Malabo - Layout, Changes since the discovery of oil

3°45N 8°50E, pop (2000e) 14 000. Seaport capital of Equatorial Guinea, W Africa; on island of Bioko, Gulf of Guinea; founded by British in 1827; airfield; coffee, cocoa, timber trade.

Malabo is the capital city of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast of Bioko Island (formerly Fernando Póo). While many of them later relocated to Sierra Leone, some of their descendants, called Fernandinos, can still be found in Malabo and the surrounding area, where they constitute a distinct ethnic group, speaking their own Afro-Portuguese pidgin dialect.

When the island reverted to complete Spanish control, Malabo was renamed Santa Isabel. It was chosen to replace the mainland town of Bata as the capital of the country in 1969, and was renamed Malabo in 1973 as part of President Francisco Macías Nguema's campaign to replace European place names with "authentic" African ones.

During his "reign of terror," Macías Nguema led a near-genocide of the country's Bubi minority, which formed the majority on Bioko Island, and brought many of his own tribespeople, the Fang to Malabo.

Layout

Despite its status as the capital of Equatorial Guinea for several decades, Malabo's street network remains poorly developed. Malabo itself has few paved roads leading into it, and less than one hundred paved and developed streets. The few large roads not named for an african nationalist ideal or person are named for cities in Equatorial Guinea or other places or countries in Africa, as well the road leading to the presidential palace.

The south of Malabo is bordered by the rio consul, across this lies the hospital to the south east. Encompassing the entire eastern side of the Malabo bay, it is almost as long as Malabo is tall. Malabo is part of a wider bay that represents most of the northern coast of Bioko;

Changes since the discovery of oil

Malabo has been significantly affected by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's growing cooperation with the oil industry.

Oil has also led to the first regularly-scheduled service between the United States and the city, a weekly flight by Houston Express, a private charter air service formed by an agreement between SONANGOL, Angola's national oil company, and World Airways . Iberia, Swiss, Spanair, Air France, KLM, Jetair (charter to Gatwick) and other regional airlines have several flights a week to Malabo.

Notable buildings in Malabo include Malabo Cathedral and the Malabo Court Building.

Coordinates: 3°45′N 8°47′E