Equatorial Guinea , [ a ] officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea , [ b ] is a country on the west coast of Central Africa , with an area of 28, square kilometres 11, sq mi. Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea , its post-independence name refers to its location near both the Equator and in the African region of Guinea. The Bubi people , indigenous to Bioko , are the second largest group at approximately 6. Equatorial Guinea consists of two parts, an insular and a mainland region.
Bioko Island is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea and is the site of the country's capital, Malabo. It is the location of Bata , Equatorial Guinea's largest city, and Ciudad de la Paz , the country's planned future capital.
He declared himself president for life in , but was overthrown in a coup in by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo , who has served as the country's president since.
Obiang's regime has also been widely characterized as a dictatorship by foreign observers. Since the mids, Equatorial Guinea has become one of sub-Saharan Africa 's largest oil producers. The country ranks th on the Human Development Index , [ 13 ] with less than half the population having access to clean drinking water and 7. Since Equatorial Guinea is a former Spanish colony, Spanish is the main official language. French and as of [update] Portuguese have also been made official, [ 17 ] but they are not as widely used.
Aside from the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic , it is the only country situated in Mainland Africa where Spanish is an official language Spanish is also spoken in the African parts of Spain: the Canary Islands , Ceuta and Melilla. Equatorial Guinea's government is totalitarian and has one of the worst human rights records in the world , consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House 's annual survey of political and civil rights.
