Background
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[ Background] [ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

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 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 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, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards.

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, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards.

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E

Area:

total: 28,051 sq km;
land: 28,051 sq km;
water: 0 sq km

Land boundaries: total: 539 km
Border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Coastline: 296 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm;
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m;
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (2005)

Natural hazards:violent windstorms, flash floods

Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: insular and continental regions widely separated

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People

Population: 540,109 [July 2006 est.]; 616,459 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 131,696/female 127,253)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 162,458/female 169,445)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 11,394/female 14,213) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.05% [2006 est.]; 2.732% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 35.59 births/1,000 population [2006 est.]; 37.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 15.06 deaths/1,000 population [2006 est.]; 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 83.75 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 84.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 82.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.23 years
male: 60.36 years
female: 62.13 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.55 children born/woman [2006 est.]; 5.16 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.4% [2001 est.]
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,900 [2001 est.]
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 370 [2001 est.]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high; food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever; vectorborne disease: malaria [2007]

Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean[s] or Equatoguinean[s]; adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups: Bioko [primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos], Rio Muni [primarily Fang], Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Languages: Spanish [official], French [official], pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Literacy: 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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Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea; conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea; local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale; local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale; former: Spanish Guinea
Government type: republic

Capital: name: Malabo; geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E; time difference: UTC+1 [6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time]
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: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
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 Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA [since 14 August 2006]; First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU [since 15 June 2004]

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term [no term limits]; election last held 15 December 2002 [next to be held in 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

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]

Elections: last held 25 April 2004 [next to be held in 2009]
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, CPDS 2
note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:
Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] [ruling party]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: 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], 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]

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Economy

Economy - overview:
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 trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Government officials and their family members own most businesses. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2007, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the fourth highest per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg, Bermuda, and Jersey.

GDP [purchasing power parity]: $25.69 billion [2005 est.]; $25.69 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 18.6% [2005 est.]; 12.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita [PPP]: $50,200 [2005 est.]; $44,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture:
agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 92.5%
services: 4.6% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% [1998 est.]

Inflation rate [consumer prices]: 5.2% [2006 est.]; 5.5% (2007 est.)

Investment [gross fixed]: 34.1% of GDP [2006 est.]; 39.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget: revenues:
revenues: $4.849 billion
expenditures: $2.481 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 2.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava [tapioca], bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber

Industries: petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate: 14.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 28 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption: 26.04 million kWh (2005)

Exports: $10.03 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa

Exports - partners: China 30.9%, US 22.2%, Spain 12.6%, Taiwan 10.6%, Portugal 6.1% (2006)

Imports: $3.219 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports – commodities: petroleum sector equipment, other equipment

Imports - partners: US 37.7%, Spain 9.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.9%, France 6.1%, South Korea 6.1%, UK 5.8%, Italy 5% (2006) ]

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.235 billion [2006 est.]

Debt - external: $288 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $39 million (2005)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.4 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:10,000 [2005]

Telephones - mobile cellular: 96,900 [2005]

Telephone system: 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]

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 [2002]

Television broadcast stations: 1 [2002]

Internet country code: .gq

Internet hosts: 19 [2006]

Internet users: 5,000 [2005]

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Transportation

Airports: 5 (2007)

Airports -
total: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:
total: 2,880 km (1999)

Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,745 GRT/3,434 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals: Malabo, Bata, Luba

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Military

Military branches: National Guard (Guardia Nacional (Army), with Coast Guard (Navy) and Air Wing) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 136,725
females age 16-49: 138,018 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 101,712
females age 16-49: 104,381 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.1% (2006 est.)

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