Malabo - History
The
first inhabitants of the region that is now Equatorial Guinea are believed
to have been Pygmies, of whom only isolated pockets remain in northern Rio
Muni. Bantu migrations between the 17th
and 19th centuries brought the coastal tribes and later the Fang. Elements
of the latter may have generated the Bubi, who emigrated to Bioko from
Cameroon and Rio Muni in several waves and succeeded former Neolithic
populations. The Annobon population, native to Angola, was introduced into
Bioko by the Portuguese via Sao Tome.
The Portuguese explorer, Fernanda Po, seeking a route to India, is
credited with having discovered the island of Bioko in 1471. The
Portuguese retained control until 1778, when the island,
adjacent islets, and commercial rights to the mainland between the Niger
and Ogooue Rivers were ceded to Spain. From 1827 to 1843, Britain
established a base on the island to combat the
slave trade. Conflicting claims to the mainland were settled in 1900 by
the Treaty of Paris, and periodically, the mainland territories were
united administratively.
Spain lacked the wealth and the interest to develop an extensive economic
infrastructure in Equatorial Guinea during the first half of this century;
however, through a patronal system, particularly on Bioko Island, Spain
developed large cacao plantations for which thousands of Nigerian workers
were imported as laborers. At independence in 1968, largely as a result of
this system, Equatorial Guinea had one of the highest per capita incomes
in Africa. The Spanish also helped Equatorial Guinea achieve one of the
continent's highest literacy rates and developed a good network of health
care facilities.
In 1959, the Spanish territory of the Gulf of Guinea was established
with status similar to the
provinces of metropolitan Spain. As the Spanish Equatorial region, it was
ruled by a governor general exercising military and civilian powers. The
first local elections were held in 1959, and the first Equatoguinean
representatives were seated in the Spanish Parliament. Under the Basic Law
of
December 1963, limited autonomy was authorized under a joint legislative
body for the territory's two provinces. The name of the country was
changed to Equatorial Guinea. Although Spain's Commissioner General had
extensive powers, the Equatorial Guinean General Assembly had considerable
initiative in formulating laws and regulations.