Equatorial Guinea - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Equatorial Guinea. Insular and continental regions widely separated; despite its name, no part of the Equator passes through Equatorial Guinea; the mainland part of the country is located just north of the Equator. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 212 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Equatorial Guinea
Location Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Geographic coordinates 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Natural Resources petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay
Natural Hazards

violent windstorms; flash floods

volcanism: Santa Isabel (3,007 m), which last erupted in 1923, is the country's only historically active volcano; Santa Isabel, along with two dormant volcanoes, form Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea

Irrigated Land NA
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 528 km
Border Countries Cameroon 183 km; Gabon 345 km
Coastline 296 km
Climate tropical; always hot, humid
Area
Total Area
Land Area 28,051 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Maryland
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Pico Basile 3,008 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 577 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 10.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 4.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 3.7% (2018 est.)
Forest 57.5% (2018 est.)
Other 32.4% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Only two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko); small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Equatorial Guinea, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Fang 78.1%, Bubi 9.4%, Ndowe 2.8%, Nanguedambo 2.7%, Bisio 0.9%, foreigner 5.3%, other 0.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2011 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 3.23% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 29 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 4.12 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.03 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 60.2% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures NA
Net Migration rate 12.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean | Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 88%, Protestant 5%, Muslim 2%, other 5% (animist, Baha'i, Jewish) (2015 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 35.6% (male 330,636/female 309,528)
15-64 years 59.4% (male 585,139/female 481,121)
65 years and over 5% (2024 est.) (male 46,610/female 42,800)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 72.2
Youth dependency ratio 66.7
Elderly dependency ratio 5.4
Potential support ratio 18.5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 22.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 22.7 years
Female 21.5 years
Urbanization
Urban population 74.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 297,000 MALABO (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.22 male(s)/female
65 years and over 1.09 male(s)/female
Total population 1.16 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 77.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 83.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 71.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 63.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 61.6 years
Female 66.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 81.7% of population
Improved: rural rural: 32.1% of population
Improved: total total: 67.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 18.3% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 67.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 32.4% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 81.2% of population
Improved: rural rural: 63.4% of population
Improved: total total: 76.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 18.8% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 36.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 23.8% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
Animal contact diseases rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 6.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.83 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 1.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Demographic profile

Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest and least populated countries in continental Africa and is the only independent African country where Spanish is an official language. Despite a boom in oil production in the 1990s, authoritarianism, corruption, and resource mismanagement have concentrated the benefits among a small elite. These practices have perpetuated income inequality and unbalanced development, such as low public spending on education and health care. Unemployment remains problematic because the oil-dominated economy employs a small labor force dependent on skilled foreign workers. The agricultural sector, Equatorial Guinea’s main employer, continues to deteriorate because of a lack of investment and the migration of rural workers to urban areas. About two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line as of 2020.

Equatorial Guinea’s large and growing youth population – about 60% are under the age of 25 as of 2022 – is particularly affected because job creation in the non-oil sectors is limited, and young people often do not have the skills needed in the labor market. Equatorial Guinean children frequently enter school late, have poor attendance, and have high dropout rates. Thousands of Equatorial Guineans fled across the border to Gabon in the 1970s to escape the dictatorship of Francisco MACIAS NGUEMA; smaller numbers have followed in the decades since. Continued inequitable economic growth and high youth unemployment increases the likelihood of ethnic and regional violence.

All Important Facts about Equatorial Guinea

Want to know more about Equatorial Guinea? Check all different factbooks for Equatorial Guinea below.

Equatorial Guinea is found in Middle Africa