Located in the northern coast of a central West African nation lies the charming city of Malabo.
Malabo is the capital city of the country known as the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. The city lies on the northern coast of Bioko Island, which is formerly known as Fernando Pó, after the Portuguese explorer who discovered the island, Fernão do Pó. It is about 40 kilometers or 25 miles away from the Cameroon. The capital city is located in the Bioko Norte Province of the country.
The city has a unique topography because it is built on the rim of a sunken volcano. This gives the city of Malabo a zero elevation from the sea level. In 2005, about 156,000 people call the city their home. This makes it the second most populated city in the country, next to the city of Bata in Rio Muni that is located in the mainland of Africa.
The city of Malabo is located near the equator, with its geographical coordinates reading 3° 45’ 7.43” north and 8° 46’ 25.32”east. There are two seasons prevailing in the city annually, a long wet spell that lasts for nine months, and a short dry season that spans only three months. The city has an average high temperature of about 32 °C, or just slightly above 89 °F while the average low temperature during the evening hours drop down to about 21 °C to 22 °C or about 69.8 °F to 71.6 °F. Overall the average temperature in Malabo is constantly about 29 °C or 84 °F.
In a given year, the city receives an average of 1,800 millimeters or nearly 71 inches of rain. The dry season is between December and February, while the city’s wet season falls between March and November. The driest month is January, receiving only about 5 millimeters or less than an inch of rain during the entire month. On the other hand, the wettest months are May and June. During this time, people can expect as much as 300 millimeters or more than 11 inches of rain in the month.
For travelers visiting Malabo, an umbrella is a must, or a lightweight raincoat. It doesn’t snow in the city and the climate is quite temperate so lightweight clothing is sufficient when touring the various attractions. The best months to visit the city are from December to February, since the city experiences its dry season at this time of the year.
The infrastructure in the city is not as well developed as in other capital cities in the world. In fact, there are less than a hundred paved and developed roads in Malabo. However, it does have a charming cosmopolitan flair, with some high-end hotels, restaurants and bars in the city’s main street, the Avenida de la Independencia. The harbor is dotted with many oil platforms, owing to the city’s thriving oil industry.
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Telecommunications has a long way to go in Malabo. In the capital, there is only one GSM mobile telephone operator and only 40% of the total population has subscriptions to mobile phone line services. There are only two landlines for every hundred persons and there is only once telephone provider in the entire country. There are three FM radio stations that are operated by the state and five shortwave radio stations. The print media in the city and country are limited to two newspapers and two magazines. While this may seem like a simple city, this also provides investors many opportunities for growth and development.
Both the city of Malabo and the country of Equatorial Guinea are unique compared to other African cities because they are the only places in the region where Spanish is recognized as the official language. This is due to the country’s history as a Spanish territory. French and Portuguese are also widely spoken, as well as many indigenous languages, such as Ibo, Fang and Bubi. English and German are studied in schools as foreign languages. This tremendous diversity in Malabo has necessitated the use of professional language translation services providers. Spanish is used as the medium of instruction and in administrative matters, but Portuguese has been adopted to tap the business potential in Portuguese-speaking countries.
The city of Malabo serves as the primary center of education in the country. Equatorial Guinea has only one university and it has a campus located in the country’s capital, the Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial (UNGE). The university’s Faculty of Medicine is located at the mainland in the Bata campus.
The Malabo International Airport serves as the city’s primary gateway. Various airlines from different countries fly in and out of Malabo, including Iberia and Air Europa from Madrid, Air France from Paris, Lufthansa from Frankfurt, Kenya Airways from Nairobi, Danish Air Transport and Ethiopian airlines from Addis Ababa. The country’s internal air carriers are all banned to fly to the EU.
The Gulf of Guinea is the country’s source of oil reserves, making the Port of Malabo one of the busiest in the country. The natural gas reserves are found near Bioko Island. From here, there are ferries that head to Douala as well as Bata. Once in the city, it’s quite easy to get around either by foot or by availing of the use of the inexpensive taxis in the city. However, there is a slight premium surcharge for cab fares in the evening hours, costing about a dollar more compared to daytime rates.
The crime rate is quite low in the city. However, travelers should still heed basic safety precautions when touring the city. There are known corrupt police officers who might try to set up roadblocks to hustle some money from travelers. Also, be mindful since there are areas wherein picture taking is not allowed, especially at the Presidential Palace and other government facilities.
Malabo does have a hospital, but it’s still best that you ensure you are in good health before embarking on any trip. Consult your doctor about any immunizations you need when visiting this African city. Bring along any prescription medication and other over-the-counter medication you would need. When dining out, opt for bottled drinks and do not drink the tap water. Travelers are also cautioned from eating the street food, which may not agree with some people with sensitive constitutions.
Malabo may be a third world city, but it exudes its own charm and understated elegance. Travelers should give themselves the chance to be pleasantly surprised in discovering this West African gem.
History of Malabo
Before the arrival of the Europeans, it was believed that Pygmies inhabited the island of Bioko. Bantu coastal tribes migrated to the island between the 17th and 19th centuries, followed by the Fang and the Bubi.
Europeans played a significant role in shaping the history of the city. In the 15th century, Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó is said to have first discovered the island of Bioko on his way to look for a route leading to India. Pó called the island Formosa, meaning “beautiful,” although when the island became a Portuguese colony, it was renamed after the explorer, Fernando Pó.
In the 18th century, control of the islands transferred from the Portuguese to Spanish hands as part of the Treaty of El Pardo. This placed the territory under the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, which was based in Buenos Aires starting 1778.
The Spaniards, who had control of the Bioko Island, leased it to the British in 1827. The British named it Port Clarence and turned the area into a naval station as a means of dealing with the rampant slave trade. As a result, Malabo became a settlement of freed slaves, before Liberia was declared a colony for the freed men. The descendants of these slaves who remained in the city were called Fernandinos, although many of them moved to Sierra Leone to start a new community.
After the lease period ended in 1843, the Spanish once again had control of the city, and renamed it Santa Isabel. Under the Spaniards, the country achieved high literacy rates and a good health care system was established. By the time the country achieved independence, it was known as having the highest per capita income in the African continent.
It was only in 1968 when the country gained independence as a Spanish colony. In 1969, the city was declared as the capital of Equatorial Guinea to replace the city of Bata, which is located in the mainland. It was in 1973 when the city’s name was changed to Malabo, due to a campaign by the country’s first president, Francisco Macias Nguema, to change the places in the city retaining European names with African names.
Although President Nguema had a nationalistic agenda, he is largely responsible for the racial extermination of the Bubi minority of the island, earning his regime the name “reign of terror.” He also brought the Fang tribes to settle in Malabo, since these were people from his own tribe. Many of the island’s citizens left, along with a full third of the country’s population to seek asylum in other countries, as Equatorial Guinea became internationally known as the “Auschwitz of Africa.” Under his regime, there was massive corruption, which compromised the city’s infrastructure, basic services and devastated the economy. In 1979, Nguema was removed from office after a fierce coup and replaced by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang, who is the current president of the country.
Demographics of Malabo
Close to 157,000 residents call the capital city of Malabo their home. In 1997, there were only 50,000 residents in the city. The population has increased in recent years since the discovery of petroleum reserves in the country.
The people in Malabo are primarily of Bantu origin. The largest tribe in the country, the Fang, has migrated in vast numbers to Bioko Island, giving the city a high percentage of Fang inhabitants. Also indigenous to Bioko Island are the Bubi people, who make up 15% of the country’s total population. Although the Bubi traditionally occupied much of Bioko Island, many of them lost their lives during the 1970s under President Macias Nguema’s atrocious reign.
The intermarriages of the African natives with the Europeans produced a mestizo population in the city. The freed slaves that settled in the city in the 19th century established their own communities and continued to use their Afro-Portuguese pidgin dialect as a means of communication.
Although many of the Spaniards left the country after the country achieved its independence in 1968, there are a growing number of Europeans in the city, especially from Britain, France and Germany. Other foreigners in the city come from neighboring African countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Liberia, Angola and Mozambique. There are also some Asians in the city, mostly of Chinese and Filipino descent and a smattering of Indians. Arabs, coming from Morocco and Egypt have also settled in Malabo.
There are three official languages recognized in the city. Spanish is used as the official administrative language, as well as the medium of instruction. Since 1844, Spanish has been the official language in the capital city as well as in other areas of Equatorial Guinea, thanks to the Spanish colonials. French and Portuguese are the other two recognized languages used in the city. The ethnic groups in the city still speak Bantu. There are also some groups that speak other indigenous languages such as Fang, Ndowe, Balengue, Bujeba, Gumu and Pichinglis. German and English are also studied in the city as foreign languages. With the tremendous diversity in the city, it pays to use the services of a professional translation service provider.
Education is compulsory and free for citizens up to age 14. The illiteracy rate has dropped to 13%, giving the city a literacy rate of over 85%. The annual growth rate in 2011 is estimated at 2.64%. The life expectancy is pegged at 62.37 years.
Christianity is the main religion practiced by the people in Malabo, with the majority belonging to the Catholic Church while the rest are Protestants. Some five percent of the population still practices their indigenous beliefs, while a small percentage of the population is Muslims.
Economy of Malabo
Prior to the discovery of oil in 1996, this was a primarily agricultural region. Today, the oil industry is the lifeblood of the economy, accounting for over 81% of the total government revenue. The country’s GDP in 2010 is $24.66 billion, with an inflation rate of 8.2%.
Equatorial Guinea’s gross domestic product per capita is the 28th largest in the world, at over $18,209. In 2004, the oil industry produces 360,000 barrels of oil a day, making it the third biggest producer of oil in the Sub-Saharan African continent. The natural gas reserves of the country are found just off of Bioko Island. The Gross National Income per capita of the Equatorial Guinea is the highest among Sub-Saharan countries.
Other industries include forestry, farming and fishing. Fish processing remains a top industry in Malabo. It is also rich in natural gas, timber, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum and gold. Agricultural products are mainly cocoa and timber. Coffee and cacao are other top exports. The main trading partners are the United States, China, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Cote d’Ivoire, Taiwan and Canada.
Unlike other oil-rich nations, the city of Malabo does not have an extensively developed infrastructure system. To address the situation, more roads are being built, and the Port of Malabo has undergone a billion dollar renovation. Also, the nation’s wealth is not evenly distributed among the people. This means that the city has much potential for development and growth.
The official currency used in the city is the Communaut Financiere Africaine (CFA) Franc.
Malabo Attractions
The city of Malabo is small enough that it can be explored on foot. In fact, walking is highly recommended so travelers could truly enjoy the scenic views and interesting architecture of the city.
The colonial part of the city is one of the most charming aspects of Malabo. The Malabo Cathedral is a beautiful cathedral in a Spanish Gothic style and is better known as the Santa Isabel Cathedral. The structure rises to a height of 40 meters. The cathedral was designed by Luis Segarra Llairadó. It is in the same area as the President’s Palace in Plaza de España. The palace grounds are located in the eastern portion of the city and are not open to visitors. The Malabo Government Building, built in 1965, is where the president of the country lives. City Hall and the surrounding gardens are also top tourist draws.
The Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial is the only university in the city. The beautiful campus dates back to Spanish colonial times and is a wonderful display of classic Spanish colonial architecture. On its campus grounds in a statue of the current leader of Equatorial Guinea, President Teodoro Obiang.
The city’s harbor is a distinct part of the landscape of Malabo. A walk here gives travelers a view of the waters of Malabo Bay. You could also see some giant fruit bats living in the trees in the surrounding areas.
The Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program in Moka is a top attraction for visitors who want to learn about the wildlife in Bioko Island, as well as its indigenous plants. Here, visitors would be able learn about the need to control the bushmeat trade. You could arrange for a tour of the Crater Lake in Pico Biao or the Ilyadi River Cascades while at the station.
Travelers who want to enjoy the waters for a swim has the option to go to the nearby town of Luba. This is the second biggest town in Bioko Island and is only a 90-minute drive away from the capital city. This is a popular beach town, which is often called the beach capital of the country.
If you have a passion for trekking, you could go to nearby Riaba. Keep in mind that Malabo and the neighboring towns are also situated on what used to be a volcano, giving the whole island natural diversity in the landscape as well as in its local flora and fauna. Bird watching by the lake is another attractive option while you are in Malabo.
Malabo Culture
The culture in Malabo is largely shaped by its history. The influence of the European settlers could still be seen all over the capital city, from the Spanish colonial structures, French influences to the African cuisine, and the use of Portuguese as one of the recognized languages in the city.
At the same time, many of the street names and areas in the city have had their names changed to reflect African nationalist sentiment or to follow an anti-colonial theme. After all, the city was originally called Port Clarence, and later changed to Malabo in the 1970s because of the country’s president to push for more authentic African names. This is why the main streets in the city are called Patrice Lumumba Road, Bird of Freedom or Independence Avenue.
In a bid to pay homage to the city’s colonial past, the First Hispanic- African Cultural Congress was held in 1984 to explore the country’s Spanish colonial past, having been under Spanish rule for 190 years. There are various cultural centers in the city. Some of the activities in the city include photo exhibits at the French Cultural Center of Malabo, featuring the country’s photographers and an Eco-Carnival. The Spanish Cultural Center of Malabo hosts the World Theater Day in Malabo and a food fair in March and the Reggae Cultural Festival in June.
The food in the city reflects the city’s French and Spanish influences. There are many good French restaurants in the city. Various meats are available and used in several dishes, a reflection of the wealth of the country. Fish, chicken, game and bush-meat are widely available, cooked in dishes seasoned with chilies and various spices. An interesting drink to try is Malamba, which is a brew made from sugar cane. Tea lovers will enjoy Osang, which is an African tea.
Football is the sport of choice in the city. Malabo’s main sporting venue is the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, which has a seating capacity of 15,250. This venue was used in the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
Fashion is also celebrated with the International Malabo Fashion week in May, featuring top Equatorial Guinean fashion designers.
The people in Malabo still practice some ancient customs, including the balele dance, which is performed during the Christmas season. The Roman Catholic religion is widely practiced on the island, although those from Fang tribes are known to practice witchcraft and create traditional music using the Fang harp, drums, wooden trumpet and xylophone. Storytelling is also widely practiced, as part of the ancient traditions.
Malabo is a city headed for growth. Although the city’s infrastructure development is still in its early stages, there are already some signs of movement in that direction that are emerging. Some major hotels in the city include Hilton Malabo, Sofitel Sipopo, President Palace and Hotel Impala.
As more and more expatriates come to the city, the city’s population continues to grow. With more travelers learning about Malabo, the city will experience tremendous changes in the future.
Interesting Facts About Malabo
- The capital city of Malabo is located in Bioko Island, which has a volcanic terrain. There are three major peaks here, measuring 9,876 feet, 7,416 feet and a final one that measures 6,885 feet.
- Measuring an area of just 28,000 square kilometers, Equatorial Guinea is the third smallest country in the African continent and is the second smallest African nation that is a member in the United Nations. However, it is also one of the richest per capita, although the wealth distribution is the country is quite uneven.
- The city of Malabo was founded in 1827 by the British and was given the name Port Clarence.
- The Bioko Island, on which the city of Malabo is located, is the biggest island found in the Gulf of Guinea. It measures 2,017 square kilometers or 780 square miles.
- One of the most famous athletes to come out of Equatorial Guinea is Eric Moussambani, or Eric the Eel. He made his mark in the world of competitive swimming. He rose to fame in the 2000 Summer Olympics, setting a new record for the 100-meter freestyle. Today, he is a coach of the country’s national swimming squad.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabo
http://goafrica.about.com/od/africatraveltips/ig/Africa-s-Capital-Cities/Malabo–Equatorial-Guinea.htm
http://wikitravel.org/en/Malabo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_Guinea
http://www.world66.com/africa/equatorialguinea/malabo/top_5_must_dos
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/equatorial-guinea/malabo/practical-information/health
http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/buscador.php?cat=28&lang=en
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Malabo.aspx
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/7221.htm