Equatorial Guinea is located on Africa’s west coast. However, this country was formerly known as Spanish Guinea. In 1968, they finally managed to gain independence from colonization. Needless to say, the country’s main language is Spanish. However, they also speak French and Portuguese. Those three are also considered as the country’s official languages. This is the only country to have Spanish as an official language. Also, it got its name due to its proximity to the Gulf of Guinea and the Equator. It’s simple enough to understand. Another interesting thing about Equatorial Guinea is that it’s a member of the United Nations despite being the smallest country in Africa. Thankfully, there are bigger things that you’d like to find out about this country.
Equatorial Guinea Facts
1. This country’s capital city is not situated on the mainland.
Most of the time, countries tend to choose capital cities to be established on the mainland. However, that’s not the case here. They chose to have the capital city of Malabo to be on Bioko Island, an interesting fact about Equatorial Guinea. One of the reasons for that is because Malabo is considered as the oldest city in the country. However, with the growing population of the country, the government is planning to have a new capital city on the mainland. They call it the Ciudad de la Paz. There are also other claims that the new capital city will be named “Oyala”.
2. The average lifespan here is 58 years old.
One of the most surprising things in this country is the data that shows the usual age when people tend to die. One of the reasons for this is because the citizens of the country are not getting the medical attention that they need. It’s unfortunate but citizens are having trouble even with simple and preventable diseases. It’s also made worse by the fact that malaria is also a serious issue in this country. Not to mention that there are numerous cases where pregnant women get sick at a significant rate.
3. Equatorial Guinea is usually hot and humid.
Although not a lot of people are fans of the heat in this country, it’s still interesting to see how it enjoys a tropical climate. Also, there’s little variation when it comes to this country’s climate. If you plan on going for an out of season summer vacation, you might want to consider getting some tan in this place.
4. Visiting this country gives you the chance to bring some masks and sculpture souvenirs.
An interesting fact about Equatorial Guinea is that this is a place where they take pride when it comes to masks and sculptures. The crafts from this place can be unique and they’re perfect if you want to have something to remember by about the beautiful side of the country.
5. Equatorial Guinea is a rich country but fails to thrive as one.
Fortunately, this country is a resource for mineral and oil. However, that turned out to be a disadvantage since the elites of the country are taking most of the money for themselves. As a result, the country’s population is not as prosperous as it should be. Of course, the capital city has seen a lot of improvement already but it can’t be denied that there’s still a significant poverty line in the country.
6. It has only one president since 1979.
With the country being wealthy, it’s not surprising that the president will cling to his position whenever he can. With that said, Teodoro Obiang is one of the presidents in Africa who has served a long time. Although his intentions are mostly for himself and not for the people. Adding that, Obiang’s son, Teodorin, is the current vice president.
7. This country is one of the top three largest oil exporters in Africa.
If you’re wondering how the country got so rich, it’s because they were blessed with oil, a fun fact about Equatorial Guinea. Although that has proven to be quite a curse for the country as time passed. In any case, Equatorial Guinea is known to have a lot of trade surplus from its oil production. Available data says that their exports about to $4.1 billion. The surplus is also estimated to reach up to $1.6 billion.
8. It only has one university.
With a country this rich, you’d expect that there will more universities and schools. Of course, that’s not the case at all. The Universidad Nacional de Guinea Equatorial is the only one available. Adding to that, its main campus is 5 miles away from the capital city.
9. The country has a lot of protected areas.
Being an oil giant in Africa, it’s only a matter of time until Equatorial Guinea overstep its boundaries when it comes to oil production. To prevent that from happening, agreements were made to ensure that certain areas in the country won’t be exploited no matter how profitable they can be. It’s thanks to that agreement that many animal homes were saved. That’s also the reason why they get a lot of visitors who would like to see chimpanzees, elephants, and more of the preserved environment, a fun fact about Equatorial Guinea.
10. The ordinary folk of Equatorial Guinea is its treasure.
Even though the country is ruled by corrupt officials, the people in this country are very friendly. Of course, they’re having a hard time living in poverty but they still manage to be good to others. Even with the horrible human rights that the country has, you can see in the eyes of the people that they’re doing what they can to hope for a better tomorrow. Truly, they are the hope of this country.
Conclusion
Equatorial Guinea isn’t much of a place that would rival other countries when it comes to proper benefits for its citizens and other essentials. However, it is safe to say that this country still has a hope to become better in the future. With the new capital being built in the mainland, it may be a new chapter for the country. With all that said, you’ll want to go here if you want to meet wonderful people and learn more about their culture.
I hope that this article on Equatorial Guinea facts was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Country Facts Page!
