Equatorial Guinea Travel Overview

Equatorial Guinea Travel Overview

At a glance

Capital: Malabo

Official language: Spanish

Currency: CFA franc

Continent: Central Africa

Spanish in Africa

Chimpanzees, gorillas, mandrills, leopards, elephants… Equatorial Guinea offers many sensations

Location

According to Countryaah, Equatorial Guinea is located in West Africa on the Atlantic Ocean and is the only Spanish-speaking country on the continent. It is made up of the mainland and several islands. The capital Malabo is on the island of Bioko. The mainland borders on Cameroon and Gabon.

Background

Due to an oil discovery off the coast of the country, it is statistically the richest country in Africa. Unfortunately, the population sees relatively little of this money; because the country is ruled by a parliament, but it has been acting very corruptly for years.

Highlights

Equatorial Guinea is little developed for tourism, but offers many highlights for individual travelers. There is still a lot of untouched jungle in the country and nature lovers will get their money’s worth. It is also home to gorillas and chimpanzees and the rare forest elephant.

Important facts

Capital: Malabo

Official language: Spanish

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

CFA franc (100 centimes)

ISO 4217 code

XAF / 950

Geography

Continent: Africa

Region: Central

Geo coordinates: N 1 ° 39 ‘2.9 ” E 10 ° 16’ 4.4″

Highest mountain: Pico Basile (3,008 m)

Total area: 28,051 km²

Mainland: 28,031 km²

National border: 539 km

Coastline: 296 km

Politics

Dependency: Spain until 1968

UN member since: 1968

Other political affiliation: African Union

Form of government: Presidential Republic

Economy

Equatorial Guinea GDP - gross domestic product

Export goods: Cocoa, coffee, wood

GDP: $ 927,000,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 2,810,000,000

Economic growth: 15.4%

GDP share of agriculture: 3%

GDP share of industry: 88.8%

GDP share of services: 8.2%

Inflation rate: 5.5%

State budget revenue: $ 1.73 billion

State budget expenditure: $ 840000000

Foreign debt: $ 381,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 2,730,000,000

Electricity consumption: 42 million KWh

Gas reserves: 36,810 million m³

Gas production: 1,360 million m³

Gas consumption: 1,360 million m³

Oil reserves: 564 million m³

Oil production: 480,000 million m³

Oil consumption: 1,600 million m³

Cultivation area: 8.2%

Bovine: 5,500 pieces

Pigs: 7,100 pieces

Sheep: 44,000 pieces

Fishing: 3,100 t

Demographic data

Residents: 540.100

Residents in cities: 262,000

Average age: 18.8 years

0-14 years: 41.7%

15-64 years: 54.5%

> 65 years: 3.8%

Population growth: 2.05%

Birth rate: 36.18 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 15.06 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.96

Fertility: 4.55 children / woman

Infant mortality: 89.21 ‰

Life expectancy men: 48 years

Life expectancy women: 51.13 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: GQ

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: GNQ

ISO 3166 numeric: 226

Top Level Domain: gq

IOC country code: GEQ

UN / LOCODE: GQ

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 10,400

Cell Phones: 46,900

Radios: 230,000

TV: 11,000

Computer: 9,000

Internet users: 6,000

Transportation

Cars: 14,000

Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 1

Pipelines: 104

Health

Number of doctors: 140

HIV- infected people: 7,500

Education

Illiteracy: 14%

History

Foundation: 1968

Last sovereign since: 1968

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 1,300

Defense Spending: $ 35.8 million

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

I.a. Air France (AF), British Airways (BA), KLM (KL), Swiss (LX) and Spanair (JK) fly from Europe to Malabo.

Lufthansa (LH) flies directly from Frankfurt / M. to Malabo (can also be booked in codeshare with Brussels Airlines (SN)).

Flight times

Frankfurt – Malabo: 8 hours 10; Vienna – Malabo: 10 hours 20; Zurich – Malabo: 10 hours 15.

Departure fee

No.

Arrival by car

Road connections exist to Cameroon and Gabon (bush taxis are available). Bad road conditions must be expected. By land, entry is mostly via Douala in Cameroon. The borders can be temporarily closed, it is advisable to inquire beforehand (see contact addresses).

Arrival by ship

Malabo and Bata are the main port cities. There is a passenger connection to Douala (Cameroon).

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

Daily flight connections between Malabo and Bata, advance booking is recommended (flight postponement and cancellation possible). Holders of an international pilot’s license can rent small aircraft in Malabo. On domestic flights, maintenance and safety regulations do not always meet international standards.

On the way by car / bus

Not all roads are paved. The roads in the north are better on Bioko. Bush taxis can be hired by the hour and by the day and connect Malabo with the other two larger cities on the island, Luba and Riaba. Police and military roadblocks and checks on foreigners’ papers are common. In Malabo, Bata and the surrounding area, new roads are being built or restored. A minibus runs from Bata to Mbini (travel time: 1 hour) and to Acalayong (6 hours). There are a few car rental companies.

On the go by train

There is no train service.

On the way by ship

A ferry runs between Malabo, Bata and Douala (Cameroon), the journey takes about 12 hours. There are four different price ranges.