Equatorial Guinea On the beaches of Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial who? Guinea where?
Most people don’t have any clue where Equatorial Guinea (EG for short) is, let alone anything about the culture; that’s precisely why it is so important to spotlight fundraising efforts here and enable willing donors to get funding and supplies to this more or less forgotten area of the world. Equatorial Guinea, located on the coast of Central-West Africa, is like many other African countries in that it has a colonial past. Uniquely, it is Spain’s only former colony, making it the only predominantly Spanish-speaking country on the continent. Having gained independence in 1968, the country has struggled to find its identity although a certain political stability has been reached in recent decades. Importantly, the discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea during the 1990’s has infused the economy with money and created new job markets for the Equatoguinean people.Unfortunately, the influx of money into the country’s economy is highly concentrated; seventy percent of the country lives on less than $2/day, despite a per capita GDP that rivals Western countries. Equatorial Guinea is home to a hot-spot of biodiversity: Bioko Island. Bioko is a beautiful volcanic island in the crook of Africa which seven different monkey species call home. The southern end of the island is designated a national park, while the northern end is home to the largest city in the country: Malabo. Despite active conservation efforts to protect both the lush rainforest and the diverse animal life dependent on it, illegal hunting remains a significant problem. Coupled with mainland deforestation, the biodiversity of Equatorial Guinea is at a high risk of being altered permanently. In 2007, the National Geographic did a fantastic story on the island’s biodiversity. | Country Offices:EG Headquarters:
Program Manager: Kristy Massengale
Email: projectmanager.wa@theladybugproject.com Phone: 00240-222-740814 Address: Malabo City, Equatorial Guinea Additional Resources: Equatorial Guinea – Wikipedia, Equatorial Guinea – United States CIA Fact sheet, Equatorial Guinea – Official Country Website Information about the biodiversity: Equatorial Guinea – Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program, Equatorial Guinea – National Geographic Article. Information on the people: Wikipedia – Fang Peoples, Wikipedia – Bubi Peoples, The Bubis on Fernando Po |
For information on the healthcare and education projects we undertake in Equatorial Guinea, click here and here!
