Equatorial Guinea

Discover Equatorial Guinea

Fun Foods

Grilled Fish, Chicken Pepesoup, Plantains, Cassava, Groundnut Stew, Succotash, Akwadu

Spanish is spoken in Spain, Mexico, and much of South America. But there’s exactly one country in all of Africa where Spanish is the official language: Equatorial Guinea.

How did that happen? Long ago, Spain took over this land and ruled it for about 200 years, and the Spanish language stayed even after the Spanish left.

Equatorial Guinea is also split into unusual pieces. Part of it sits on the African mainland, but the rest is a scatter of islands out in the sea.

Strangely, the country’s capital city, Malabo, isn’t on the mainland at all. It sits on a separate volcanic island called Bioko, with a dark volcano rising behind it.

Before the Europeans came, this land belonged to the Bubi and Fang peoples. Portuguese explorers arrived first, in the 1470s, and later handed the territory to Spain.

Equatorial Guinea finally became independent in 1968. Sadly, freedom did not bring good leaders. Its first president turned into a cruel dictator, and under his rule many people were harmed or forced to flee.

In 1979, his own nephew took power in his place, and that ruler still leads the country today, one of the longest-ruling leaders in the world.

Then, in the 1990s, something was discovered beneath the sea nearby: oil, and lots of it. The country suddenly became one of the richest in Africa. Yet most of the money went to a small handful of people, and many Equatoguineans are still poor. It’s a puzzle the country has never solved.

The real wonders here are wild. Bioko Island is covered in thick rainforest, home to rare monkeys found almost nowhere else.

On the island’s remote southern beaches, giant sea turtles, some as big as a dinner table, haul themselves ashore at night to lay their eggs in the sand.

Towering over the capital is Pico Basile, the country’s highest peak, a volcano you can climb for views over the ocean.

For food, people enjoy fresh grilled fish and chicken, plantains, and cassava, a starchy root. A popular sweet treat is akwadu, baked bananas with coconut, orange juice, and honey.

Sources: Britannica: Equatorial Guinea, New World Encyclopedia: Equatorial Guinea, and CIA World Factbook: Equatorial Guinea.