Equatorial Guinea

§1. Equatorial Guinea Introduction

Background:
  Composed of a mainland portion and five inhabited islands, Equatorial
  Guinea has been ruled by ruthless leaders who have badly mismanaged the
  economy since independence from 190 years of Spanish rule in 1968. Although
  nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 presidential and
  1999 legislative elections were widely seen as being flawed.

§2. Equatorial Guinea Geography

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 kmē
  land: 28,051 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

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: 5%
  permanent crops: 4%
  permanent pastures: 4%
  forests and woodland: 46%
  other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  violent windstorms, flash floods

Environment - current issues:
  tap water is not potable; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate 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

§3. Equatorial Guinea People

Population:
  486,060 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 42.56% (male 103,909; female 102,946)
  15-64 years: 53.68% (male 124,808; female 136,088)
  65 years and over: 3.76% (male 8,178; female 10,131) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.46% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  37.72 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  13.11 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  92.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 53.95 years male: 51.89 years
  female: 56.07 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  4.88 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.51% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  1,100 (1999 est.)

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.)

§4. Equatorial Guinea Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
  conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
  local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial
  local short form: 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)
  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)
  cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
  elections: president elected by popular vote to a seven-year term; election
    last held 25 February 1996 (next to be held NA February 2003); prime
    minister and vice prime ministers appointed by the president
  election results: President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected with
    98% of popular vote in elections marred by widespread fraud

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 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, mayor of Malabo]; Union of
  Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
  IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, 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 NSUEA chancery: 2020 16th
    Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
  telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700
  FAX: [1] (202) 528-5252

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador John M. YATES; note - the US does not have an
    embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); US
    relations with Equatorial Guinea are handled through the US Embassy in
    Yaounde, Cameroon; 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)

§5. Equatorial Guinea Economy

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 deterioration of the rural economy under
  successive brutal regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led
  growth. A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF
  have been cut off since 1993 because of the government's gross corruption
  and mismanagement. 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. The country
  responded favorably to the devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994.
  Boosts in production and high world oil prices stimulated growth in 2000,
  with oil accounting for 90% of greatly increased exports.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $960 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  12% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 20% industry: 60%
  services: 20% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6% (1999 est.)

Labor force:
  NA

Unemployment rate:
  30% (1998 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $47 million
  expenditures: $43 million, including capital expenditures of $7 million
    (1996 est.)

Industries:
  petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:
  7.4% (1994 est.)

Electricity - production:
  21 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 85.71% hydro: 14.29%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  19.5 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts;
  livestock; timber

Exports:
  $860 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  petroleum, timber, cocoa

Exports - partners:
  US 62%, Spain 17%, China 9%, France 3%, Japan 3%, (1997)

Imports:
  $300 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities:
  manufactured goods and equipment

Imports - partners:
  US 35%, France 15%, Spain 10%, Cameroon 10%, UK 6% (1997)

Debt - external:
  $290 million (1999 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 - 699.21
  (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997),
  511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at
  a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Equatorial Guinea Communications

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 2, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
  180,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (1997)

Televisions:
  4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .gq

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  1 (2000)

Internet users:
  500 (2000)

§7. Equatorial Guinea Transportation

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: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,035 GRT/27,927 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, combination bulk 1, passenger 2,
    passenger/cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

§8. Equatorial Guinea Military

Military branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force, National Police

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 108,973 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 55,347 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $3 million (FY97/98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.6% (FY97/98)

§9. Equatorial Guinea Transnational Issues

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
