in 1968 after 190 years ofSpanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus
five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African
continent. President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country for
over two decades since seizing power from his uncle, then President
MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a constitutional
democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as
well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being
flawed. The president controls most opposition parties through the
judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's economic windfall
from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government
revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the
country's living standards.
Geography Equatorial Guinea
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and
Gabon
Geographic coordinates:
2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references:
Africa
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
Elevation 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
Land use: arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
violent windstorms, flash floods
Environment - current issues:
tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
insular and continental regions rather widely separated
People Equatorial Guinea
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.)
Population growth rate:
2.42% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
36.18 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
12 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 85.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 91.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 78.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.7 years
male: 48.01 years
female: 51.44 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.62 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,900 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
370 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne
