Country Guide • Equatorial Guinea

Flag of Equatorialguinea

Equatorial Guinea was formerly known as Spanish Guinea. It consists of Río Muni on the western coast of Africa, and several islands in the Gulf of Guinea, the largest of which is Bioko.

Official NameRepublic of Equatorial Guinea
Area28,051km² (10,830mile²)
Population510,350
ContinentAfrica
Population per mile²47
Capital CityMalabo
Religions89% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestants and Muslims. The remainder follow local native tribal beliefs
LanguageBoth Spanish and French are the official languages
GovernmentRepublic
CurrencyCfa Franc
GDP$1.04 billion
GDP per Head$2,100
Natural ResourcesOil and petroleum, timber, gold, manganese and uranium
Land UseArable Land 5%
AgricultureCoffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts, livestock and timber
IndustryPetroleum, fishing, timber, natural gas and cocoa
TourismThis is a poor country, but with its newly found oil reserves may have a change of fortune in the future. Much of the country is covered by forest but there are beautiful beaches along the coastline
Natural HazardsTornadoes and Windstorms
Health RisksYou will be asked to produce a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate on arrival. Failure to do so will result in a further vaccination being administered for which a charge is made. You will require also require immunisations (and, often, proof of this) against cholera, tetanus, typhoid, meningitis, polio and hepatitis A. You'll also need to guard against giardia, dysentry, fungal infections, rabies, tuberculosis, bilharzia, diphtheria, malaria, typhus and a whole textbook of other water-, insect- and air-borne diseases. HIV/AIDS is also prevalent
ClimateAs the name suggests Equatorial Guinea has an equatorial climate which is hot and humid. On Rio Muni the wet and dry season alternate, with the wet season from June to August and the dry season from December to February. Average annual rainfall varies from 76 inches at Malabo to a staggering 36 feet) at Ureka on Bioko. Average temperature ranges in Malabo are from 21°C (70°F) to 32°C (90°F) all year
TimeGMT/UTC+1 hour
National DaysOctober 12
VisasAll visitors to Equatorial Guinea require a visa, which is usually valid for 30 days
British EmbassyEmbassy Details

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