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Equatorial Guinea Country Guide
Explore Equatorial Guinea in Africa
The landscape offers coastal plains rise to interior hills with islands are volcanic. The average density of population is approximately 20 per km². The notable climate conditions in Equatorial Guinea can be described as tropical with always hot, humid. Potential threats by nature are violent windstorms or flash floods.
To reach someone in Equatorial Guinea dial +240 prior to a number. There are 10,000 installed telephones. And there are 445,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".gq". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Equatorial Guinea
Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red, with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice); green symbolizes the jungle and natural resources, blue represents the sea that connects the mainland to the islands, white stands for peace, and red recalls the fight for independence.
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, and 2008 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country''s economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population''s living standards have been slow to develop.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Gabon, Cameroon Capital: Malabo |
| Size | 28,051 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 10,830 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Population | 562,000 |
| Currency | Name Franc, Currency Code:XAF |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .gq |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +240 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 445,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 10,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 28,051 (sq km) | 146 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 704,001 | 166 |
| Population growth rate | 2.58 (%) | 24 |
| Birth rate | 34.35 (births/1,000 population) | 29 |
| Death rate | 8.59 (deaths/1,000 population) | 78 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 240.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 46 |
| Infant mortality rate | 73.12 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 14 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 63.12 (years) | 184 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.74 (children born/woman) | 25 |
| Health expenditures | 4.50 (% of GDP) | 151 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 5.00 (%) | 15 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 20,000 | 76 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 1,000 | 71 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 10.60 (%) | 129 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 10.60 (%) | 67 |
| Education expenditures | 0.60 (% of GDP) | 173 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 19,600,000,000 | 132 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.00 (%) | 133 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 26,400 | 59 |
| Labor force | 195,200 | 172 |
| Unemployment rate | 22.30 (%) | 166 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 44.60 (% of GDP) | 5 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 59.40 (% of GDP) | 7 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 3.40 (% of GDP) | 18 |
| Public debt | 4.30 (% of GDP) | 151 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.20 (%) | 163 |
| Central bank discount rate | 4.25 (%) | 88 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 15.00 (%) | 47 |
| Stock of narrow money | 2,478,000,000 | 120 |
| Stock of broad money | 3,115,000,000 | 143 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 508,100,000 | 172 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 1.80 (%) | 119 |
| Current account balance | 290,200,000 | 50 |
| Exports | 18,310,000,000 | 75 |
| Imports | 7,590,000,000 | 109 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 3,825,000,000 | 101 |
| Debt - external | 1,232,000,000 | 153 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 97,000,000 (kWh) | 196 |
| Electricity - consumption | 90,210,000 (kWh) | 197 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 31,000 (kW) | 190 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 96.80 (% of total installed capacity) | 66 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 3.20 (% of total installed capacity) | 130 |
| Crude oil - production | 302,500 (bbl/day) | 35 |
| Crude oil - exports | 299,400 (bbl/day) | 25 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 1,100,000,000 (bbl) | 40 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 1,588 (bbl/day) | 195 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 25,670 (bbl/day) | 71 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 4,561 (bbl/day) | 161 |
| Natural gas - production | 6,740,000,000 (cu m) | 49 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 1,580,000,000 (cu m) | 82 |
| Natural gas - exports | 5,160,000,000 (cu m) | 31 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 36,810,000,000 (cu m) | 70 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 5,005,000 (Mt) | 123 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 13,500 | 198 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 426,000 | 169 |
| Internet hosts | 7 | 228 |
| Internet users | 14,400 | 200 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 7 | 166 |
| Roadways | 2,880 (km) | 168 |
| Merchant marine | 5 | 124 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.10 (% of GDP) | 170 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases