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

total:

22.1 years (2024 est.)

male:

22.7 years

female:

21.5 years

• 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:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.22 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.09 male(s)/female

total population:

1.16 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

77.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

83.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

71.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

63.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

61.6 years

female:

66.2 years

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

urban population:

74.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

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

particulate matter emissions:

25.67 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

5.65 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

11.21 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2020 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)/ République de Guinée équatoriale (French)

local short form:

Guinea Ecuatorial (Spanish)/Guinée équatoriale (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;
• some months of the year, the government operates out of Bata on the mainland region.

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

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 OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (since 3 August 1979)

head of government:

Prime Minister Manuela ROKA Botey (since 1 February 2023)

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 20 November 2022 (next to be held in 2029);
• prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president;
• President OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)

election results:

2022: OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo reelected president; percent of vote - OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (PDGE) 95%, other 6.1%; 2016: OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo reelected president; percent of vote - OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (PDGE) 93.5%, other 6.5%

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the President of the Supreme Court and nine 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 five-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

• Center Right Union or UCD
• Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS
• Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE
• Liberal Democratic Convention or CLD
• Liberal Party or PL
• National Congress of Equatorial Guinea (CNGE)
• National Democratic Party (PNDGE)
• National Democratic Union or UDENA
• National Union for Democracy PUNDGE
• Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE
• Popular Union or UP
• Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP
• Social and Popular Convergence Party or CSDP
• Social Democratic Coalition Party (PCSD)
• Social Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea or PSDGE
• Social Democratic Union or UDS
• Socialist Party of Equatorial Guinea

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dr. Crisantos OBAMA ONDO (since 27 February 2024)

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

• growing CEMAC economy and new OPEC member;
• large oil and gas reserves;
• targeting economic diversification and poverty reduction;
• still recovering from CEMAC crisis;
• improving public financial management;
• persistent poverty;
• hard-hit by COVID-19

total:

16.4% (2023 est.)

male:

15.1% (2023 est.)

female:

17.8% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total petroleum production:

98,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

6,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

1.1 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

6.75 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

1.504 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports:

4.964 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

139.007 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

total subscriptions:

11,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2022 est.) less than 1

general assessment:

• the telecom service is forecasted to register a growth of more than 6% during the period of 2022-2026;
• mobile data is the largest contributor to total service revenue in 2021, followed by mobile voice, fixed broadband, mobile messaging, and fixed voice;
• the launch of the international submarine cable ACE, which connects 13 West African countries with Europe, will improve international capacity, bringing opportunities to data center providers;
• 4G network expansion and 4G service promotion will allow consumers and businesses to leverage 4G services (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line density is less than 1 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 39 per 100 (2021)

international:

• country code - 240;
• landing points for the ACE, Ceiba-1, and Ceiba-2 submarine cables providing communication from Bata and Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to numerous Western African and European countries;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2019)

• 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

total ports:

7 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

1

very small:

6

ports with oil terminals:

6

key ports:

Bata, Ceiba Terminal, Cogo, Luba, Malabo, Punta Europa Terminal, Serpentina Terminal

• 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 with purchases of vessels from several countries, including Bulgaria and Israel;
• China and Russia have also supplied some equipment to the FAGE (2024)

• the Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (FAGE) are responsible for defending the territory and sovereignty of the country;
• it also has some internal security duties, including fulfilling some police functions in border areas, sensitive sites, and high-traffic areas;
• the FAGE’s National Guard (Army) is a small force with a few infantry battalions;
• over the past decade, the country has made considerable investments in naval capabilities to protect its oil installations and combat piracy and crime in the Gulf of Guinea;
• while the Navy is small, its inventory includes a light frigate and a corvette, as well as several off-shore patrol vessels;
• the Air Force has a handful of operational combat aircraft and ground attack-capable helicopters (2023)

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — Equatorial Guinea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but it is making significant efforts to do so and was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/equatorial-guinea/