Equatorial Guinea

The only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the hardest to enter

Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa where Spanish is an official language, a legacy of Spanish colonial rule until 1968. It is made up of a mainland region called Rio Muni and several islands, with the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko rather than the mainland, which is an unusual arrangement.

It has one of the highest GDPs per capita in Africa thanks to offshore oil, and among the widest gaps between that figure and how most people actually live. It has also been ruled by the same president since 1979, the longest-serving in the world. Visas are difficult, photography is restricted, and independent tourism is minimal.

Bioko is volcanic, with Pico Basile rising to over 3,000 metres and the southern beaches hosting one of the most significant sea turtle nesting sites in the Gulf of Guinea. Monte Alen on the mainland has forest elephants and gorillas. Oyala, later renamed Ciudad de la Paz, is a purpose-built capital carved out of the jungle that remains largely empty.

Annual events and festivals

• Independence Day (12 Oct) — marks 1968 independence from Spain.
• Christmas and Easter (Dec, Mar-Apr) — public holidays in a majority Catholic country.
• Abogo and Balele dances (varies) — Fang and Bubi traditional performances.
• Presidents Day (5 Jun) — a national holiday.
• Armed Forces Day (3 Aug) — marking the 1979 coup that brought the current government to power.
• Corpus Christi (May-Jun) — a public holiday with processions.
• Bubi harvest ceremonies, Bioko (varies) — traditional island celebrations.
• Turtle nesting, Bioko south (Nov-Feb) — four species nest on the beaches.
• Malabo Hip Hop Festival (varies) — a growing urban music event.
• Labour Day (1 May) — a public holiday.