Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is a small Central African state comprising a mainland enclave (Río Muni) and the island of Bioko, home to the capital Malabo. Sub-Saharan Africa's only Spanish-speaking country, it joined the Francophone CEMAC bloc and later added Portuguese as an official language. Offshore oil discoveries in the 1990s transformed it into one of Africa's highest per-capita income countries on paper, yet the wealth is concentrated around the ruling Obiang family, which has governed since 1979 in one of the continent's most authoritarian systems. Transparency International consistently ranks it among the world's most corrupt states. Healthcare and public infrastructure remain underdeveloped despite hydrocarbon revenues. Dual citizenship is not recognised and naturalisation requires ten years of legal residence.