In 2015, the population of Equatorial Guinea was estimated to be around 1.3 million people. The majority of the population is ethnically Fang with a small percentage of other ethnicities such as Bubi, Ndowe and Ibo. The economy of Equatorial Guinea is primarily based on oil and natural gas production and exports, followed by agriculture and services. In terms of foreign relations, Equatorial Guinea is a member of several international organizations including the United Nations, African Union (AU), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Organization for the Harmonization in Africa (OHADA). See ehealthfacts for Equatorial Guinea in the year of 2005.
In 2015, politics in Equatorial Guinea were dominated by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who had been in office since 1979. He was re-elected in 2016 with an administration that focused on economic development through foreign investment, public works projects and infrastructure improvements. Opposition to Mbasogo’s government came from both civil society groups who wanted more democratic reforms and opposition parties who wanted less government intervention in economic affairs. In addition, there were tensions between Equatorial Guinea and its neighbors over border disputes which led to disputes over access to regional waters.
Yearbook 2015
Equatorial Guinea. According to COUNTRYAAH, Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea which is located in Central Africa. Equatorial Guinea hosted the African Football Championships in January and February 2015. The country took over the event at short notice since Morocco withdrew and wanted to postpone the tournament of fear of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
- Also see AbbreviationFinder.org for Equatorial Guinea country abbreviations, including geography, history, economy and politics.
Accusations of the government’s lack of respect for human rights and oppression of the opposition as well as widespread corruption led to some criticism of the election of Equatorial Guinea as organizer. Three men were arrested, including blogger and opposition activist Celestino Nvo Okenve, and held in detention for two weeks since they called for a boycott of the host. The country’s authoritarian president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, was reported to have personally purchased 40,000 tickets to be distributed to the poor so that stands would not go empty. The organizers were fined later when the rioting broke out during the semi-final between the host country and Ghana and objects were thrown against the players. Nearly 150 fans were arrested.
In November, the Zimbabwean press reported that the country would send military trainers to Equatorial Guinea. Zimbabwe also assisted with security personnel during the football championship.
Obiang Nguema has been collaborating with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe for about ten years. In 2004, Zimbabwe stopped a group of alleged mercenaries on their way to Equatorial Guinea. They were suspected of wanting to overthrow the regime.
HUMAN AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
Population
In 1998, according to estimates made by international organizations, the population amounted to 431. 000 residents. The capital, Malabo, is home to almost a tenth of them. The demographic increase is very high, favored, over the last twenty years, by a slow but constant decrease in the death rate, against which there has not been a similar decrease in the birth rate.
Economic conditions
The country has a strongly backward economic structure, and the only growth prospects are linked, in the medium term, to offshore oil discoveries. Entirely conducted by multinationals, prospecting appears favorable and the use of new fields is expected to start. For the rest, GE has traditional agriculture, intended for internal consumption, to which are added modest industrial crops (cocoa and coffee). The forest cover is very extensive: in the mid-1990s about 650 were produced. 000 m ³ of wood, mostly of valuable wood (ebony, rosewood, etc.).
Agricultural enhancement projects focus mainly on cocoa, whose expansion plans have been financed by the World Bank; the prospects are favorable, even if there are difficulties mostly connected to the shortage of manpower able to work on the plantations. Agricultural development projects have been developed with the aim of ensuring food self-sufficiency in the country. The industrial system is very modest, the companies are negligible in size and operate almost exclusively in the food and woodworking sector. A very high technological delay and a marked energy shortage are weighing on the country. A hydroelectric plant on the Riaga river is nearing completion, while the construction of another plant is planned in Bikomo, near Bata: once the works have been completed, available energy should favor the construction of a network for civil uses and the availability of energy for industrial uses. In addition to the capital, the only urban center of some importance is Bata, in whose port goods for about 140. 000 t per year. The international airport is in Malabo.