Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country in Central Africa. One of the smallest countries in continental Africa, Equatorial Guinea is comprised of a mainland territory known as Río Muni (including several offshore islands); the island of Bioko (formerly Fernando Pó), where the capital, Malabo (formerly Santa Isabel) is located; and the island of Annobón in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Cameroon on the north, Gabon on the south and east, and the Gulf of Guinea on the west, where the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe is located. Formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name is suggestive of its location near both the equator and the Gulf of Guinea. It is the only country in mainland Africa where Spanish is an official language, excluding the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the UN recognised but Moroccan Occupied Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara).
Equatorial Guinea is the smallest country, in terms of population, in continental Africa (Seychelles and São Tomé and Príncipe are smaller in terms of area). It is also the smallest United Nations member from continental Africa. The discovery of sizeable oil reserves in recent years is altering the economic and political status of the country.

History

Main article: Politics of Equatorial Guinea Politics
Equatorial Guinea is divided into seven provinces (capitals appear in parentheses):

Annobón Province (San Antonio de Palé)
Bioko Norte Province (Malabo)
Bioko Sur Province (Luba)
Centro Sur Province (Evinayong)
Kié-Ntem Province (Ebebiyín)
Litoral Province (Bata)
Wele-Nzas Province (Mongomo) Provinces

Main article: Economy of Equatorial Guinea Economy

Main article: Demographics of Equatorial Guinea Demographics
The Constitutional Law which amends article 4 of the Fundamental Law of the State, establishes that "the official languages of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea are Spanish and French. The aboriginal languages are recognized as integral parts of the national culture" (Constitutional Law No. 1/1998 of 21 January). The great majority of Equatorial Guineans speak Spanish

Official languages

Main article: Culture of Equatorial Guinea Culture
The most dominant form of mass media in the country is the three state-operated FM radio stations. There are also five shortwave radio stations.
A July 2003 article from the BBC points out there are no daily newspapers in the country and described how a Fang program called "Bidze-Nduan" ("Bury the Fire") on a widely listened-to state radio station declared that Obiang was "in permanent contact with the Almighty"; a presidential aide on the show also said:
"He [Obiang] can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell because it is God himself, with whom he is in permanent contact, and who gives him this strength."
Most of the media companies practise heavy self-censorship, and are banned by law from criticising public figures. The state owned media and the main private radio station are under the directorship of Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the president's son. Some media-related statistics from The World Factbook are summarized in a section on communications in Equatorial Guinea.

Sports
See Frederick Forsyth's The Dogs of War article "Trivia".
Fernando Poo (now Bioko) is featured prominently in the 1975 science fiction work The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. The island (and, in turn, the country) experience a series of coups in the story which lead the world to the verge of nuclear war. The trilogy also establishes that Fernando Poo is the last remaining piece of the sunken continent of Atlantis.
Most of the action in Robin Cook's book, Chromosome 6, takes place in Equatorial Guinea, where an international biochemical corporation, "GenSys", established a primate research facility because the country had permissive laws. The book indicates something of the geography, history and people of Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea in fiction

Category:Equatoguinean people
Communications in Equatorial Guinea
Foreign relations of Equatorial Guinea
List of Equatorial Guinea-related topics
Military of Equatorial Guinea
Scouting in Equatorial Guinea
Transport in Equatorial Guinea See also
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

Books

Official Government of Equatorial Guinea website (Spanish, English)
Institutional web site of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish, French, English)
Opposition Website ("Government in Exile" - Evolved party from ruling government prior to the coup d'état that lead to the Independence of 1968) (Spanish)
Honorary Consulate of Equatorial Guinea in Romania (Spanish) (Romanian) (English) News

BBC News Country Profile - Equatorial Guinea
CIA World Factbook - Equatorial Guinea
Open Directory Project - Equatorial Guinea directory category
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Equatorial Guinea directory category
The Index on Africa - Equatorial Guinea
University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Equatorial Guinea directory category
Yahoo! - Equatorial Guinea directory category
http://www.iradier.org/colaboracion5.htm (Spanish) Overviews and directories

The Bubis of Fernando Po The history of first inhabitants of Bioko Island, now an endangered people
Cultura Bubi
Cultures de Mon: Los Bubis
African Pygmies Culture and music of the first inhabitants of Equatorial Guinea, with photos and ethnographic notes Tourism

Equatorial Guinea Banking Issues, from the Fair Finance Watch
Equatorial Guinea Investment Opportunities in Spanish
Can Corporate Power Transform Equatorial Guinea and Angola?