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1[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Equatorial_Guinea-map_8318.gif]]
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3A small Central UsefulNotes/{{Africa}}n country bordering the Atlantic Ocean with a little over 1.3 million people, the '''Republic of Equatorial Guinea''' ('''Spanish:''' ''República de Guinea Ecuatorial'', '''French:''' ''République de Guinée équatoriale'', '''Portuguese:''' ''República da Guiné Equatorial'') consists of a mainland portion ("Río Muni") and a couple of islands off the coast, the largest of which is called Bioko. The ''de facto'' capital, Malabo, is located in Bioko, but the government is in the process of moving it to to the planned city of Ciudad de la Paz in the mainland.
4
5The original inhabitants of Río Muni were pygmies, of whom only a small population persist today. Bantu-speaking people began colonizing Río Muni in the early 1st millennium BCE and then Bioko in the 6th century CE. Bioko is the only island in the region with a history of pre-colonial settlement; the nearby UsefulNotes/SaoTomeAndPrincipe as well as fellow Equatoguinean island Annobón were uninhabited before the 15th century.
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7The first Europeans to colonize the region were the [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portuguese]]. In 1778, the territory was given to UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} in exchange for Spanish territory in South America. That’s right, people in Equatorial Guinea speak Spanish[[note]]And their dialect of Spanish is much closer to European Spanish than Latin American Spanish, due to being both colonized and given independence later[[/note]]. That almost turns them into outcasts in the continent, though to their defense, French is also widely spoken. Originally, the main point of interest was the insular portion; Río Muni used to be sparsely populated and was seen as a source of slaves and later (after abolitionism became prominent in the 19th century) servants to work on sugarcane, cocoa, and coffee plantations in Bioko and Annobón.
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9Eventually, the country declared independence in 1968 and elected their president, and that’s when things went south. Their first president was Francisco Macías Nguema, who can be compared to [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} Pol Pot]] with his obsession with anti-intellectual movements and unpredictable behaviors. Unlike Pot, however, Macías (at least initially) realized he was AxCrazy (a rare case of a politician knowing he was insane), even genuinely trying to seek psychiatric help in Spain. It was all for naught - he finally snapped in 1971, abolished the constitution and instigated rule by decree, and thus one of the most frightening dictatorships was born. He ran a one-party government, prohibited fishing, installed a cult of personality around him, stole all the money he could, banned private education, gave himself all the political power and ordered the execution of 150 known or suspected political opponents in a football stadium by guards dressed in Santa Claus costumes while Mary Hopkin's "Those Were the Days" was played over the PA system. 36 other prisoners were buried up to their necks and [[EatenAlive eaten alive by ants]]. He was eventually deposed in a coup in 1979 by the current president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Macias' nephew). He’s no saint at all (and may or may not eat his opponents, at least according to some sources both against and in support of him), but compared to his predecessor, the Equatoguineans probably would have accepted anything. As for Macías, he was put on trial and summarily executed. However, just like in other cases, this became a FullCircleRevolution, since Obiang has installed his own cult of personality, censorship of the press and repression, to the point the country has achieved a lousy reputation abroad. Having been ruling for [[LongRunner over forty years]], Obiang is currently the second-longest non-royal ruler in the world, after UsefulNotes/{{Cameroon}}'s Paul Biya, and the longest without any title change (Biya was Prime Minister for seven years before he became President). There was an attempt to depose Obiang and replace him with exiled opposition politician Severo Moto in 2004, with aid from foreign mercenaries hired by British financiers,[[note]]One of said financiers being Margaret Thatcher's son, Sir Mark Thatcher[[/note]] but it failed when the coup plotters were arrested in Zimbabwe.
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11Equatorial Guinea is rich in oil, but the government spends it poorly on its inhabitants and it is widely believed that Obiang keeps most of the wealth for himself. Still, the country is rather rich by African standards (according to the IMF, it is the fourth-richest country in Africa, after UsefulNotes/{{Seychelles}}, UsefulNotes/{{Mauritius}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Gabon}}). Even though the country is more Spanish than Portuguese, it joined the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_Portuguese_Language_Countries Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)]] in 2014 after Portugal made a lot of protests, a decision that was [[BlatantLies certainly not influenced by]] [[MoneyDearBoy all that oil]].
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13The most famous Equatoguinean, besides the two infamous aforementioned presidents, is the swimmer Eric Moussambani who left the others competitors at the 2000 Summer Olympics literally watching his splashing.
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15By the way, the country [[NonIndicativeName is not on the Equator]]. [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Equator_and_Prime_Meridian.svg It is close to it, though]].
16
17!!Equatorial Guinea and Equatoguineans in fiction:
18
19* An episode of ''Series/YesMinister'' took place in Buranda, a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute.
20* The book and film ''Literature/TheDogsOfWar'' also take place in a carbon-copy of the country.
21* The island of Bioko appears a lot in ''Literature/TheIlluminatusTrilogy''. Referred to by its colonial name "Fernando Poo", a revolution there is very nearly the flashpoint for WorldWarThree.
22* Has a [[{{Afrofuturism}} small but pivotal role]] in the ScienceFiction novel ''Literature/{{Limit}}'', taking place in 2025.
23* Kobin's third mission in ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Blacklist'' takes place in a blood diamond mine here in Mibonde.
24* ''Film/PalmTreesInTheSnow'' is set on the island of Bioko.
25
26!! Relevant works:
27
28* Myth/BetiPahuinMythology
29----
30[[AC:The Equatoguinean flag]]
31https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/equatorial_guinea_flag_2059.png
32->The green, white and red stripes symbolizes the jungles, peace, and Equatorial Guinea's struggle for independence, respectively. At the hoist side is the blue triangle of the Atlantic Ocean. At the center is the coat-of-arms, showing a shield containing a silk cotton tree, the colonial symbol of Río Muni, as the mainland was then called, representing the location where the local ruler made the first treaty with the Portuguese; above it are six stars, symbolizing Río Muni and the islands of Bioko (site of the capital Malabo), Annobón, Corisco, Elobey Chico and Elobey Grande; and below is a scroll which reads "Unidad, Paz, Justicia", Spanish for "Unity, Peace, Justice".
33----
34[[AC:The Equatoguinean national anthem]]
35
36->Caminemos pisando la senda
37->De nuestra inmensa felicidad.
38->En fraternidad, sin separación,
39->¡Cantemos Libertad!
40
41->Tras dos siglos de estar sometidos
42->Bajo la dominación colonial,
43->En fraterna unión, sin discriminar,
44->¡Cantemos Libertad!
45
46->¡Gritemos Viva, Libre Guinea,
47->Y defendamos nuestra Libertad.
48->Cantemos siempre, Libre Guinea,
49->Y conservemos siempre la unidad.
50
51->¡Gritemos Viva, Libre Guinea,
52->Y defendamos nuestra Libertad.
53->Cantemos siempre, Libre Guinea,
54->Y conservemos siempre la unidad.
55
56->Y conservemos, Y conservemos
57->La independencia nacional.
58->Y conservemos, Y conservemos
59->La independencia nacional.
60
61--
62
63->Caminhemos sob a trilha
64->De nossa imensa felicidade,
65->Em fraternidade, sem barreiras,
66->Cantemos Liberdade!
67
68->Após dois séculos de submissão
69->Ao domínio colonial,
70->Em fraterna união, sem preconceito,
71->Cantemos Liberdade!
72
73->Gritemos Viva, Livre Guiné,
74->E defendamos nossa liberdade
75->Gritemos Viva, Livre Guiné,
76->E conservemos sempre a unidade.
77
78->Gritemos Viva, Livre Guiné,
79->E defendamos nossa liberdade
80->Gritemos Viva, Livre Guiné,
81->E conservemos sempre a unidade.
82
83->E conservemos sempre
84->A independência nacional.
85->E conservemos, e conservemos,
86->A independência nacional.
87
88--
89
90->Laissez-nous marcher sur le chemin
91->De notre immense bonheur,
92->Dans la fraternité, sans séparation,
93->Chantons la Liberté!
94
95->Après deux siècles d'être soumis
96->Pour la domination coloniale,
97->Dans l'union fraternelle, sans discrimination,
98->Chantons la Liberté!
99
100->Laissez-nous pleurer, Vive libre Guinée,
101->Et laissez-nous défendre notre liberté
102->Laissez-nous pleurer Vive libre Guinée,
103->Et Restons toujours unis..
104
105->Laissez-nous pleurer, Vive libre Guinée,
106->Et laissez-nous défendre notre liberté
107->Laissez-nous pleurer Vive libre Guinée,
108->Et Restons toujours unis..
109
110->Et laissez-nous toujours de conserver
111->L'indépendance nationale
112->Et laissez-nous conserver, et laissez-nous à conserver,
113->L'indépendance nationale.
114
115--
116
117->Let us walk the path
118->Of our great happiness.
119->In brotherhood, without separation,
120->We sing Freedom!
121
122->After two centuries of being subjected
123->Under colonial rule,
124->In fraternal union, without discrimination,
125->We sing Freedom!
126
127->Let us shout long live free Guinea,
128->Defend our freedom.
129->Sing always free Guinea,
130->And always preserve the unity.
131
132->Let us shout long live free Guinea,
133->Defend our freedom.
134->Sing always free Guinea,
135->And always preserve the unity.
136
137->And always we preserve
138->National independence
139->And we preserve, we preserve
140->National independence.
141----
142[[AC:Government]]
143* Unitary dominant-party presidential constitutional republic
144** President: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
145** First Vice President: Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue
146** Prime Minister: Manuela Roka Botey
147----
148[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
149* '''Capital:''' Malabo (current), Ciudad de la Paz (under construction)
150* '''Largest city:''' Bata
151* '''Population:''' 1,454,789
152* '''Area:''' 28,050 km
153 (10,830 sq mi) (141st)
154* '''Currency''': Central African CFA franc (FCFA) (XAF)
155* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' GQ
156* '''Country calling code:''' 240
157* '''Highest point:''' Pico Basile (3008 m/9,869 ft) (61st)

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