Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Middle Africa
Oil · Jungle · Tropical
Equatorial Guinea (officially Republic of Equatorial Guinea) is a country located in Middle Africa. Its capital city is Malabo, with other major cities including Bata and Ebebiyín. With a population of approximately 1.5M, the main languages spoken are Spanish, French, Portuguese. The country covers an area of 28,051 km². The official currency is the Central African CFA franc (Fr). Traffic drives on the right side.
Equatorial Guinea is Africa's only Spanish-speaking country and, despite small population, ranks among Africa's top oil producers — yet most citizens live in poverty due to highly unequal wealth distribution.
Malabo serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Equatorial Guinea, positioned in Middle Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Bata, Ebebiyín — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Malabo occupies a volcanic island — Bioko — off the Cameroonian coast with a second, continental portion of the country that creates one of Africa's most unusual geographies, a nation divided between an island and a mainland section 300 kilometres apart, the island being home to the capital while the mainland Mbini region contains most of the country's forest and wildlife resources.
With a population of approximately 1.5M, Equatorial Guinea is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Spanish, French, Portuguese, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Equatorial Guinea is reached via the dialling code +240. Equatoguineans navigate a country where oil wealth since 1995 has produced Africa's highest per-capita GDP while simultaneously recording some of its worst human development indices — a contradiction explained by the distribution of petroleum revenues to the political elite rather than the population, in a country whose official Spanish, French, and Portuguese languages reflect sequential colonial histories.
Equatorial Guinea spans 28,051 km², in the Middle Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 2.0°N, 10.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.
The official currency is the Central African CFA franc (Fr), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Equatorial Guinea's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football holds a special place in the heart of Equatorial Guinea's national identity. Football is Equatorial Guinea's sport of passion, with the national team's unexpected run to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in 2012 (as host) and 2015 (controversially as guest) representing the country's most significant sporting achievements — though the eligibility controversies around naturalised players from Brazil and Spain underlined the small country's challenge in developing authentic domestic talent.
The highest point in Equatorial Guinea is Pico Basile, rising to 3,011 metres above sea level. Pico Basile at 3,011 metres dominates Bioko Island and is the highest peak in Equatorial Guinea — its forested slopes sheltering endemic species of drills (African primates), Bioko Allen's bushbaby, and numerous bird species found nowhere else, in a biodiversity hotspot threatened by bushmeat hunting driven by the oilfield worker population who arrived with petroleum development.