A small Central African 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.
The 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 São Tomé and Príncipe as well as fellow Equatoguinean island Annobón were uninhabited before the 15th century.
The first Europeans to colonize the region were the Portuguese. In 1778, the territory was given to Spain in exchange for Spanish territory in South America. That’s right, people in Equatorial Guinea speak Spanishnote . 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.
Eventually, 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 Pol Pot with his obsession with anti-intellectual movements and unpredictable behaviors. Unlike Pot, however, Macías (at least initially) realized he was Ax-Crazy (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 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 Full-Circle Revolution, 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 over forty years, Obiang is currently the second-longest non-royal ruler in the world, after 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 but it failed when the coup plotters were arrested in Zimbabwe.
Equatorial 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 Seychelles, Mauritius, and Gabon). Even though the country is more Spanish than Portuguese, it joined the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
in 2014 after Portugal made a lot of protests, a decision that was certainly not influenced by all that oil.
The 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.
By the way, the country is not on the Equator. It is close to it, though
.
Equatorial Guinea and Equatoguineans in fiction:
- An episode of Yes, Minister took place in Buranda, a Suspiciously Similar Substitute.
- The book and film The Dogs of War also take place in a carbon-copy of the country.
- The island of Bioko appears a lot in The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Referred to by its colonial name "Fernando Poo", a revolution there is very nearly the flashpoint for World War III.
- Has a small but pivotal role in the Science Fiction novel Limit, taking place in 2025.
- Kobin's third mission in Splinter Cell: Blacklist takes place in a blood diamond mine here in Mibonde.
- Palm Trees in the Snow is set on the island of Bioko.
Relevant works:
The Equatoguinean flag
The Equatoguinean national anthem
—
—
—
Government
- Unitary dominant-party presidential constitutional republic
- President: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
- First Vice President: Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue
- Prime Minister: Manuela Roka Botey
Miscellaneous
- Capital: Malabo (current), Ciudad de la Paz (under construction)
- Largest city: Bata
- Population: 1,454,789
- Area: 28,050 km² (10,830 sq mi) (141st)
- Currency: Central African CFA franc (FCFA) (XAF)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: GQ
- Country calling code: 240
- Highest point: Pico Basile (3008 m/9,869 ft) (61st)
- Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean (3,646 m/11,962 ft) (-)
