Equatorial Guinea
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is located in west central Africa.
Bioko Island lies about 40 kilometers (25 mi.) from Cameroon.
Annobon Island lies about 595 kilometers (370 mi.) southwest of
Bioko Island. The larger continental region of Rio Muni lies between
Cameroon and Gabon on the mainland; Equatorial Guinea includes the
islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico, and adjacent
islets.
Bioko Island, called Fernando Po until the 1970s, is the largest
island in the Gulf of Guinea--2,017 square kilometers (780 sq. mi.).
It is shaped like a boot, with two large volcanic formations
separated by a valley that bisects the island at its narrowest
point. The 195-kilometer (120-mi.) coastline is steep and rugged in
the south but lower and more accessible in the north, with excellent
harbors at Malabo and Luba, and several scenic beaches between those
towns.
On the continent, Rio Muni covers 26,003 square kilometers (10,040
sq. mi.). The coastal plain gives way to a succession of valleys
separated by low hills and spurs of the Crystal Mountains. The Rio
Benito (Mbini), which divides Rio Muni in half, is not navigable
except for a 20-kilometer stretch at its estuary. Temperatures and
humidity in Rio Muni are slightly lower than on Bioko Island.
Annobon Island, named for its discovery on New Year's Day 1472, is a
small volcanic island covering 18 square kilometers (7 sq. mi.). The
coastline is abrupt except in the north; the principal volcanic cone
contains a small lake. Most of the estimated 1,900 inhabitants are
fisherman specializing in traditional, small-scale tuna fishing and
whaling. The climate is tropical--heavy rainfall, high humidity, and
frequent seasonal changes with violent windstorms.
The majority of the Equatoguinean people are of Bantu origin. The
largest tribe, the Fang, is indigenous to the mainland, but
substantial migration to Bioko Island has resulted in Fang dominance
over the earlier Bantu inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the
population and are themselves divided into 67 clans. Those in the
northern part of Rio Muni speak Fang-Ntumu, while those in the south
speak Fang-Okah; the two dialects are mutually unintelligible. The
Bubi, who constitute 15% of the population, are indigenous to Bioko
Island. In addition, there are coastal tribes, sometimes referred to
as "Playeros," consisting of Ndowes, Bujebas, Balengues, and Bengas
on the mainland and small islands, and "Fernandinos," a Creole
community, on Bioko. Together, these groups comprise 5% of the
population. There are also foreigners from neighboring Cameroon,
Nigeria, and Gabon.
Spanish and French are both official languages, though use of
Spanish predominates. The Roman Catholic Church has greatly
influenced both religion and education.
Equatoguineans tend to have both a Spanish first name and an African
first and last name. When written, the Spanish and African first
names are followed by the father's first name (which becomes the
principal surname) and the mother's first name. Thus people may have
up to four names, with a different surname for each generation. |
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The first inhabitants of the region that is now Equatorial Guinea
are believed to have been Pygmies, of whom only isolated pockets
remain in northern Rio Muni. Bantu migrations between the 17th and
19th centuries brought the coastal tribes and later the Fang.
Elements of the latter may have generated the Bubi, who immigrated
to Bioko from Cameroon and Rio Muni in several waves and succeeded
former Neolithic populations. The Annobon population, native to
Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via Sao Tome.
The Portuguese explorer, Fernando Po (Fernao do Poo), seeking a
route to India, is credited with having discovered the island of
Bioko in 1471. He called it Formosa ("pretty flower"), but it
quickly took on the name of its European discoverer. The Portuguese
retained control until 1778, when the island, adjacent islets, and
commercial rights to the mainland between the Niger and Ogoue Rivers
were ceded to Spain in exchange for territory in South America
(Treaty of Pardo). From 1827 to 1843, Britain established a base on
the island to combat the slave trade. The Treaty of Paris settled
conflicting claims to the mainland in 1900, and the mainland
territories were united administratively under Spanish rule.
Spain lacked the wealth and the interest to develop an extensive
economic infrastructure in what was commonly known as Spanish Guinea
during the first half of this century. However, through a
paternalistic system, particularly on Bioko Island, Spain developed
large cacao plantations for which thousands of Nigerian workers were
imported as laborers. At independence in 1968, largely as a result
of this system, Equatorial Guinea had one of the highest per capita
incomes in Africa. The Spanish also helped Equatorial Guinea achieve
one of the continent's highest literacy rates and developed a good
network of health care facilities.
In 1959, the Spanish territory of the Gulf of Guinea was established
with status similar to the provinces of metropolitan Spain. As the
Spanish Equatorial Region, a governor general ruled it exercising
military and civilian powers. The first local elections were held in
1959, and the first Equatoguinean representatives were seated in the
Spanish parliament. Under the Basic Law of December 1963, limited
autonomy was authorized under a joint legislative body for the
territory's two provinces. The name of the country was changed to
Equatorial Guinea. Although Spain's commissioner general had
extensive powers, the Equatorial Guinean General Assembly had
considerable initiative in formulating laws and regulations.
In March 1968, under pressure from Equatoguinean nationalists and
the United Nations, Spain announced that it would grant independence
to Equatorial Guinea. A constitutional convention produced an
electoral law and draft constitution. In the presence of a UN
observer team, a referendum was held on August 11, 1968, and 63% of
the electorate voted in favor of the constitution, which provided
for a government with a General Assembly and a Supreme Court with
judges appointed by the president.
In September 1968, Francisco Macias Nguema was elected first
president of Equatorial Guinea, and independence was granted in
October. In July 1970, Macias created a single-party state and by
May 1971, key portions of the constitution were abrogated. In 1972
Macias took complete control of the government and assumed the title
of President-for-Life. The Macias regime was characterized by
abandonment of all government functions except internal security,
which was accomplished by terror; this led to the death or exile of
up to one-third of the country's population. Due to pilferage,
ignorance, and neglect, the country's infrastructure--electrical,
water, road, transportation, and health--fell into ruin. Religion
was repressed, and education ceased. The private and public sectors
of the economy were devastated. Nigerian contract laborers on Bioko,
estimated to have been 60,000, left en masse in early 1976. The
economy collapsed, and skilled citizens and foreigners left.
On August 3, 1979 a lieutenant colonel in charge of military police,
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, led a successful coup d'etat; Macias
was arrested, tried, and executed. Obiang assumed the Presidency in
October 1979. Obiang initially ruled Equatorial Guinea with the
assistance of a Supreme Military Council. A new constitution,
drafted in 1982 with the help of the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights, came into effect after a popular vote on August 15,
1982; the Council was abolished, and Obiang remained in the
presidency for a 7-year term. He was reelected in 1989. In February
1996, he again won reelection with 98% of the vote; several
opponents withdrew from the race, however, and international
observers criticized the election. Subsequently, Obiang named a new
cabinet, which included some opposition figures in minor portfolios.
Despite the formal ending of one-party rule in 1991, President
Obiang and a circle of advisors (drawn largely from his own family
and ethnic group) maintain real authority. The president names and
dismisses cabinet members and judges, ratifies treaties, leads the
armed forces, and has considerable authority in other areas. He
appoints the governors of Equatorial Guinea's seven provinces. The
opposition had few electoral successes in the 1990s. By early 2000,
President Obiang's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE)
party fully dominated government at all levels. In December 2002,
President Obiang won a new seven-year mandate with 97% of the vote.
Reportedly, 95% of eligible voters voted in this election, although
many observers noted numerous irregularities. Presidential elections
are tentatively scheduled for December 2009. |
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