Composed of a mainland portion and five inhabited islands, Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. The tiny country, one of the smallest on the African continent, has been ruled by President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO since he seized power in a coup in 1979. 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.

Head of State: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 Vicente Ehate TOMI (since 22 May 2012)

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon

Capital: Malabo

Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain)

Population: 704,001 (July 2013 est.)

Population growth rate:2.58% (2013 est.)

Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Languages: Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Natural Resources: oil, petroleum, timber, unexploited small deposits of gold, manganese, uranium.

Currency: Franc CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States)