A National Assembly with 80 members is elected every five years and the president is elected for seven years.
|RDefense:|N Armed forces with 3 100 men and a paramilitary force with 2 000 men.
|RNational holiday:|N October 12.
|RNature and climate:|N Two provinces: the Rio Muni on the African mainland and the two islands Bioko (formerly Fernando Poo) and Pagalu in the gulf of Guinea. The mainland consists of a highland plateau on 1200 to 1500 m.a.s.l.
Bioko is a vulcanic island which in the south reaches 2660 m.a.s.l.
Average temperature 27°C the whole year and percipitation between 2000 and 5000 mm.
Tropical rainforest covers the whole country.
|RPeople:|N The Bantu tribe Fang dominates the mainland.
There are still 15 000 Bubis, the original people of Bioko, but the rest are immigrated mainland tribes.
On Pagalu live descendants of Portuguese slaves.
|REducation:|N In theory compulsory between 6 and 14 years. There are some university-level institutions.
|REconomy:|N Coffee, cacao and timber most important export goods. Cacao from Bioko, coffee and timber from the mainland.
|RHistory:|N Bioko was discovered by portuguese sailors in the 15th century. Spanish colony since 1778. The mainland Spanish colony since 1843.
From 1959 to 1963 a Spanish province. From 1963 some internal selfgovernment and independence in 1968.
Riots over disputes between the mainland and the islands in 1969. Maise Nguemo Biyogo president 1968 to 1979 when he was ousted in a military coup. A Supreme Military Council was created after the coup and became the sole political body.
There were several attempted coups in the 1980:ies.
In 1991 a multi-party democracy was approved by a referendum and elections were held in late 1993. Observers from the US and Spain condemned these elections as a "paradox of democracy".
