Equatorial Guinea
Name
| Official name | Republic of Equatorial Guinea — República de Guinea Ecuatorial; République de Guinée équatoriale; República da Guiné Equatorial |
|---|---|
| Former names | Spanish Guinea — Guinea Española (1926–1968); the colonies of Fernando Po and Río Muni before |
| Demonym | Equatoguinean; Equatorial Guinean |
| Meaning of the name | The Guinea coast at the equator — the equator itself crosses the sea south of the mainland; "Guinea" from the Berber for the lands of the Black peoples |
| Motto | "Unidad, Paz, Justicia" — unity, peace, justice |
Quick facts
| Capital | Ciudad de la Paz, in Djibloho province on the mainland — by decree of 2 January 2026; Malabo, on Bioko, the capital until then and still the seat of most ministries; Bata the largest city |
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| Largest cities | Bata, about 300,000; Malabo, about 300,000; Ebebiyín; Mongomo, the president's home town; Aconibe; Añisoc; Luba |
| Official languages | Spanish — the language of the state and of 90% — French since 1998 and Portuguese since 2010, for the regional blocs; Fang, Bubi, Annobonese and Pichinglis, the English creole of Bioko |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc — ISO code XAF, F CFA; 655.957 to the euro |
| Time zone | West Africa Time, UTC+1, all year |
| Calling code | +240 |
| Internet domain | .gq |
| ISO 3166 codes | GQ · GNQ · 226 |
| Vehicle registration code | GQ |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 220 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E |
| Independence | 12 October 1968, from Spain — the national day |
| National days | 12 October, Independence Day; 5 June, the President's Birthday; 3 August, Armed Forces Day, for the coup of 1979; 15 August, Constitution Day |
| Constitution | 16 February 2012 — approved by the referendum of 13 November 2011, replacing the constitution of 1991; a Senate, a vice president and a seven-year presidential term |
| Population | 1,225,377 at the census of 2015; about 1.8 million (World Bank and UN, 2024–25 est.) — the count disputed |
| Area | 28,051 km² (10,831 sq mi) — Río Muni 26,017 km², Bioko 2,017 km², Annobón 17 km²; a little smaller than Maryland |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | Three horizontal bands of green, white and red with a blue triangle at the hoist, and the coat of arms at the center — the forest, peace, the blood of independence and the sea; the arms a silk-cotton tree under six stars for the mainland and five islands; adopted 12 October 1968, restored 21 August 1979.Flag of Equatorial Guinea |
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| Coat of arms | A silver shield bearing the silk-cotton tree — the ceiba, the "God tree" under which the treaty with Spain was signed — with six gold stars above and the motto below; adopted 21 August 1979 |
| National anthem | "Caminemos pisando las sendas de nuestra inmensa felicidad" ("Let Us Walk the Paths of Our Immense Happiness") — words by Atanasio Ndongo Miyone, music by Ramiro Sánchez López; adopted 1968 |
| National motto | "Unidad, Paz, Justicia" |
| National colors | Green, white, red and blue |
| National tree | The silk-cotton tree — the ceiba, Ceiba pentandra — on the flag and the arms |
| National animal | None designated — the drill and the Bioko gorilla widely cited |
| National dish | Succotash-style stews of fish and cassava; pepesup; malamba; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms, anthem and motto are fixed by the Constitution; the tree by the arms; the animal and dishes are widely cited, none designated |
Geography
| Location | Central Africa on the Gulf of Guinea — the mainland of Río Muni between Cameroon and Gabon; Bioko 40 km off Cameroon; Annobón 600 km southwest, south of the equator |
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| Land borders | 528 km (328 mi) with two countries |
| Border with Gabon | 345 km (214 mi) — the Mbini and Corisco Bay disputes settled by arbitration in 2016–2023 |
| Border with Cameroon | 183 km (114 mi) |
| Coastline | 296 km (184 mi) |
| Highest point | Pico Basilé, 3,008 m (9,869 ft), the volcano of Bioko |
| Lowest point | The Atlantic Ocean, 0 m |
| Mean elevation | About 577 m (1,893 ft) |
| Rivers and lakes | The Mbini — Benito — across Río Muni to the sea; the Ntem on the Cameroon border; the Muni estuary; the crater lakes of Biao on Bioko and of Annobón |
| Islands | Bioko, the largest, with Malabo and the mountain; Annobón, 17 km², 600 km away, the only part south of the equator; Corisco and the two Elobeys in Corisco Bay |
| Terrain | The coastal plain of Río Muni rising to plateaus of 600–1,200 m under rainforest; the volcanic peaks of Bioko; the single volcano of Annobón |
| Climate | Equatorial — hot and wet all year; rain above 2,000 mm on the mainland and 10,000 mm on the south of Bioko, among the wettest places in Africa |
| Natural hazards | Floods; the volcano of Bioko, dormant; the Bata munitions explosion of 7 March 2021, which killed about 100 |
| Natural resources | Oil and gas offshore — Zafiro, Ceiba, Alba, Alen; timber; gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum; fish |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 10%; forest about 57% |
| National parks | Monte Alén on the mainland, the largest, 2,000 km² of forest; Pico Basilé; the Caldera de Luba on Bioko; Altos de Nsork; Río Campo |
| UNESCO World Heritage | None inscribed |
| Administrative divisions | 8 provinces — Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Annobón, Litoral, Centro Sur, Kié-Ntem, Wele-Nzas and Djibloho, created 2017 for the new capital; 2 regions — the island and the mainland |
People
| Population | 1,225,377 (census of 2015); about 1.8 million (2024–25 est.) |
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| Population density | About 64 per km² (166 per sq mi) |
| Population growth | About 3% a year — with immigration |
| Median age | About 21 years |
| Life expectancy | About 62 years |
| Fertility rate | About 4 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 74% |
| Adult literacy | About 95% — among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa |
| Ethnic groups | Fang about 85%, on the mainland and, since independence, in Malabo; Bubi about 7%, the people of Bioko; the Ndowe of the coast; the Annobonese, of Angolan and Portuguese descent; Fernandinos, the Creole descendants of freed slaves; Cameroonians, Nigerians, Spaniards, Chinese |
| Languages | Spanish by about 90%; Fang by most; Bubi; Pichinglis on Bioko; Annobonese, a Portuguese creole; French and Portuguese official but little spoken |
| Religion | Roman Catholic about 80%; Protestant about 5%; Muslim about 2%; the Bwiti and traditional beliefs |
| Human Development Index | 0.674 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium; about 133rd of 193, far below the country's income |
| Poverty | Most of the population below the poverty line by the UN's count, in a country whose income per head is among the highest in Africa |
| Sport | Football — the Nzalang Nacional, hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2015 and semifinalists in 2015; the women's team African champions in 2008 and 2012; Emilio Nsue |
| Diaspora | In Spain, Cameroon, Gabon and France — many exiles of the Macías years |
Government
| Form of government | Presidential republic under the Constitution of 2012 — the president head of state, elected for seven years in law and six by the practice of 2016 and 2022, twice; a prime minister for administration |
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| President | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea, PDGE), since 3 August 1979 — the longest-serving president in the world, in office 47 years; born 5 June 1942 at Acoacán; a lieutenant colonel who overthrew and executed his uncle Francisco Macías Nguema; elected 1982, 1989, 1996, 2002, 2009, 2016 and 26 November 2022 with 94.9% |
| Vice President | Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue — "Teodorín" — since 21 June 2016; the president's son, born 1968; convicted in France in 2017 of embezzlement, his Paris mansion confiscated, his cars auctioned in Switzerland in 2019; the presumed successor |
| Prime Minister | Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua (PDGE), since February 2023 |
| The 2022 election | Held 26 November 2022 — presidential, legislative and municipal together: Obiang 94.9%, Andrés Esono Ondo of the CPDS 3.8%; the PDGE 99 of 100 seats in the Chamber and all 55 elected seats of the Senate; the opposition and observers describing the vote as neither free nor fair; the next due in 2028 |
| Parliament | The Chamber of Deputies — 100 members; the Senate — 70, 55 elected and 15 appointed; both since the constitution of 2012 |
| The new capital | Ciudad de la Paz — Oyala, then Djibloho — begun in 2008 in the forest 130 km inland, chosen for its distance from the sea after the coup attempt of 2004; the presidential decree of 2 January 2026 declared it the capital and ordered the state's transfer within a year; the presidency, the Chamber and the ministries still at Malabo and Bata through 2026 |
| Legal system | Civil law on the Spanish model with customary law; the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court |
| Provinces | 8, each under a governor appointed by the president |
| Scandals and cases | The Wonga coup attempt of March 2004 by Simon Mann's mercenaries, financed in part by Mark Thatcher; the Riggs Bank accounts of the Obiang family exposed by the U.S. Senate in 2004; the French conviction of Teodorín; the arrest of Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the anti-fraud chief, in 2024 and the sex-tape scandal that followed; the death sentence of Macías in 1979 |
| United Nations | Member since 12 November 1968; a Security Council seat in 2018–19 |
| Regional memberships | The African Union; CEMAC, the Central African monetary community, and its bank at Malabo; the Economic Community of Central African States; OPEC since 25 May 2017; the Community of Portuguese Language Countries since 2014; the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$12 billion (2025, IMF) — down from about US$22 billion in 2008 |
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| GDP per capita | About US$6,500 (2025) — among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, from about US$25,000 at the peak of 2008 |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$16,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | Negative most years since 2014 as the oil fields deplete — about −1% in 2025 |
| Economy by sector | Industry about 55% — oil and gas most of it; services about 40%; agriculture about 3% |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF), fixed to the euro |
| Oil | Zafiro, found 1995 by Mobil and producing since 1996, made the country the third producer in sub-Saharan Africa; output from about 400,000 barrels a day in 2005 to under 60,000; ExxonMobil handed Zafiro to the state in 2024; about 90% of exports and most of the budget |
| Gas | The Alba field and the Punta Europa LNG plant of 2007 on Bioko; the Alen field feeding it since 2021; the Gulf of Guinea gas hub plan with Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Timber and cocoa | Okoumé and other timber from Río Muni to China; the cocoa of Bioko, the colony's wealth, almost gone |
| Public spending | The oil money into Ciudad de la Paz, the Sipopo resort, the highways and stadiums; the Riggs and Paris cases over where the rest went |
| Public debt | About 40% of GDP; an IMF program of 2019 lapsed |
| Income classification | Upper-middle income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airports | Malabo International on Bioko; Bata; Mongomeyen, near Mongomo and the new capital, opened 2016; Annobón |
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| Airline | Ceiba Intercontinental, the national carrier since 2007 — banned from EU skies with all Equatoguinean carriers; Cronos Airlines |
| Main ports | Bata, the largest, rebuilt for the mainland; Malabo; Luba on Bioko for the oil industry |
| Railways | None |
| Roads | About 2,900 km (1,800 mi), most paved with the oil money — among the best in Central Africa; the Bata–Mongomo highway to the new capital |
| The gap | Bioko to the mainland by air or the ferry of Bata — 250 km of sea between the capital of yesterday and the capital of tomorrow |
History in dates
| c. 1st millennium | The Bubi settle Bioko; the Fang reach the mainland by the 19th century |
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| 1472 | Fernão do Pó sights Bioko — Fernando Po for four centuries |
| 1778 | Spain gains the islands from Portugal by the Treaty of El Pardo |
| 1827 | The British found Clarence, later Santa Isabel and Malabo, against the slave trade |
| 1844 | Spain resumes its rule; Spanish Guinea |
| 1900 | The Treaty of Paris fixes Río Muni |
| 1959 | Two provinces of Spain |
| 1968 | Independence, 12 October — Francisco Macías Nguema president |
| 1969–1979 | The Macías terror — a third of the population killed or fled |
| 1979 | The coup of 3 August — Teodoro Obiang; Macías executed, 29 September |
| 1991 | A multiparty constitution |
| 1996 | The Zafiro field starts producing — the oil age |
| 2004 | The Wonga coup attempt, March; the Riggs Bank revelations |
| 2011 | The constitutional referendum, 13 November |
| 2014 | Portuguese Language Countries membership; the death penalty suspended |
| 2017 | OPEC membership, 25 May; Teodorín convicted in Paris |
| 2021 | The Bata explosions, 7 March |
| 2022 | Obiang re-elected, 26 November; the death penalty abolished, September |
| 2026 | Ciudad de la Paz declared the capital, 2 January |
Records & firsts
| The longest-serving president in the world | Teodoro Obiang, since 1979 |
|---|---|
| The only Spanish-speaking country in Africa | And the only one official in the tongues of three empires |
| A capital moved by decree | Ciudad de la Paz, 2026 |
| Once the richest per head in Africa | About US$25,000 in 2008 |
| The smallest OPEC member | Since 2017 |
| An island 600 km from its country | Annobón |
| Among the wettest places in Africa | The south of Bioko, about 10,000 mm |
| Six stars on the flag | The mainland and five islands |
| The Wonga coup | Mercenaries, a Boeing and a Thatcher, 2004 |
| Literacy near 95% | Among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Equatorial Guinea?
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea — República de Guinea Ecuatorial in Spanish, République de Guinée équatoriale in French, República da Guiné Equatorial in Portuguese, its three official languages. The name is a description: the Guinea coast of Africa, at the equator, which runs just south of the mainland. It was Spanish Guinea until independence on 12 October 1968, and it is the only country in Africa where Spanish is official.
What is the capital of Equatorial Guinea?
Ciudad de la Paz — the City of Peace — by the presidential decree of 2 January 2026, which named the planned city in the forest of the mainland the capital and gave the state a year to move; the ministries, the presidency and the courts were still working from Malabo, the old capital on the island of Bioko, and from Bata on the coast in 2026. Malabo, founded by the British as Clarence in 1827, has about 300,000 people; Bata, the largest city, about the same or more; Ciudad de la Paz, begun in 2008 as Oyala, is built for 200,000 and holds a few thousand.
How big is Equatorial Guinea, and how many people live there?
About 28,051 km² (10,831 sq mi) — a little smaller than Maryland — in two parts: Río Muni on the mainland between Cameroon and Gabon, and the islands of Bioko, off Cameroon, and Annobón, 600 km to the southwest beyond São Tomé, with Corisco and the Elobeys. The census of 2015 counted 1,225,377 people; the World Bank and the UN estimate about 1.8 million for 2025, though the government's own figures have run higher and the count is disputed.
What are the highest and lowest points of Equatorial Guinea?
Pico Basilé, 3,008 m (9,869 ft), the volcano that is the island of Bioko, above Malabo; and the Gulf of Guinea. The mainland rises from a coastal plain to plateaus of about 600 m toward Gabon, under the forest of the Congo Basin; Annobón is a single small volcano with a crater lake.
What currency does Equatorial Guinea use?
The Central African CFA franc (ISO code XAF), shared with Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Congo and Gabon and fixed at 655.957 to the euro, issued by the Bank of Central African States — the ekwele of 1975–85 the one break. Clocks keep West Africa Time, UTC+1, all year.
Who governs Equatorial Guinea?
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, in power since the coup of 3 August 1979 in which he overthrew and executed his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema — the longest-serving president in the world, re-elected on 26 November 2022 with 94.9 percent of the vote for a six-year term. His son Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, "Teodorín," has been vice president since 2016 and is the presumed successor; Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua has been prime minister since February 2023. The Democratic Party holds 99 of the 100 seats of the Chamber and all 55 elected seats of the Senate; the country ranks near the bottom of every index of political freedom.
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