Spanish is the official language of the city and of the country as well, butPichinglis is used as a language of wider communication across Bioko island, including Malabo.[3]
Malabo is the oldest city in Equatorial Guinea and served as its former capital.Ciudad de la Paz is aplanned community in mainland Equatorial Guinea which was built to replace Malabo as the capital. The institutions of governance of Equatorial Guinea began the process of locating to Ciudad de la Paz in February 2017.[4] Ciudad de la Paz was officially proclaimed capital of Equatorial Guinea in January 2026.[5]
In 1472, in an attempt to find a new route toIndia, the Portuguese navigatorFernão do Pó, encountered the island of Bioko, which he calledFormosa.[6] Later, the island was named after its discoverer, Fernando Pó. At the beginning of the 16th century, specifically in 1507, the Portuguese Ramos de Esquivel made a first attempt at colonization on the island of Fernando Pó. He established a factory inConcepción (nowRiaba) and developed plantations ofsugarcane.[citation needed]
With the Treaties of San Ildefonso in 1777 andEl Pardo in 1778, during the reign of the Spanish KingCharles III, the Portuguese gave to the Spanish the islands of Fernando Pó,Annobón, and the right to conduct trade in the mainland, an area of influence of approximately 800 000km2 in Africa, in exchange for theColonia del Sacramento inRío de la Plata and theSanta Catarina Island off the Brazilian coast (occupied by the Spaniards) during a recent war trying to stop Portuguese expansion in theViceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The area stretched from theNiger Delta to the mouth ofOgooué River, now inGabon, and included, besides the islands of Fernando Pó andAnnobón, the islets of Corisco and Elobeyes. Spain was uninterested in those lands because it already had vast colonies in other parts of the world, Spain lost interest in Spanish Guinea in 1827 and authorized the British to use the island as a base for suppressing theAfrican slave trade.[citation needed]
In 1821, theNelly approached the island ofFernando Pó. He found it abandoned and founded the establishments ofMelville Bay (nowRiaba) andSan Carlos (nowLuba). Some years later, another British captain,William Fitzwilliam Owen, decided to colonize the island and in the north of it — on the site of the present capital — erected a base for British ships huntingslave traders. Thus, on 25 December 1827,Port Clarence was founded on the ruins of a previous Portuguese settlement.[6] The name was chosen in honor of the Duke of Clarence, who later became KingWilliam IV. TheBubis indigenous to the island called itRipotó (place of the foreigners). The population of the capital was increased by the arrival of slaves freed by the British.[citation needed] Thesefreedmen were settled in Port Clarence before the establishment ofSierra Leone as a colony for freed slaves. The descendants of these freed slaves remained on the island.[citation needed] They joined other migrants who arrived as free workers from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon, and became the population group calledCreole orfernandinos, whose language wasPichinglis, a Bantu-EnglishCreole with some Spanish elements.[citation needed]
During the British period, the British consul automatically became the governor of the colony, including GovernorJohn Beecroft, a Britishmulatto[citation needed] who modernized the capital, and whose work was later recognized by Spain with a monument in Punta Fernanda.[citation needed]
In 1844, when QueenIsabella II of Spain ruled after the regency of her mother Maria Cristina andBaldomero Espartero, in an attempt to modernize Spain and rescue its heritage, Spain let the UK know its desire to regain control of the colony and thus the island. It took another decade to implement this direct control. The capital already had more dynamic and Protestant religious missions which were very successful. Both factors helped to change the attitude of Spain, in addition to internal reasons already alluded.
Spain again took control of the island in 1855 and the capital, Port Clarence, was renamedSanta Isabel, in honor of QueenIsabella II.[6] The capital of the island ofFernando Pó became the capital of Equatorial Guinea.
Its present name was given to the town in 1973 as part of the campaign of PresidentFrancisco Macías Nguema to replaceplace names of European origin with African names, in this case honoringMalabo Löpèlo Mëlaka, the lastBubi king. Malabo, the son of KingMoka, surrendered to the Spaniards. His uncle Sas Ebuera, head of the Bubi warriors, claimed to represent legitimate Bubi rule and continued resisting, confronting the Spanish openly in 1898.[7] After the Spanish killed Sas Ebuera, Malabo became the king unopposed, but with no authority. Bubi clans and settlements were slow to accept Spanish sovereignty over the island, and the full conquest of the island was not achieved until 1912.[citation needed]
During the so-calledReign of Terror of Macías Nguema, the dictator suppressed much of the intelligentsia of the country, initiating the process of taking over the positions of the public administration by part of the natives of Mongomo and clan Esangui.[citation needed]
The infamousBlack Beach prison, also known asBlay Beach prison (or Playa Negra prison), sits at the mouth of the Cónsul River, beside the black beach and behind the Governor's Palace and barracks. Several people have been jailed there during the 35 years of dictatorship. Among those imprisoned and tortured are many political leaders such as Rafael Upiñalo (Movimiento), Fabián Nsue (UP), Felipe Ondo Obiang (FDR), Martín Puye ofMovement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island (MAIB) orPlácido Micó Abogo of the Social DemocraticConvergence for Social Democracy (CPDS). A group of mercenaries were jailed at Black Beach for the2004 coup d'état attempt against PresidentTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.[citation needed]
Malabo is situated in the north of the island of Bioko, at coordinates 3° 45' 7.43" North and 8° 46' 25.32" East. The south of Malabo is limited by the Cónsul River and just across the river, south-west, is the hospital. West of the city, located about 9 km from the center of Malabo, is renewedMalabo International Airport. In the coastal region north of the city are thebays andcapes. The elder is the punta de la Unidad Africana located just behind theMalabo Government Building and which occupies the entire eastern part of the Bay of Malabo. Another cape of importance is punta Europa located in the west of the city near to the airport.
Malabo features atropical monsoon climate (KöppenAm). Malabo receives on average 1,850 millimetres or 73 inches of rain per year. The city has a pronounced, albeit short, sunnier (but still cloudy)dry season from December through February. January is normally its driest month with 29 millimetres or 1.14 inches of rain falling on average. It also has a very long cloudywet season that covers the remaining nine months from March to November. On average, the months hit hardest by the wet season are September and October, which receive 500 millimetres (20 in) ofrain and showers between them.
Daytime temperatures do not vary at all day to day, and vary only a few degrees throughout the entire year. At night, the average low temperature is 20 to 21 °C (68 to 70 °F) in every month of the year but January to April have a slightly higher diurnal range because it is clearer. Nonetheless, with only 1,020 hours of sunshine per year, Malabo is one of the cloudiest,[8] wettest and mostlightning-prone capitals of the world, and experiences muchfog and haze even when it is not raining in the driest months.
Through the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID), are made several development projects at both regional and national level.[citation needed] Headquartered in the Technical Cooperation Office in Malabo (created in 1984), carried out actions for the development of the culture, health, education and institutional strengthening. Stressing the Cultural Center of Spain in Malabo (CCEM), founded in 2003, where young people are encouraged to feel a cultural space where they can unleash their creative freedom. It also has three geographical axes, in order to capture the largest number of people in the region and contribute to its development. Activities include thetraining, art, film, theater, music andgames, with the two main festivals: Traveling Film Festival of Equatorial Guinea (FECIGE) and the International Festival of Hip Hop in Malabo.[citation needed]
Another important center is the Hispano-Guinean Cultural Center, from 2012 Equatorial Guinean Cultural Center began as headquarters of Institute Cardinal Cisneros, and then archive, museum and library. It was built in the 1950s.[citation needed]
The tourism sector is seeing significant expansion.[14] Since the discovery of oil, numerous infrastructural developments have been made.[15] The city of Malabo is a focal point for tourism inEquatorial Guinea, due to its direct connections with major tourist attractions on the island ofBioko.[16] Nearby tourist attractions include the following:
San Antonio de Ureca: A small town located in the south of the island rich in primates, birds, beaches, and waterfalls. During the months of November to February, it is possible to observe the spawning of leatherback sea turtles during the night.[citation needed]
Ilachi or Iladyi Waterfalls: They are the largest waterfalls in the country with more than 250 meters of fall. They are approximately a 45-minute walk from the city ofMoka.[citation needed]
Pico Basilé: The highest mountain inEquatorial Guinea, it belongs to the volcanic shield next toMount Cameroon and to the great caldera ofLuba. The mountain is more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) high, and is visible from all over the city of Malabo. A church and statue of Mother Bisila is located atop the mountain. The sculpture was created by the Spanish sculptor Modesto Gené Roig in 1968.[citation needed]
Malabo has a relatively young population. Approximately 45% of the population is under 15. Only about 4% of the population is more than 65 years old. Most of the population lives in rural areas of the island.[citation needed]
Malabo is the commercial and financial center. Malabo's economy is based on theadministration and other services. Trade is also one of the most prominent and important economic activities, especially since the arrival of US companies which exploitoil wells close to the coast. This trade also comes from the presence of Americans, Mexicans, Nigerians, Cameroonians, Spanish and other Central Africans; The building that was originally built by theBanco Popular Español, but after independence became the seat of Banco de Guinea Ecuatorial.
The main industry in the city isfishing, whilecacao andcoffee are the main products of export.[19]
Malabo has a high-tonnage port, connected mainly with the ports ofDouala, (Cameroon) andBata, and an air link via an international airport.
Malabo has preserved buildings from the colonial era, such as the Presidential Palace and the Palace of Justice of Malabo. Other colonial buildings are also found downtown, although they are worn; for example the wooden 19th-century buildings on Nigeria and Rey Boncoro streets.
Notable buildings include theCathedral of Santa Isabel, of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Malabo. It is a church in theGothic Revival style, built between 1897 and 1916. Its architect was Luis Segarra Llairadó, paid by contributions from the government of Spain and the donations of the faithful. It has two spires 40 meters high. In January 2020 a fire due to an electrical failure caused the calcination of part of its structure, currently there is work ongoing for an early restoration in November 2021.[20]
Other points of interest areLa Gaditana, known asFinca Amilivia prior to 1918, the casa Teodolita, built in 1902 and one of the oldest homes in the city, the City Hall building in Malabo, the Church of Elá Nguema, Independence Square, Parque Nacional de Malabo, the Casa de España and the bay of the harbor.
The port of Malabo can theoretically reach a treatment capacity of 200,000 tons/year. The main maritime links are with national destination to Bata and international to Spain and Douala in Cameroon.
TheMalabo International Airport serves the city. It is located 7 km from the centre in Punta Europa,Bioko. It serves long-distance direct flights to Europe and some African capitals.
From Malabo airport, one can fly to any of the other airports in the country. These airports are located in the region ofAnnobón,Bata,Mongomoyen, andCorisco.[21]
The main sports facility of Malabo, and the country, is theEstadio de Malabo, with a capacity of 15,250 spectators. The stadium is home to theEquatorial Guinea national football team and hosted matches during the2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Notably, theSpain national football team, at the time World Champions, played a friendly at this stadium. The stadium also is home to theCD Elá Nguema, the main club of the country. Also located in Malabo is theEstadio Internacional. The Estadio Internacional has a 6,000-seat capacity. The Equatorial Guinea national football team played here until the Estadio de Malabo was opened.
The2012 Africa Cup of Nations was organized jointly byGabon and Equatorial Guinea. One of the four venues for the tournament was theEstadio de Malabo, the main stadium of the country, constructed in 2007.[24] In Malabo were disputed six matches of the group stage (one match of Group A and five of group B),[25] and one cross of quarterfinals[26]
Another important club from the city is the Malabo Kings of basketball, which was champion of the country, and in 2013 was proclaimed champion Central Zone of Africa Basketball Championship, winning inKinshasa at Talia from Gabon.[29] The Malabo Kings had already finished second in 2011,Yaoundé (Cameroon).[30] In 2013 held in Malabo on I Campus of Basketball Ciudad de Malabo organized by the Equatorial Guinea Basketball Federation and Club de Baloncesto Conejero from Spain.[31]
Malabo was originally to host the2019 African Games but due to economic problems they decide to withdraw its hosting rights and was replaced byCasablanca,Morocco.
Malabo has been significantly affected byTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's growing co-operation with thepetroleum industry. The country's production has reached 360,000 barrels per day (57,000 m3/d) as of 2005[update], an increase which led to a doubling of the city's population, but for the vast majority, very little of that wealth has been invested in development.[32]
^J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann,Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 989
^Obama, Javier Nsue Nchama (23 July 2015)."Inaugurada la nueva Mezquita de Malabo".Guinea Ecuatorial Press (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved25 September 2022.
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