Equatorial Guinea

• only two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko);
• small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map

• insular and continental regions widely separated;
• despite its name, no part of the Equator passes through Equatorial Guinea;
• the mainland part of the country is located just north of the Equator

noun:

Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)

adjective:

Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

• only two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko);
• small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.21 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.21 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.17 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

1.15 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

animal contact diseases:

rabies

total:

6.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

3.83 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

• deforestation (forests are threatened by agricultural expansion, fires, and grazing);
• desertification;
• water pollution (tap water is non-potable);
• wildlife preservation

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

particulate matter emissions:

45.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

5.65 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

11.21 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

74.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

animal contact diseases:

rabies

municipal:

15.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Equatorial Guinea

conventional short form:

Equatorial Guinea

local long form:

Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial (Spanish)/ Republique de Guinee Equatoriale (French)

local short form:

Guinea Ecuatorial (Spanish)/ Guinee Equatoriale (French)

former:

Spanish Guinea

etymology:

• the country is named for the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel;
• the "equatorial" refers to the fact that the country lies just north of the Equator

name:

• Malabo;
• note - Malabo is on the island of Bioko;
• in 2017, some governmental offices began to move to a new capital of Ciudad de la Paz (formerly referred to as Oyala) on the mainland near Djibloho, but a lack of funds has halted progress on construction

geographic coordinates:

3 45 N, 8 47 E

time difference:

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

etymology:

• named after King MALABO (Malabo Lopelo Melaka) (1837–1937), the last king of the Bubi, the ethnic group indigenous to the island of Bioko;
• the name of the new capital, Ciudad de la Paz, translates to "City of Peace" in Spanish

history:

previous 1968, 1973, 1982; approved by referendum 17 November 1991

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or supported by three fourths of the membership in either house of the National Assembly;
• passage requires three-fourths majority vote by both houses of the Assembly and approval in a referendum if requested by the president;
• amended several times, last in 2012

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Equatorial Guinea

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup); Vice President Teodoro Nguema OBIANG Mangue (since 2012)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Francisco Pascual Eyegue OBAMA Asue (since 23 June 2016);
• First Deputy Prime Minister Clemente Engonga NGUEMA Onguene (since 23 June 2016);
• Second Deputy Prime Minister Angel MESIE Mibuy (since 5 February 2018);
• Third Deputy Prime Minister Alfonso Nsue MOKUY (since 23 June 2016)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president and overseen by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 24 April 2016 (next to be held in 2023);
• 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 (PDGE) 93.5%, other 6.5% (2016)

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice - who is also chief of state - and 9 judges organized into civil, criminal, commercial, labor, administrative, and customary sections);
• Constitutional Court (consists of the court president and 4 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms;
• Constitutional Court members appointed by the president, 2 of whom are nominated by the Chamber of Deputies;
• note - judges subject to dismissal by the president at any time

subordinate courts:

• Court of Guarantees;
• military courts;
• Courts of Appeal;
• first instance tribunals;
• district and county tribunals

• Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Andres ESONO ONDO]
• Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO]
• Juntos Podemos (coalition includes CPDS, FDR, UDC)
• National Congress of Equatorial Guinea [Agustin MASOKO ABEGUE]
• National Democratic Party [Benedicto OBIANG MANGUE]
• National Union for Democracy [Thomas MBA MONABANG]
• Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Carmelo MBA BACALE]
• Popular Union or UP [Daniel MARTINEZ AYECABA]
• Center Right Union or UCD [Avelino MOCACHE MEHENGA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Miguel Ntutumu EVUNA Andeme (since 23 February 2015)

chancery:

2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 518-5700

FAX:

[1] (202) 518-5252

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.egembassydc.com/

consulate(s) general:

Houston

chief of mission:

Ambassador David R. GILMOUR (since 24 May 2022)

embassy:

Malabo II Highway (between the Headquarters of Sonagas and the offices of the United Nations), Malabo

mailing address:

2320 Malabo Place, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone:

[240] 333 09-57-41

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://gq.usembassy.gov/

• 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);
• green symbolizes the jungle and natural resources, blue represents the sea that connects the mainland to the islands, white stands for peace, and red recalls the fight for independence

name:

"Caminemos pisando la senda" (Let Us Tread the Path)

lyrics/music:

Atanasio Ndongo MIYONO/Atanasio Ndongo MIYONO or Ramiro Sanchez LOPEZ (disputed)

note: adopted 1968

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

production:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

142,600 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

22,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

184,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

1.1 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

4,569,369,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

consumption:

1,080,003,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports:

3,568,030,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

139.007 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• the state maintains control of broadcast media with domestic broadcast media limited to 1 state-owned TV station, 1 private TV station owned by the president's eldest son (who is the Vice President), 1 state-owned radio station, and 1 private radio station owned by the president's eldest son;
• satellite TV service is available;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are generally accessible (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

6 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 15

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

466,435 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

350,000 (2018) mt-km

major seaport(s):

Bata, Luba, Malabo

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Bioko Island

• the FAGE is armed with mostly older (typically Soviet-era) and second-hand weapons systems;
• in recent years, it has sought to modernize its naval inventory;
• Ukraine has been the leading provider of equipment since 2010 (2021)

• 18 years of age for selective compulsory military service, although conscription is rare in practice;
• 2-year service obligation;
• women hold only administrative positions in the Navy (2021)

• as of 2022, the FAGE’s National Guard (Army) had only three small infantry battalions with limited combat capabilities;
• the country has invested heavily in naval capabilities in the 2010s to protect its oil installations and combat piracy and crime in the Gulf of Guinea;
• while the Navy was small, it was well-equipped with an inventory that included a light frigate and a corvette, as well as several off-shore patrol boats;
• the Air Force possessed only a few operational combat aircraft and ground attack-capable helicopters

• the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships;
• in 2021, there were 34 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region;
• although a significant decrease from the total number of 81 incidents in 2020, it included the one hijacking and three of five ships fired upon worldwide;
• while boarding and attempted boarding to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping;
• in 2021, 57 crew members were kidnapped in seven separate incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, representing 100% of kidnappings worldwide;
• Nigerian pirates in particular are well armed and very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore;
• the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2022-001 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 4 January 2022, which states in part, "Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea"

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — Equatorial Guinea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so;
• authorities investigated, and for the first time since 2010, initiated the prosecution of alleged human traffickers;
• the government partnered with an international organization to provide training for more than 700 officials and civil society actors;
• authorities developed and implemented formal screening procedures to identify victims within vulnerable populations, an effort that had stalled for five years;
• however, the government still has not convicted a trafficker or any complicit government employees under its 2004 anti-trafficking law;
• a lack of training among judicial officials has resulted in potential trafficking crimes being tried under related statutes;
• victim services remained inadequate;
• authorities did not report referring any trafficking victims to government housing that was supposed to serve as temporary shelter (2020)

trafficking profile:

• human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Equatorial Guinea and Equatoguineans abroad;
• the majority of trafficking victims are subjected to forced domestic service and commercial sex in cities, particularly in the hospitality and restaurant sector;
• local and foreign women, including Latin Americans, are exploited in commercial sex domestically, while some Equatoguinean women are sex trafficked in Spain;
• some children from rural areas have been forced into domestic servitude;
• children from nearby countries are forced to labor as domestic workers, market workers, vendors, and launderers;
• individuals recruited from African countries and temporary workers from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela are sometimes exploited in forced labor and sex trafficking