Equatorial Guinea

Republic of Equatorial GuineaRepublica de Guinea Ecuatorial

republicIndependence 12 October 1968 (from Spain)

Equatorial Guinea as the 2004 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMalabo

Position2 00 N, 10 00 E

Area28,051 sq km

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon

2004

Every edition of Equatorial Guinea

Populationas each edition published it

523,051 people July 2004 est. · 368,935 in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.43% 2004 est. · 2.6% in 1993

Median ageyears

18.7 years 2004 est. · 18.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

55.15 years 2004 est. · 51.63 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.68 children per woman 2004 est. · 5.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

87.08 deaths per 1,000 live births 2004 est. · 118 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$2,700 2002 est. · $380 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

20% 2002 est. · -1% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 28,051 sq km

arable land 4.63%permanent crops 3.57%other 91.8% (2001)

Area

28,051sq km

land: 28,051 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

296km

territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Highest point

3,008m

Pico Basilelowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Land boundaries

539km

border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

2 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references

Africa

Climate

tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain

coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Natural resources

oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium, titanium, iron ore

Irrigated land

NA sq km

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, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

insular and continental regions rather widely separated

People

19 fields

Population

523,051

(July 2004 est.)growth rate: 2.43% (2004 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2004 est.)

Birth

36.56Death

12.27Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2004 est.)55.15

53 · 57.36Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)87.08

93.27 · 80.71

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)85.7%

93.3% · 78.4%Median age years (2004 est.)18.7

18.1 · 19.4

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

3.4%

(2001 est.)

Age structure

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.)

Sex ratio

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.)

Total fertility rate

4.68 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

5,900 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

370 (2001 est.)

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

Government

Republic; President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup); Prime Minister Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

80%

PDGE 80%UP 6%CPDS 5%last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held 24 April 2004)

Legislature, 76 seats, elected 7 March 1999one dot, one seat

PDGE 75UP 4 and CPDS 1

Percent of vote

PDGE 80%UP 6%CPDS 5%

Country name

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

Government type

republic

Capital

Malabo

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 adult

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 Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004);
First Deputy Prime Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG (since NA January 1998);
Deputy Prime Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998)
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 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

Legislative branch

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

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 (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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

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)

Economy

The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years.

43 fields

Real growth rate

20%

(2002 est.)industrial production growth: 30% (2002 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

(2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

30%

(1998 est.)

Debt - external

$248million

(2000 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

33.6%

30.6%

25.8%

Spain

8.1%

16%

France

15.1%

14.4%

China

Cote d'Ivoire

11.9%

11.8%

Canada

6.4%

Italy

5.3%

Norway

5.9%

Exports $2.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)Imports $1.371 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)(2003)

Budget

Revenues

$708.5 millionExpenditures

$317.6 million (2003 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of NA

Electricity

Electricity production

23.56 million (2001)Electricity consumption

21.91 million (2001)

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 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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture:: 20%
industry:: 60%
services:: 2.4% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

63.6% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line

Labor force

NA (October 2000)

Agriculture - products

coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts;
livestock;
timber

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

41,500

(2003)

Internet users

(2004)

Fixed lines

9,600

(2003) · country code .gq

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)

Transportation

7 fields

Merchant marine, 3 ships by typeone square, one ship · ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT

cargo 2passenger/cargo 1registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

2,438 to 3,047 m

11,524 to 2,437 m

1less than 914 m

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

Military

Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force

6 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.5%

(2003)

Transnational Issues