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Equatorial Guinea - Geography

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is located in west central Africa. Equatorial Guinea1 is a tiny country of 28,000 km2 with a relatively small population and consists of several geographically distinct areas. Rio Muni, the mainland region, accounts for approximately 85 percent of the land area and 80 percent of the total population. The rest of the country includes the island of Bioko, which is the site of the capital city, Malabo, and five additional small islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Oil production began in 1992, with a production of 6,000 barrels a day, when an independent oil company, Walter International, started operations in the Alba field, situated 36 kilometers off the coast of Bioko; the larger Zafiro field, operated by Mobil Oil, came on stream in August 1996. Petroleum output average 83,000 barrels per day in 1988 representing more than 60 percent of GDP and reached a milestone of 400,000 barrels a day in 2005, about 90 percent of GDP.

Bioko Island lies about 40 kilometers (25 mi.) from Cameroon. Annobon Island lies about 595 kilometers (370 mi.) southwest of Bioko Island. The larger continental region of Rio Muni lies between Cameroon and Gabon on the mainland; Equatorial Guinea includes the islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico, and adjacent islets.

Bioko Island, called Fernando Po until the 1970s, is the largest island in the Gulf of Guinea--2,017 square kilometers (780 sq. mi.). Two large volcanic formations are separated by a valley that bisects the island at its narrowest point. The 195-kilometer (120-mi.) coastline is steep and rugged in the south but lower and more accessible in the north, with excellent harbors at Malabo and Luba, and several scenic beaches between those towns.

This oblong mass of volcanic mountains is about thirty-six miles at its greatest length and thirty-one at its extreme width, with a circumference of about 120 miles. It was obviously once a peninsula of the Cameroons volcanic regions, and during some seismic disturbance the sea broke in between the Fernando Po mountains and those of the Cameroons. The islands and islets of Ambas Bay (which have crumbled and lessened in the last three hundred years) are a remains of the former isthmus, which is further represented by a continuous ledge about thirty miles in breadth, still connecting Fernando P6 with the mainland, under a shallow sea of from 200 to 290 feet in depth. On either side of this ledge the depth of water suddenly increases to 6,000 feet; and between Fernando Po‘s southern extremity and the sister volcanic islands of Principe and 5:16 Thomé the ocean depths are still greater (9.000 to 10,000 feet). The interior of the island is very mountainous coast-belt seamed with many rivulets and rather swampy. A long chain of volcanic peaks or elevated plateaux extends from the north-east corner to the south center.

On the continent, Rio Muni covers 26,003 square kilometers (10,040 sq. mi.). The coastal plain gives way to a succession of valleys separated by low hills and spurs of the Crystal Mountains. The Rio Benito (Mbini), which divides Rio Muni in half, is not navigable except for a 20-kilometer stretch at its estuary. Temperatures and humidity in Rio Muni are slightly lower than on Bioko Island.

Annobon Island, named for its discovery on New Year's Day 1472, is a small volcanic island covering 18 square kilometers (7 sq. mi.). The coastline is abrupt except in the north; the principal volcanic cone contains a small lake. Most of the estimated 1,900 inhabitants are fisherman specializing in traditional, small-scale tuna fishing and whaling. The climate is tropical--heavy rainfall, high humidity, and frequent seasonal changes with violent windstorms.