CAPITAL MALABO – POPULATION 561,201 – AREA 28,051 SQ KM – OFFICIAL LANGUAGES SPANISH, FRENCH
Not many travelers get as far as Equatorial Guinea, though the country’s new-found abundance of oil on offshore Bioko Island does bring plenty of expatriates looking to grow rich on the pickings. Despite its name, no part of Equatorial Guinea actually lies on the equator, though the mainland portion of the country can get pretty hot and steamy, especially in the lush and gorgeously rain forested Monte Alen National Park. Head here if you’re keen to see chimpanzees, gorillas and an abundance of other fauna in pristine conditions. Far off, in 2012, the country will be co-hosting the Africa Cup, of Nations which will doubtless bring the country to the world’s attention and a few more tourists, finally, to its shores.
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