The majority of the people of Equatorial Guinea are of Bantu origin. The largest tribe, the Fang, is indigenous to the mainland, but substantial migration to Bioko Island has resulted in Fang dominance over the earlier Bantu inhabitants. The Fang constitute 80% of the population and are themselves divided into 67 clans. Those in the northern part of Rio Muni speak Fang-Ntumu, while those in the south speak Fang-Okah; the two dialects are mutually unintelligible. The Bubi, who constitute 15% of the population, are indigenous to Bioko Island. In addition, there are coastal tribes, sometimes referred to as "Playeros": Ndowes, Bujebas, Balengues, and Bengas on the mainland and small islands, and "Fernandinos", a Creole community, on Bioko. Some Europeans (largely of Spanish of Portuguese descent) – most of them mixed with African ethnicity – also live in the nation. Together, these groups comprise 5% of the population. There is a growing number of foreigners from neighboring Cameroon, Nigeria and Gabon. Equatorial Guinea received Asians and black Africans from other countries as workers on cocoa and coffee plantations. Other black Africans came from Liberia, Angola, and Mozambique, and Asians are mostly Chinese and Japanese. Equatorial Guinea also allowed many fortune-seeking European settlers of other nationalities, including British, French and Germans. In 2001, there were about 280 Americans residing in Equatorial Guinea. After independence, thousands of Equatorial Guineans went to Spain. Another 100,000 Equatorial Guineans went to Cameroon, Gabon, and Nigeria because of dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema. Some of its communities also live in Brazil, some Spanish-speaking Latin American nations, United States, Portugal, and France. Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (dull yellow) vs. ... The Beti-Pahuin are a group of related peoples who inhabit the rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. ... Bioko (spelled also Bioco) is an island off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, formerly called Fernando Pó or Fernando Póo and known as Otcho to Bubi. ... Rio Muni (called Mbini in Fang), mainland geographical region of Equatorial Guinea, covering 26,000 km². Rio Muni was ceded by Portugal to Spain in 1778. ... The Bubi are an African ethnic group which is primarily located in Equatorial Guinea. ... There is also Benga in the province of Nyanga, see Benga, Gabon Benga is a musical genre of Kenyan popular music. ... Fernandinos are a relatively new ethnic group of Equatorial Guinea. ... The term Creole and its relatives in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Cocoa beans in a cacao pod Cocoa is the dried and partially fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made. ... Coffee in beverage form. ... Francisco Macías Nguema (1924 - September 29, 1979; original name Mez-m Ngueme) was the first post-colonial leader of Equatorial Guinea. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

Spanish and French are the official languages. The Roman Catholic Church has greatly influenced both religion and education. An official language is a language that is given a privileged legal status in a state, or other legally-defined territory. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Catholicism. ...

Equatoguineans tend to have both a Spanish first name and an African first and last name. When written, the Spanish and African first names are followed by the father's first name (which becomes the principal surname) and the mother's first name. Thus people may have up to four names, with a different surname for each generation.

Current Demographic data (2006)

Population: 540,109 (July 2006 est.)
note: 2002 census results claim 1,015,000 residents, although this most likely was inflated in anticipation for the December election.[1]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.7% (male 113,083; female 111,989)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 141,914; female 152,645)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,886; female 11,592) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.05% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 35.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 15.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.54 years
male: 48 years
female: 51.13 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.55 children born/woman (2006 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 about 25,000, mostly Spanish Bioko (spelled also Bioco) is an island off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, formerly called Fernando Pó or Fernando Póo. ... The Bubi are an African ethnic group which is primarily located in Equatorial Guinea. ... Fernandinos are a relatively new ethnic group of Equatorial Guinea. ... Rio Muni (called Mbini in Fang), mainland geographical region of Equatorial Guinea, covering 26,000 km². Rio Muni was ceded by Portugal to Spain in 1778. ... The Beti-Pahuin are a group of related peoples who inhabit the rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. ...

Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus) and heathenry are blanket terms used primarily by Christians which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions, as opposed to the Abrahamic monotheistic religions. ...

Languages: Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo, Annobonese. A Pidgin, or contact language, is the name given to any language created, usually spontaneously, out of a mixture of other languages as a means of communication between speakers of different tongues. ... The Beti-Pahuin are a group of related peoples who inhabit the rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. ... The Bubi are an African ethnic group which is primarily located in Equatorial Guinea. ... The Ibo are a group of people living in what is now Nigeria. ... The Annobonese language, called by its speakers Fá dAmbô or Fla dAmbu, is spoken by 9,000 in the Ano Bom and Fernando Póo Islands off the coast of Equatorial Guinea, mostly by people of mixed African, Spanish, and Portuguese descent. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.7%
male: 93.3%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

Reference

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. World Factbook 2004 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ...

See also : Equatorial Guinea