Equatorial Guinea (2004) | Burkina Faso (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas | 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo), however, this change has not yet been confirmed by the US Board on Geographic Names |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42% (male 110,268; female 109,222)
15-64 years: 54.3% (male 136,370; female 147,431) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,745; female 11,015) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 47.3% (male 3,007,675; female 2,960,697)
15-64 years: 49.8% (male 3,000,411; female 3,271,594) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 151,976; female 210,832) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber | peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock |
Airports | 3 (2003 est.) | 33 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 17 (2002) |
Area | total: 28,051 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 274,200 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | slightly larger than Colorado |
Background | Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO has ruled the country for over two decades since seizing power from his uncle, then President MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being flawed. The president controls most opposition parties through the judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the country's living standards. | Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. |
Birth rate | 36.56 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 44.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $708.5 million
expenditures: $317.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
revenues: $316 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
Capital | Malabo | Ouagadougou |
Climate | tropical; always hot, humid | tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Coastline | 296 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 | 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial former: Spanish Guinea |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta |
Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
Death rate | 12.27 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 17.07 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $248 million (2000 est.) | $1.5 billion (1999) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department is considering opening a Consulate Agency in Malabo | chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony HOLMES
embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - U. S. Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 306723 FAX: [226] 303890 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 |
Disputes - international | in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; creation of a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay with Gabon is hampered by dispute over Mbane Island, administered and occupied by Gabon since the 1970s | two villages are in dispute with Benin |
Economic aid - recipient | $33.8 million (1995) | $484.1 million (1995) (1995) |
Economy - overview | The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been unsuccessfully trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth will remain strong in 2004, led by oil. | One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance of macroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment. |
Electricity - consumption | 21.91 million kWh (2001) | 262.26 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 23.56 million kWh (2001) | 282 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 71%
hydro: 29% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m |
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
Environment - current issues | tap water is not potable; deforestation | recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
Ethnic groups | Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish | Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani |
Exchange rates | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999) | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)
head of government: Prime Minister Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004); First Deputy Prime Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG (since NA January 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud |
chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005, and allowing the president to be reelected only once; it is unclear whether this amendment will be applied retroactively or not; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5% percent of the vote note: President COMPAORE faces an increasingly well-coordinated opposition; recent charges against a former member of his Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction |
Exports | NA (2001) | $265 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa | cotton, animal products, gold |
Exports - partners | US 33.6%, Spain 25.8%, China 14.4%, Canada 11.8%, Italy 6.4% (2003) | Venezuela 14.7%, Benelux 12.2%, Italy 9.6%, France 7.0% (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 January - 31 December | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice) | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $12.8 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 20%
industry: 60% services: 2.4% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: 31%
industry: 28% services: 41% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 20% (2002 est.) | 4.7% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 2 00 N, 10 00 E | 13 00 N, 2 00 W |
Geography - note | insular and continental regions rather widely separated | landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |
Highways | total: 2,880 km (1999 est.) | total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 40% (1994) (1994) |
Imports | NA (2001) | $580 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | petroleum sector equipment, other equipment | capital goods, food products, petroleum |
Imports - partners | US 30.6%, UK 16%, France 15.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9%, Spain 8.1%, Norway 5.9%, Italy 5.3% (2003) | Cote d'Ivoire 25.1%, Venezuela 23.4%, France 17.0% (2000) |
Independence | 12 October 1968 (from Spain) | 5 August 1960 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 30% (2002 est.) | 14% (2001 est.) |
Industries | petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas | cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold |
Infant mortality rate | total: 87.08 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 93.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
105.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6% (2003 est.) | 3.5% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (observer) | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2002) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 250 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Tribunal | Supreme Court; Appeals Court |
Labor force | NA (October 2000) | 5 million (1999)
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 90% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km |
total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
Land use | arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2001) |
arable land: 12.43%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 87.39% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo | French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
Legal system | partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom | based on French civil law system and customary law |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held 24 April 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - PDGE 80%, UP 6%, CPDS 5%; seats by party - PDGE 75, UP 4 and CPDS 1 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president |
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 55.15 years
male: 53 years female: 57.36 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 46.11 years
male: 45.45 years female: 46.78 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.7% male: 93.3% female: 78.4% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 36% (2001) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon | Western Africa, north of Ghana |
Map references | Africa | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force | Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $75.1 million (2003) | $40.1 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.5% (2003) | 1.4% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 120,463 (2004 est.) | males age 15-49: 2,688,072 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 61,084 (2004 est.) | males age 15-49: 1,379,010 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 12 October (1968) | Republic Day, 11 December (1958) |
Nationality | noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean |
noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe |
Natural hazards | violent windstorms, flash floods | recurring droughts |
Natural resources | oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium, titanium, iron ore | manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km (2004) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO] | African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities |
Population | 523,051 (July 2004 est.) | 12,603,185
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 45% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.43% (2004 est.) | 2.64% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bata, Luba, Malabo | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) | AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002) |
Radios | - | 394,020 (2000) |
Railways | - | total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya)
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.) |
Religions | nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices | indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal adult | universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 9,600 (2003) | 53,200 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 41,500 (2003) | 25,200 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2002) | 1 (2002) |
Terrain | coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic | mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
Total fertility rate | 4.68 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 6.26 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 30% (1998 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |