Bioko is an island off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, formerly called Fernando Po or Fernando Poo. It is part of Equatorial Guinea.

It is 70 km long from N.N.E. to S.S.W. and about 32 km across.

The island was discovered in 1472 by the Portuguese navigator Fernão da Po.

Portugal ceded to Spain Fernando Poo, Annobon and the Guinea coast in 1778, with the Treaty of El Pardo.

Spain then mounted an expedition to Fernando Poo, led by the Conde de Argelejos.

separatist flag

From 1827 to 1843 the British leased bases at Port Clarence (modern Malabo) and San Carlos for the anti-slavery patrols.

The island was used as a base for flights into Biafra during the Nigerian civil war.

Notably, Fernando Poo was a central historical nexus in Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's Illuminatus! trilogy.

External link

• Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (http://www.bioko.org)