Malabo Travel Guide, Equatorial Guinea

Malabo Travel Guide – The Ethnical Traumas

This Malabo travel guide will provide all the essential information necessary when visiting the capital of Equatorial Guinea. The city is located on the northern side of Bioko Island, which is mostly covered by tropical rainforests and has a rich biodiversity that many organizations are struggling to preserve. Although Malabo has over 100.000 inhabitants, it has yet to recover from the ethnical traumas suffered during the last few decades. It all started in 1973 when President Macias Nguema decided to rename the city to what it’s currently known and started the process of extermination of the entire Bubi minority, which was predominant on the island. During these years Equatorial Guinea ended up being known as the “Auschwitz of Africa” and almost one third of the entire population fled with terror. Since then the population numbers have increased, but these events are far from being forgotten by the island’s inhabitants.

Malabo Travel Guide – The Nationalist Theme

The political aspects that have troubled the city for so long are very visible in its aspect and street denomination. There are very few paved roads that lead to Malabo as well as in the city proper, the whole richness being concentrated in the eastern part of the city that stands as home to the Royal palace. This construction and its official grounds cover almost all eastern Malabo and are not open to locals or tourists. Another aspect that marks the atmosphere in the city is its nationalist themed street names that reflect a powerful anti-colonial message and are sometimes inspired by other cities or places in Equatorial Guinea or surrounding African countries. Still, colonial architecture continues to dominate the city, culminating with the Cathedral at Independence Place that is in the very heart of Malabo. Other buildings from the Spanish colonial area still remain standing and actually give the city a positive architectural twist.

Malabo Travel Guide – The Oil Industry

Malabo has both a port and an international airport, providing good connections to the surrounding islands and more. International reliable companies such as Iberia, Swissair, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa have flights in Malabo, but there are also regional companies such as Ethiopian Airlines and Aero Contractors, which will get you to African destinations such as Lagos and Yaounde. One of the essential Malabo travel guide facts is that the oil industry in the city and in the whole of Equatorial Guinea is very developed, with a production reaching up to 360.000 barrels/day. This is one of the main factors that led to the increase of population, but very little of the money that is gained is invested in the development of the region.