The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a country in
Central Africa
. It is one of the smallest countries in continental
Africa
, and comprises two regions:
Río Muni
, continental region including several offshore islands; and
Insular Region
containing
Annobón
island in the
South Atlantic Ocean
, and
Bioko
island (formerly Fernando Pó) that contains the capital,
Malabo
.
Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just north of the equator. Bioko island is the nothernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the east is the mainland region. Equatorial Guinea borders
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 between Bioko and Annobón. Formerly the
Spanish
colony
called
Spanish Guinea
, its post-independence name is suggestive of its location near both the Equator and the
Gulf of Guinea
. It is one of the territories in mainland Africa where
Spanish
is an official language, besides 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 continental Africa in terms of population. (
Seychelles
and
São Tomé and Príncipe
are smaller in terms of area, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has a smaller population but is disputed.) It is also the smallest
United Nations
member from continental Africa. The discovery of sizeable
petroleum
reserves in recent years is altering the economic and political status of the country.
Despite its name, no part of Equatorial Guinea's territory lies on the equator. However, its island of
Annobón
is about miles (km) south of the equator, and the rest of the country lies to the north |