Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea consists of a mainland region called Río Muni, bordered by Cameroon and Gabon, and several islands including Bioko and Annobón in the Gulf of Guinea. The capital, Malabo, sits on Bioko island, while the planned city of Ciudad de la Paz is intended as a future administrative capital inland. Spanish, French, and Portuguese are all official languages, and the currency is the Central African CFA franc. The country holds one of sub-Saharan Africa's highest per-capita incomes on paper, driven almost entirely by offshore oil extraction discovered in the 1990s.

Most nationalities require a visa to enter Equatorial Guinea, and visa-free access is limited to a small number of African Union member states. Travellers typically apply through an Equatoguinean embassy in advance; there is no widely operational eVisa system. Requirements and processing times vary considerably, so consulting the nearest embassy or official consulate well ahead of travel is strongly advised.

Pico Basile, the highest point in the country at roughly 3,011 metres, dominates Bioko's interior and is accessible via a challenging highland drive through cloud forest. Malabo's colonial-era Cathedral of Santa Isabel stands in the old city centre as one of the most recognisable landmarks in Central Africa. Arena Blanca beach on Bioko's southern coast offers relatively undisturbed Atlantic shoreline. The Monte Alén National Park on the mainland shelters gorillas, forest elephants, and chimpanzees across 200,000 hectares of intact rainforest.

Equatorial Guinea has a humid equatorial climate with consistently high temperatures year-round, typically ranging from 22 °C to 32 °C on the coast and islands. Bioko island receives exceptionally heavy rainfall, with a pronounced wet season from June to August and a shorter dry period around December and January. The mainland is drier relative to Bioko but remains humid throughout the year. Lightweight, quick-dry clothing and reliable rain gear are practical necessities regardless of season.

• Only African country with Spanish as an official language.
• Annobón island lies in the Southern Hemisphere geographically.
• Oil transformed the economy dramatically after 1995 discoveries.
• Hosts headquarters of the African Development Bank's regional office.
• Bioko island harbours several endemic primate species.

• guineaecuatorialpress.com — official government press and public information agency
• mma.gov.gq — Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons, relevant for industry context
• meteoguin.com — national meteorological service of Equatorial Guinea