1.
[syn: Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Spanish Guinea]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Equatorial Guinea
n 1: a country of west central Africa (including islands in the
Gulf of Guinea); became independent from Spain in 1968
[syn: Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Equatorial Guinea,
Spanish Guinea]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Equatorial Guinea
Introduction Equatorial Guinea
------------------------------
Background: Composed of a mainland portion and
five inhabited islands, Equatorial
Guinea, which gained independence in
1968 after 190 years of Spanish
rule, has been ruled by President
OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO since he seized
power in a coup in 1979. Although
nominally a constitutional democracy
since 1991, the 1996 presidential
and 1999 legislative elections were
widely seen as being flawed.
Geography Equatorial Guinea
---------------------------
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight
of Biafra, between Cameroon and
Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km,
Gabon 350 km
Coastline: 296 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior
hills; islands are volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Natural resources: oil, petroleum, timber, small
unexploited deposits of gold,
manganese, uranium
Land use: arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: violent windstorms, flash floods
Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable;
deforestation
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, 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 Equatorial Guinea
------------------------
Population: 498,144 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 106,061;
female 105,071)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 128,489;
female 139,732)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,385;
female 10,406) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.45% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 37.33 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 12.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 90.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.35 years
female: 56.5 years (2002 est.)
male: 52.26 years
Total fertility rate: 4.81 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.51% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 1,100 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 120 (1999 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
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 78.5%
male: 89.6%
female: 68.1% (1995 est.)
Government Equatorial Guinea
----------------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial
Guinea
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
local long form: Republica de 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)
elections: president elected by
popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 25 February 1996
(next to be held NA February 2003);
prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president
election results: President Teodoro
OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected with
98% of the popular vote in elections
marred by widespread fraud
cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the president
head of government: Prime Minister
Candido Muatetema RIVAS (since 26
February 2001); First Deputy Prime
Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG (since
NA January 1998); Deputy Prime
Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG NZE FUMU
(since NA January 1998)
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 NA March 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: opposition parties have
refused to take up their seats in
the House to protest widespread
irregularities in the 1999
legislative elections
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 NA
leaders:
International organization ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC,
participation: CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,
WIPO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Teodoro
BIYOGO NSUE
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 528-5252
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador George
US: McDade STAPLES; note - 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 Equatorial Guinea
-------------------------
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. Boosts in production and
higher world oil prices stimulated
growth in 2002, with oil accounting
for 90% of increased exports.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.04
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,100
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20%
industry: 60%
services: 20% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $200 million
expenditures: $158 million,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (2001 est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, sawmilling,
natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1994 est.)
Electricity - production: 22 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.91%
hydro: 9.09%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 20.46 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava
(tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts;
livestock; timber
Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, timber, cocoa
Exports - partners: China 24%, Japan 7%, US 7%, South
Korea 5% (1999)
Imports: $736 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: petroleum sector equipment,
manufactured goods and equipment
Imports - partners: US 60%, France 12%, Spain 8%, Italy
6% (1999)
Debt - external: $225 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $33.8 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine
franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central
African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine
francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79
(January 2002), 733.04 (2001),
711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1
January 1999, the XAF is pegged to
the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF
per euro
Fiscal year: 1 January - 31 December
Communications Equatorial Guinea
--------------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 4,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: poor system with
adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: international
communications from Bata and Malabo
to African and European countries;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)
Radios: 180,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gq
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 600 (2000)
Transportation Equatorial Guinea
--------------------------------
Railways: total: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,880 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 2,880 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Bata, Luba, Malabo
Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 14,413 GRT/16,251 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3,
passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2002
est.)
Airports: 3 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Military Equatorial Guinea
--------------------------
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid
Intervention Force, National Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 112,664 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 57,194 (2002 est.)
service:
Military expenditures - dollar $27.5 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 2.5% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Equatorial Guinea
--------------------------------------
Disputes - international: tripartite maritime boundary and
economic zone dispute with Cameroon
and Nigeria is currently before the
ICJ; maritime boundary dispute with
Gabon because of disputed
sovereignty over islands in Corisco
Bay