50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that you did not know about | With Images

Equatorial Guinea is a small country of Africa located to the west of the continent. It has insular and continental regions, covering a territory of something more than 28,000 km2. Subjected to fierce dictatorships since his independence from Spain in 1968, first with Macias and then with Obiang Nguema, his population continues to live in poverty despite being one of the main producers of Petroleum from Africa. Join us to discover 50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that perhaps you did not know.

Equatorial Guinea is composed of a continental territory called Rio Muni and five islands, in one of which, Bioko, is the capital of the country: Malabo. Its population is around 1.2 million inhabitants.

50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea

1. The name of the country comes from the one that was given in 1963 when it obtained an autonomous regime. Guinea, for being in the Gulf of Guinea and Equatorial because of its proximity to the equator.

2. The first inhabitants of the area that today is Equatorial Guinea are believed to have been pygmies. Currently only small groups remain living north of Muni River.

3. The first European to reach Bioko, the insular region of the country, was Fernando Pó, a Portuguese navigator who was looking for a road to India in 1472. The king of Portugal, in 1493, added to his titles the Lord of Guinea .

50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that you did not know

4. Bioko was known by the Europeans with the name of Fernando Pó.

5. The importance of Bioko and the other islands of the Gulf of Guinea, for centuries, was like centers for the slave trade.

6 In 1778, the queen María I of Portugal ceded through the Treaty of Pardo the cession of Bioko and other islands and inlets near Spain.

7. Equatorial Guinea obtained independence from Spain in 1968.

8. That same year she was admitted to the UN, being the smallest country in Africa that is a member of the United Nations Organization.

9. After independence, he suffered the Macías dictatorship and later that of Obiang Nguema, which still persists in the form of a "Presidential Republic" within a military dictatorship.

10. The official currency is the Central African franc. He Franco CFA of Central Africa It is the common currency of six independent states of Central Africa.

11. Equatorial Guinea is one of the countries in the world with the least press freedom.

12. In recent years, campaigns have been initiated that have reduced maternal and infant mortality and programs to reduce malaria infections have also been carried out.

50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that you did not know 1

13. Equatorial Guinea is the country of sub-Saharan Africa with a higher literacy rate.

14. The only university in the country is the National University of Equatorial Guinea whose main campus is about 8 km away. from the capital, Malabo. They also have a Faculty of Medicine in the city of Bata.

20 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that perhaps you did not know, capital of Equatorial Guinea

Malabo

15. One of the curiosities of Equatorial Guinea is that the largest and most populated city is not the capital, which is located on an island, but Bata, which is on the continent and was previously the capital of the country.

16. Bioko and Annobón, two of the largest islands in the country, are of volcanic origin and form part of a mountain range that starts in Cameroon and crops out in the Atlantic .

17. The island of Annobón received its name when it was discovered on New Year's Day in 1472.

18. The volcanic origin of Bioko is reflected in one of its most beautiful beaches. The beach of Moraka, near Malabo, is black sand and is considered one of the most beautiful on the island.

19. 45% of the territory of the country is forestry and is made up of tropical forests in which its biodiversity stands out.

20. 19% of the national territory consists of protected areas.

21. Mount Alen National Park, located in the continental region, is a tropical forest where gorillas, leopards, chimpanzees, elephants and crocodiles live among other animals. It is a protected area that offers refuge to all of them.

22. In this National Park you can see the largest frog in the world. It's the "Goliath Frog." It can measure 33 cm. From the snout to the cloaca and if you stretch the legs, measure 80 cm! It weighs around 3 kg. and with only one of its jumps it covers a distance of 3 meters. Bestial!

50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that you did not know

23. Another beautiful place in the country is the Moca Valley or Moka. It is located south of Bioko and in it you can see the lakes Biao and Loreta. besides the famous Iladyi Waterfalls.

24. The highest point in the country is the Basile Peak, which measures 3,008 m. and it's on the island of Bioko.

50 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that you did not know 2

25. The population of Equatorial Guinea is mainly composed of members of two tribes: the Fang and the Bubi.

26. One of the curiosities of Equatorial Guinea related to its population is that according to the latest surveys, almost 17% of the inhabitants are immigrants who come from other African countries as well as from Europe.

27. The Human Rights Watch organization is extremely critical of the government of Equatorial Guinea, which it considers one of the worst dictatorships that Africa has had. The fraudulent elections and the president and his corrupt clique.

28. Despite being one of the largest oil producers in Africa and having a GDP higher than that of Chile or Uruguay, which makes it one of the richest countries in the continent, most of its population lives in poverty without access to drinking water.

29. The government and senior officials are the only ones that benefit from oil.

30. Formerly, coffee, cocoa and almonds or "palm dates" to produce palm oil were its main exports.

31. The capital of Equatorial Guinea is Malabo, formerly called Santa Isabel, and is one of the few world capitals of countries with island and continental regions that have the capital on an island.

32. It is located north of Bioko and is only 40 km away. from Cameroon.

33. The population of Malabo is around 200,000 people, approximately.

20 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that perhaps you did not know, capital of Equatorial Guinea

Port of Malabo

34. One of the curiosities of Equatorial Guinea is that its capital was controlled for a long time by British forces that used it as a base for the fight against slave trade . The population of the island grew in part thanks to the slaves freed by the British. In 1855 the city became the capital of the Spanish colony.

35. The government of Obiang Ngema has been building a new capital of Equatorial Guinea on the continent, specifically in the city of Oyala, renamed the City of Peace (also known as Djibloho) . In February 2017, the transfer that is believed to end in 2020 began.

36. Another of the Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea is that it is the only country in Africa where l language official is the Spanish , but due to commercial interests it shares officiality with French and Portuguese. More than 67% of its population speaks Spanish as a second language and is used in education and administration.

37. In addition to these European languages, Fang and Bubi are the most spoken vernacular languages.

38. The food of Equatorial Guinea It is strongly influenced by the surrounding countries and by the Spanish cuisine of the colonial years. It is mainly based on cassava, rice, yam and taro, fish and some meats. One of the most popular alcoholic drinks is "malamba", made from sugar cane.

20 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that perhaps you did not know, food of Equatorial Guinea

39. On special occasions or ceremonies, the food of Equatorial Guinea It is enriched with products such as chicken and duck in dishes served with peanut butter sauces, rice cream or boiled plantain.

40. One of the typical drinks of Equatorial Guinea is a beer made from sugar cane.

41. They also produce "palm wine" which is an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of various palm tree species.

42. The Flag of Equatorial Guinea It is four colors. It has a green stripe for the vegetation of the country, another white for peace and the last red for independence and in the area near the polipasto a blue triangle appears by the sea. In the center you can see a ceiba or cotton tree, the national symbol.

43. In the national shield, we also see this tree that can reach 70 m. Tall

20 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that maybe you did not know, Flag of Equatorial Guinea

43. Among the curiosities of Equatorial Guinea There is the traditional sculpture and the making of masks.

20 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that maybe you did not know

Traditional mask Fang

44. Another of the traditions of Equatorial Guinea it is their family structure, which usually represents the basis of social welfare. Large families tend to live together and young marriages are incorporated into the husband's family group.

45. If you are going to travel to Equatorial Guinea You have to take into account that it has a tropical climate, warm and humid and that it remains practically at the same temperature throughout the year.

20 Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea that you may not have known, travel to Equatorial Guinea

Bioko

46. ​​Tourism, due to years of isolation, is underdeveloped. If you go to travel to Equatorial Guinea , you must be vaccinated against yellow fever and have a valid passport. A special visa is not necessary.

47. In continental Equatorial Guinea you will see the rare Zenker squirrel or flying squirrel.

48. The population of Equatorial Guinea declares itself as 89% Christian and among them 80% are Catholics.

49. June 5 is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of President Obiang Ngema and, although it is one of the countries in the world where the basic rights of people are least respected, December 10 is also festive to commemorate the "Day of human rights".

50. As the last of these curiosities of Equatorial Guinea , we will remember two brave swimmers from the country who participated in the 2000 Olympic Games. Eric Moussambani Y Paula Barila Bolopa , that amazed the world with its very high times. They had never swum in an Olympic pool before and had only trained in hotel pools due to the lack of sports infrastructure in their country. Both swimmers won the sympathy of the public and were considered "brave" as they participated knowing that their times would be the worst in the Olympiad.

Curiosities of Africa | By countries

Have you been surprised by these curiosities of Equatorial Guinea , a beautiful country with insular and continental territories that is the third oil producer of sub-Saharan Africa, but unfortunately lives immersed in a dictatorship? If you are fascinated by African countries you may want to know more curiosities of Africa ? Then, explore the following list with the most amazing information of the African continent distributed by countries. Expand your knowledge and let yourself be surprised!

  • Curiosities of Egypt
  • Curiosities of Kenya
  • Curiosities of Morocco
  • Curiosities of Madagascar
  • Curiosities of Mali
  • Curiosities of Cape Verde
  • Curiosities about Angola

Did you know these curiosities of Equatorial Guinea ? Have you been surprised to learn that its first inhabitants were the Pygmies or that it is the most literate country in Africa? We have loved discovering them! If you know some curious data of Equatorial Guinea that we have not mentioned, share it with us and we can expand the list! If you are fond of novels and want to know more about this country, we recommend Luz Gabás's book Palm trees in the snow or the movie based on the novel Palm Trees In The Snow [DVD]

Images: Ipisking , Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection , Embassy of Equatorial Guinea , NathanaelStanek , Pablo Manriquez


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