Equatorial Guinea is a widespread country with many undeveloped natural resources, including gas and oil. Thanks to its colonizers, its official language is Spanish and its main religion Roman Catholic.
{\B}{\C 0,0,255}Geography{\N}{\C 0,0,0}
{\B}Location:{\N} Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cameroon and Gabon
{\B}Map references:{\N} Africa
{\B}Area:{\N}
{\I}total area:{\N} 28,050 sq km
{\I}land area:{\N} 28,050 sq km
{\B}Land boundaries:{\N} total 539 km, Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
{\B}Coastline:{\N} 296 km
{\B}Climate:{\N} tropical; always hot, humid
{\B}Terrain:{\N} coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
{\B}Natural resources:{\N} timber, petroleum, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium
{\B}Land use:{\N}
{\I}arable land:{\N} 8%
{\I}permanent crops:{\N} 4%
{\I}meadows and pastures:{\N} 4%
{\I}forest and woodland:{\N} 51%
{\I}other:{\N} 33%
{\B}Irrigated land:{\N} NA sq km
{\B}Environment:{\N}
{\I}current issues:{\N} tap water is not potable; desertification
{\I}natural hazards:{\N} violent windstorms
{\I}international agreements:{\N} party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea
{\B}Note:{\N} insular and continental regions rather widely separated
{\B}Overview:{\N} Agriculture, forestry, and fishing account for about half of GDP and nearly all exports. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth. A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the international donor community have failed to revitalize export agriculture. Businesses for the most part are owned by government officials and their family members. Commerce accounts for about 8% of GDP and the construction, public works, and service sectors for about 38%. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration, taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms, has been moderately successful. Increased production from recently discovered natural gas fields will provide a greater share of exports in 1995.
{\B}National product:{\N} GDP - purchasing power parity - $280 million (1993 est.)
{\B}National product real growth rate:{\N} 7.3% (1993 est.)
{\B}National product per capita:{\N} $700 (1993 est.)
{\B}Agriculture:{\N} accounts for almost 50% of GDP, cash crops - timber and coffee from Rio Muni, cocoa from Bioko; food crops - rice, yams, cassava, bananas, oil palm nuts, manioc, livestock
{\B}Economic aid:{\N}
{\I}recipient:{\N} US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY81-89), $14 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $130 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $55 million
{\B}Currency:{\N} 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes