Key facts:
Capital: Malabo
Area: 28,051 sq km
Population: 523,051
GDP per capita: $2,700
Life expectancy: 55.15 years (UK: 78.27)
Literacy rate: 85.7% of those aged 15 and above (UK: 99%).
Languages: Spanish, French, pidgin English and tribal languages.
Religion: mostly Roman Catholic, also pagan practices.
Climate: Hot and humid, with thunderstorms and flash flooding.
Government:
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President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has ruled since seizing power in a coup in 1979 from his uncle, President Macias, who was subsequently killed.
In December 2002, the president was re-elected with virtually 100% of the vote after opposition leaders pulled out of the poll, citing fraud and irregularities. Opposition figures accuse him of being a brute and a cannibal, with a taste for human testicles.
Economy:
Since the discovery of large offshore oil and gas reserves in 1995, Equatorial Guinea has emerged as one of the world’s fastest growing energy economies. It is now the third largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa — after Nigeria and Angola — pumping 350,000 barrels a day.
Critics say the new-found wealth has only profited Obiang and his cronies, while living standards for most of the population have stagnated.
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Human rights:
Amnesty International cites severe curbs on political opposition and freedom of expression. Torture of prisoners is described as “routine practice” and unfair trials are commonplace.