Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the nation's administrative and cultural center. Equatorial Guinea consists of a continental territory, called Río Muni, and the island of Bioko (formerly Fernando Pó), which is located in the Gulf of Guinea. Malabo is situated on the northern edge of Bioko and is bordered by volcanic peaks. Though the city is believed to have tourism potential, the industry is not well developed; this, combined with a lack of profitable agricultural crops, has contributed to the island's high rate of poverty.

Landscape

The island of Bioko is approximately 2,017 square kilometers (780 square miles) in diameter and has more than 195 kilometers (120 miles) of coastal habitat. The island is situated approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the coast of Cameroon. Most of Bioko is covered in tropical forest and littoral habitat. The city of Malabo is on the northern coast of the island and rises approximately 56 meters (183 feet) above sea level in the hills surrounding the urban area.

The climate of Equatorial Guinea is tropical, and temperatures in Malabo average 23 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), with a range from 16 to 33 degrees Celsius (61 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit). Humidity averages between 80 to 90 percent and rainfall is common, with an average of 193 centimeters (76 inches) of precipitation annually. The rainy season occurs between June and August, while the driest months are between December and February.

Because the poor are more exposed, they are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change in Equatorial Guinea such as rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and extreme weather such as storms, floods, and droughts. The country has committing to reducing its emissions by 35 percent by 2030 and by 50 percent by 2050.

The city is located within a naturally occurring volcanic crater and contains a variety of buildings, some of Spanish colonial origin and others of a more modern architectural design. Malabo is underdeveloped in comparison to many similarly sized African cities; less than half of Malabo's roads have been paved, and electricity and sewage systems only function in parts of the city.

The central downtown area is organized into an irregular grid containing a business district surrounded by shopping areas. The coastal portion of the city houses a number of commercial docks and extends into public beaches and recreation areas. The eastern side of the city, which contains the Presidential Palace and a number of administrative buildings, is generally restricted to tourist traffic and photography. The southern side of the city is bordered by a river, the Río Cónsul, and a number of small tributary streams leading to the ocean.

People

The population of Malabo was approximately 297,000 as of 2018, the most recent year for which data was available, with most of the city's residents living in the surrounding suburban areas. The total population of Equatorial Guinea was estimated at 1,737,695 in 2023, with an estimated annual population growth rate of 3.36 percent.

The primary ethnic groups in Equatorial Guinea are the Fang (or Fãn) and Bubi tribes. According to the World Fact Book (2024), they make up 78.1 percent of the population, followed by the Bubi (9.4 percent), Ndowe (2.8 percent), and Nanguedambo (2.7 percent).

French and Spanish are the official languages of Equatorial Guinea and are used in administrative and educational functions. According to the World Fact Book, in 2024 more than 67 percent of the population was fluent in Spanish. In many areas, Fang and Bubi ethnic languages are also commonly used. Many Ferdinandos speak a unique pidgin that blends Portuguese, English, and French. Education is free and compulsory for all Equatoguinean children, and the adult population has a literacy rate of 87 percent. More than 70 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, with most of the remaining citizens following some form of Christianity, although pagan practices are not uncommon.

The culture of Malabo is a blend of urban, metropolitan lifestyles and a traditional island culture based on fishing and other oceanic activities. The majority of the population lives near the poverty line, and there are few prospects for job advancement. Many in Malabo maintain a lifestyle similar to that of their ancestors, with dancing and native African cultural traditions playing a major role in local customs.

Economy

The economy of Bioko was based on agriculture until the mid-1990s, when the discovery of oil reserves led to an increase in industrial development. This rapid economic growth continued in the twenty-first century, with Equatorial Guinea becoming the one of the largest oil suppliers in Africa in 2023. In addition to oil reserves, the nation's mineral resources include gold, columbite-tantalite, diamonds, and zinc, which remain untapped.

After seven consecutive years of recession, the country's economy rebounded with 2.9 percent growth in 2022. However, inflation surged to 4.9 percent during the year, up from 1.8 percent in 2021.

Despite relative economic stability, portions of Malabo remain underdeveloped. The government has initiated a number of programs designed to enhance the city's infrastructure. Investments have included improvements to Malabo International Airport, located 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from the city, which is the largest international hub in the region. Malabo has no public transportation system, but the government has indicated that progress is underway to initiate a system of bus lines.

In 2014, Equatorial Guinea held two symposia on economic diversification with the aim of attracting investment in agriculture, animal ranching, fishing, mining and petrochemicals, tourism, and financial services. In 2017, the government, hoping to boost non-oil revenues, signed a preliminary agreement with Ghana to sell liquefied natural gas.

Landmarks

The Malabo Cathedral, completed in 1917, is an example of the city's cultural and architectural heritage. It is a popular destination for tourists and is designed according to a Gothic, Spanish architectural plan. The cathedral is located at an urban square known as Independence Place, which also houses the Presidential Palace.

The Presidential Palace of Malabo is restricted to photography and tourists, but having been constructed during the height of the nation's Spanish colonial period, it remains one of the most resplendent buildings in the city. Near the palace are a number of the city's military and government buildings, though these are also generally restricted to public viewing.

The Malabo City Hall, a Spanish-style colonial building, was constructed during the 1950s. The area surrounding the city hall has been converted into a public garden featuring a variety of local trees, flowers and plants. The public gardens are a popular location for recreation and picnicking for the city's residents.

Pico Basile, a volcanic mountain located near Malabo, is a popular spot for visitors and city residents alike. The mountain rises to over 3,000 meters (9,862.5 feet), and offers a panoramic view of the cityscape and the surrounding valley.

History

The Bubi were the first to inhabit the island of Bioko after migrating from the African mainland around 1000 BCE. The tribe formed fishing and agricultural communities across the island that remained undisturbed until the arrival of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century CE. The island was sighted by Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó around 1472, and was visited by Portuguese explorers in 1494. Though the island was nominally claimed by the Portuguese, the Spanish were the first Europeans to form a lasting settlement on the island in 1798, after a brief period of Dutch exploration.

After the British outlawed slavery, they leased portions of Bioko from the Spanish to use as a base for the relocation of freed slaves and as a port from which their antislavery forces could patrol the Gulf of Guinea. The British founded the city of Malabo in 1827, calling it Port Clarence, and the city grew with a population of former slaves who could not be repatriated to mainland Africa.

The Spanish eventually reclaimed the island, after which Malabo became the hub for the Spanish cocoa industry. The Spanish expanded the city, which they called Santa Isabel, by clearing much of the surrounding forest for agricultural development. The lowland of the island, near Malabo, was used for cocoa cultivation while other portions of the island were converted into farms to grow coffee and manioc, or cassava root.

Equatorial Guinea received its independence from Spain in 1968, and Malabo was chosen to replace Bata as the nation's administrative capital; Bata has remained the country's economic center. After independence, the republican system devolved into a military dictatorship that, over the next decade, destroyed much of the city's infrastructure as a result of neglect and poor economic management.

During the reign of the nation's first president, Francisco Macias Nguema (1968–79), many of the island's native Bubi population were arrested, imprisoned, and executed in a genocidal government campaign. Between 30 to 50 percent of the population of Bioko left the island between 1969 and 1980, including a vast majority of the nation's European and African expatriates. Nguema's administration ended in a 1979 coup by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has remained in power since the coup.

After 1979, the population began to rebound despite the low demand for cocoa and beef (two of the island's chief exports), which hindered economic resurgence. In order to reverse the economic slide, international aid organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) distributed aid to Bioko through a comprehensive development program. By the mid-1990s, however, government corruption had convinced most aid organizations to suspend activities on Bioko when it was indicated that aid was being prevented from reaching designated improvement areas.

In 1996, substantial oil reserves were discovered on territory belonging to Equatorial Guinea. The subsequent shift toward oil production transformed the local economy and led to the abandonment of the government-owned agricultural industry. In addition, the development of the oil industry reduced the country's need for international aid, though many in Malabo remain in a state of poverty.

The population of Malabo doubled between 1996 and 2007. More than 60 percent of the population of Bioko lives in or around Malabo, as the shipping and industrial markets have eclipsed agriculture as the primary occupation.

While human rights conditions and poverty levels have not improved significantly—poverty was estimated at 44 percent in 2011—media investigations have criticized some foreign governments, including the United States, for investing heavily in Equatorial Guinea's oil industry without holding the government accountable for conditions in the country. Though the government has issued numerous announcements detailing its plan to improve conditions for Malabo's population, observers have noted that most government programs have thus far been ineffective.

Bibliography

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