYONO NDONG (since NA January 1998); Deputy Prime
Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998) |
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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 7 March 1999 (next to be held 24
April 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDGE 80%,
UP 6%, CPDS 5%; seats by party - PDGE 75, UP 4 and CPDS 1
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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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 |
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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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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 will remain strong in 2004, led by oil. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $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:
20%
industry: 60%
services: 20% (1999 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Labor force:
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NA
(October 2000) |
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Unemployment rate:
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30%
(1998 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$200 million
expenditures: $158 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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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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23.56
million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 94.3%
hydro: 5.7%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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21.91
million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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181,400
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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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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Agriculture - products:
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coffee,
cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts;
livestock; timber |
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Exports:
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$2.1
billion f.o.b. (2003 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
28.3%, Spain 25.3%, China 17.5%, Canada 10.6%, France 5%
(2002) |
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Imports:
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$1.371
billion f.o.b. (2003 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
27.8%, Spain 15.1%, UK 14.2%, Norway 10.7%, France 10%,
Netherlands 4.6%, Italy 4.4% (2002) |
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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:
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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 - 581.2
(2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7
(1999) |
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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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8,800 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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32,000 (2002) |
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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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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.gq |
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Internet hosts:
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3 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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1,800 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 0
km |
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Highways:
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total:
2,880 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 37 km;
gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Bata, Luba,
Malabo |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 3
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT
registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.)
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1 |
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Airports:
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3 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy, Air
Force, Rapid Intervention Force |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 120,463 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 61,084 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$75.1 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.5% (2003) |
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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
coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi
allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; creation
of a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay with
Gabon is hampered by dispute over Mbane Island, administered
and occupied by Gabon since the 1970s |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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