Geography of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea is a small country located in the equatorial part of Africa. It consists of a continental territory of 26,017 km², called Mbini (formerly Río Muni), bordered to the north by Cameroon, to the east and south by Gabon, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean; and another 2,034 km² island, made up of the islands of Annobón (south of São Tomé and Príncipe, called Pagalú during the dictatorship of Francisco Macías), Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico and the island of Bioko (formerly Fernando Poo). where is the capital Malabo.
Mbini includes a flat coastal strip, which gradually becomes more rugged towards the interior, where there is a series of mountain ranges called "of the Seven Mountains". The terrain is gently undulating and covered by jungle vegetation. About 60% of the area belongs to the basin of the Mbini or Wele river (formerly called Benito).
The northern limit of the continental part is the border between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. On the southern part, the limit is constituted by the border between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
The largest island is Bioko (2,017 km²), and it is located north of the mainland, 40 kilometers off the coast of Cameroon at the bottom of the Gulf of Biafra, a section of the Gulf of Guinea. The island, of volcanic origin, is mountainous and heavily forested, with a steep and rocky coastline (195 km) where when the tide rises it hides its beaches. Excellent ports in Malabo and Luba. Its maximum height is the Basilé peak (3007 meters), formerly known as Pico de Santa Isabel. The island has fertile volcanic soils (where cocoa is grown) and various rivers; the lakes are located in the mountains.
Annobon Island (18 km²), so named due to its discovery on New Year's Day 1472, is located about 640 kilometers southwest of the Gabonese coast and 595 kilometers southwest of Bioko.
More than 45% of the territory is forested (46.2%) and is made up of forests, in which its biodiversity stands out. Despite the benefits produced by oil, the agricultural area is increasing with the consequent deforestation (8.2%).
Climate
The climate of the continental and insular region is typical equatorial, with high temperatures, abundant rainfall and cloudiness throughout the year. The local variations are due to the altitude and the proximity of the sea, where the rain is more intense. The wet season on the mainland runs from February to June and from September to December, and is reversed on the islands. Temperatures are highest from January to May and lowest from July to September.
In the capital, Malabo, located on the island of Bioko, they fall around 2,000-2,300 mm in 110 days, although in the rest of the island they exceed 3,000 mm, especially on Pico Basilé, the volcano that protects the capital. Between December (48 mm) and February it rains less, and more than 200 mm falls in May-June and in September, with a maximum of 340 mm, and in October. Temperatures oscillate between 19 °C of the average minimum in January and 32 °C of the maximum in February, but they oscillate very little throughout the year. The sea temperature ranges between 27 °C and 29 °C.
In Río Muni, on the mainland, annual rainfall exceeds 2,000 mm, but the rains are more abundant from March to May and from September to November. In Bata, the most important coastal city, they fall to around 2,800 mm in 166 days, with a minimum between June and September, although it does not stop raining and maximums in October (370 mm) and November (430 mm) and in April (395 mm), the rest of the months exceed 200 mm. Temperatures drop slightly between July and September but practically all year round they range between 21-22 °C and 28-31 °C.
Wildlife
They highlight typical species of African equatorial ecosystems. Among them we must mention the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), the mandrill, the picathartes, the lowland gorilla, the sitatunga, the leopard, the guenon, the chimpanzee, the elephant and the rare Zenker's squirrel (Idiurus zenkeri). The number of endemic species on the island of Bioko is very high.
Protected areas in Guinea
In Equatorial Guinea, 5,228 km² are under protection, 19.27 percent of the territory, and 730 km² of marine surface, 0.24 percent of the 310,365 km² that belong to the country. Among the protected areas there are 3 national parks, 2 natural monuments, 2 scientific reserves and 6 nature reserves.
- National parks
- Pico Basilé National Park (330 km2), on Bioko Island, protects the highest peak in the country and its primate population. In the higher areas, there are ericaceae up to 2500 m and above, a meadow.
- National Park of Los Altos de Nsork (700 km2), southeast of the continental area, in the province of Wele-Nzas; dense equatorial rainforest, with forest elephants, western plain gorillas, chimpanzees, collobos, etc.
- Monte Alén National Park (2000 km2), on the mainland, in the Niefang Mountains, dense forest and primates. There is a continuity in Mount Mitra, 1250 m.
- Natural monuments
- Natural monument Stone Bere (200 km2), in the southeast, hills and the complex of hills dome of the Akom, Bulu and Bere stones, which give name to the area. The dome hills are located in the Nson mountain range, which separates the basins from the Kie and Bimbile rivers. Granite soils to the border with Gabon and Cameroon. Dense forest.
- Natural Monument Stone Nzas (190 km2), on the road between Mongomo and Evinayong, on the continent, a series of spectacular granite inselbergs of 700 m high; caves with bats, orchids.
- Scientific reserves
- Scientific reserve Playa Nendyi (5 km2), between the villages of Cabo de San Juan and Calatrava; turtles.
- Scientific reserve of the Caldera de Luba (510 km2), south of the island of Bioko, volcanic, basal lava. Calderas and various lagoons, rivers and canyons on the slopes. Tropical rainforest in the lower parts, rainforest between 800 and 1500 m, araliaceae area up to 2260 m. Rains between 3000 and 4000 mm that favor cryptogamas, llanas and epiphytes between sea level and 600-700 m. Tortugas, primates, birds, etc.
- The 6 natural reserves are
- Natural reserve of Río Campo (330 km2), in the estuary of the river Campo, province of the Litoral, riverbed, border with Cameroon, red mangrove and white mangrove and tropical jungle. Hipopótamos, gorilas, chimpanzees, collobos, etc.
- Natural reserve of Punta Ilende (55 km2), in the south of the coast, the only ecosystem of grasslands surrounded by native forest. Mbini area, Muni River. Abejaruco de Malimba, bibita patilargo, etc.
- Natural reserve of the Corisco and Elobeyes islands (480 km2). It includes three islands: Elobey Grande (2.27 km2), Elobey Chica (0.19 km2) and Corisco (15 km2), and a sea area of over 400 km2. Beaches, indoor lagoons, a maximum height of 30 m.
- Monte Temelón natural reserve (230 km2), continental region, Wele-Nzas province, plateau with an average of 700 m high and thickets, limited to the north and east by Cameroon and Gabon. Unexploded forest, primates.
- Annobón Natural Reserve (30 km2). The only area in the southern hemisphere of Equatorial Guinea. The island of Annobón is 17 km2 (6 x 3 km) and consists of two volcanoes and the isthmus that unites them. It is where it rains less than the country, with about 1200 mm per year and a dry period accused. The whole island is protected area with a nucleus inhabited in San Antonio de Palé.
- Natural reserve of the Muni river estuary (600 km2), includes the entire area of the estuary and the mangroves, along with the mouths of the rivers Mandyan, Congue, Mitong, Toche and Mven, up to 25 km up and a strip of 10 km on the edge of each of them. High hills and flooded areas, with 90 km2 of aquatic habitat. Manatees and variety of primates.
Human Geography
In 2020, Equatorial Guinea had an estimated population of 1,402,985 inhabitants, with a density of 50/km² over an area of 28,050 km². 73.3% of the population is urban and the average age is 22.3 years. It is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa and the only one in which the official language is Spanish. It is an oil producer whose benefits are reserved for a small elite, with a significant wealth imbalance and very low spending on health and education. Unemployment is high because oil employs foreign skilled personnel. The fertility rate is 4 children per woman.
Ethnic composition
Due to its small size, it is complex. More than half of the population is of the Fang ethnic group, which is dominant on the mainland. To the north of the Mbini River are the Fang Ntumu, and to the south, the Fang Okak. They tend to migrate to Bioko, where they hold the reins of political power. In the coastal area, the Kombe, Mabea, Lengui, Benga and other peoples have mixed more with European traders, with whom there have been mixed marriages; the Spanish call them playeros, and both these and the fang are Bantu groups. The original people of Bioko were the Bubi, but only a few hundred remained by the early 21st century, who viewed decolonization as a Fang invasion. The dictator Francisco Macías Nguema (president between 1968-79), of the Fang ethnic group, persecuted the Bubis. In Bioko there are also Fernandinos, descendants of slaves freed by the British during the 19th century, who mixed with other emancipated Africans from Sierra Leone and Cuba, as well as immigrants from other countries. They formed an influential bourgeoisie, and many lost their privileges when the Spanish acquired the island and after independence. Other communities are made up of crioulos, a mixture of Portuguese and Africans from the island of São Tomé and Príncipe. In the 1960s there were a large number of Nigerians living in Malabo or on the plantations. In early 1975, Nigeria repatriated 45,000 workers for repressive conditions in Guinea. The inhabitants of Annobón are descendants of African slaves owned by the Portuguese when the island depended on the Portuguese colony of Sao Tomé.
Most Guineans are Catholic, although the Bubis and Fangs retain some of their traditional beliefs. The Bwiti cult, banned by the Spanish, still has followers. Under the government of Francisco Macías Nguema, in 1975 many churches were closed, and in 1978, Catholic worship was prohibited. Following Teodoro Obiang's coup in 1979, these orders were rescinded, but others, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, were banned in 1986.
Languages
Each ethnic group speaks its own language. The most important are fang and bubi. The official languages are French and Spanish. The latter is taught in schools and used in the press, in Bioko and on the mainland; French began to be taught in schools in 1988 due to the proximity of the Francophonie, and it became official in 1997. Creole English is used in small businesses and is the lingua franca in Bioko. Creole Portuguese is spoken in Bioko and Annobón.