As a languages geek, I´ve always been fascinated by the vagaries of languages - especially my native tongue, Spanish. And this small slice of West Africa holds a unique distinction as the continent´s only Spanish-speaking country, and this is the lingua franca that most ties it together. There are a dozen tribal languages spoken here - with Fang the most widespread, especially on the mainland, and Bubi important on Bioko Island - but Spanish is used in government,
equatorial guinea (3)
by Oscar Scafidi
Africa’s only Spanish-speaking country is divided into two major regions – the island on which capital Malabo (which I covered here recently) is located, and larger Río Muni on the mainland, sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon. Bustling port city Bata (pop. 173,000) is the capital of Litoral Province, which runs along West Africa’s Atlantic coast, and is the country’s economic capital, with a lot of domestic airlift to/from international gateway Malabo (which I wrote about
Photos> Ruta 47
by Oscar Scafidi
When you think about Spanish-speaking nations outside the mother country of Spain – well, it’s all about Latin America, right? The answer is: not quite. Tucked away on West Africa‘s Atlantic coastline, Equatorial Guinea is the only country on the entire continent to have Spanish as its official language (alongside local African languages such as Fang and Bubi).
How in the world did this come about? Well, to cut a very long story short, after being initially di
