History of Equatorial Guinea

Spanish Guinea, 1926–1968 Draft, not yet reviewed

Spanish Guinea was a set of insular and continental territories controlled by Spain from 1778 in the Gulf of Guinea and on the Bight of Bonny, in Central Africa. Between 1926 and 1959, the Crown united Bioko and Río Muni as the colony of Spanish Guinea. The economy was based on the exploitation of the commodity crops of cacao and coffee, produced at large plantations, in addition to logging concessions. Francisco Macías Nguema won the presidential election in September, and Spain formally handed power to the new government on 12 October 1968.

Seat of power: Malabo

Republic of Equatorial Guinea, 1968–1979 Draft, not yet reviewed

Equatorial Guinea gained independence from Spain on 12 October 1968, with Francisco Macías Nguema becoming the country's first president. His rule lasted until 3 August 1979 and was marked by increasing totalitarianism, extreme centralization of power, and widespread human rights abuses. In July 1970, Macias turned Equatorial Guinea into a single-party state with the United National Workers' Party (PUNT) as the only legal party, and in 1972 Macias took complete control of the government and assumed the title of President for Life. In August 1979, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, a nephew of Macias and former director of the Black Beach prison, led a successful coup d'état.

Seat of power: Malabo

Rulers

• Francisco Macías Nguema Biyoko, President of Equatorial Guinea, 1968–1979

Equatorial Guinea, 1979 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa and the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo overthrew his uncle in a coup in 1979 and has served as the country's president since. Since the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea has become one of the largest oil producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The capital, since January 2026, is Ciudad de la Paz, and Bata is the largest city.

Seat of power: Ciudad de la Paz

Rulers

• Teodoro Obiang, President of Equatorial Guinea, 1979 to today