Equatorial Guinea

total:

0.11 cu km/yr (83%/16%/1%)

per capita:

220 cu m/yr (2000)

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

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:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease:

malaria and yellow fever

animal contact disease:

rabies (2009)

noun:

Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)

adjective:

Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

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

name:

Malabo

geographic coordinates:

3 45 N, 8 47 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Ignacio Milan TANG (since 8 July 2008);

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 2010);
• 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

• Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MICO Abogo];
• Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO];
• Electoral Coalition or EC;
• Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO];
• Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Avelino MOCACHE];
• Popular Union or UP

chief of mission:

Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO

chancery:

2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 518-5700

FAX:

[1] (202) 518-5252

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant)

embassy:

• K-3, Carreterade Aeropuerto, al lado de Restaurante El Paraiso, Malabo;
• note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions;
• inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon

mailing address:

B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone:

[237] 2220-1500

FAX:

[237] 2220-1572

• 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)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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

general assessment:

digital fixed-line network in most major urban areas and good mobile coverage

domestic:

fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2008 stood at about 55 percent of the population

international:

• country code - 240;
• international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)

total:

1

country comparison to the world: 158

by type:

cargo 1 (2008)

males age 16-49:

136,725

females age 16-49:

138,018 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

105,468

females age 16-49:

107,919 (2009 est.)

male:

6,983

female:

6,726 (2009 est.)

• 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 and imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision delay final delimitation;
• UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane and lesser islands and to create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

current situation:

• Equatorial Guinea is primarily a destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and possibly for the purpose of sexual exploitation;
• children have been trafficked from nearby countries for domestic servitude, market labor, ambulant vending, and possibly sexual exploitation;
• women may also be trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from Cameroon, Benin, other neighboring countries, and China for sexual exploitation

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking, particularly in the areas of prosecuting and convicting trafficking offenders and failing to formalize mechanisms to provide assistance to victims;
• although the government made some effort to enforce laws against child labor exploitation, it failed to report any trafficking prosecutions or convictions in 2007;
• the government continued to lack shelters or formal procedures for providing care to victims (2008)