| GEOGRAPHY |
| 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 |
| Capital: |
Malabo |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
2 00 N, 10 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 28,051 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km |
| Coastline: |
296 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
tropical; always hot, humid |
| Terrain: |
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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 Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 15 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; 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 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, NA 2
note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president |
| 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]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
535,881 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 41.7% (male 112,326/female 111,244)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 140,568/female 151,500)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,900/female 11,343) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 18.83 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 19.46 years (2005 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
9,600 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
41,500 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (2002) |
| Internet country
code: |
.gq |
| Internet hosts: |
3 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
1,800 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 2,880 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Bata, Luba, Malabo |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2005) |
| Airports: |
4 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
