Spanish Guinea

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Coat of arms of Rio Muni

Spanish Guinea was a Spanish colony on the Gulf of Guinea that became independent as Equatorial Guinea in 1968 . It consisted of the islands of Fernando Póo (now Bioko ), Annobón , Corisco , the Elobey Islands and the mainland Río Muni (now Mbini ). Overall, the colony was 26,659 km² and had 170,000 inhabitants (1949). The capital was Santa Isabel (today Malabo ) with 9,000 inhabitants.

history

Malabo Löpèlo Mëlaka, King of Malabo 1930
Postage stamp from 1924

Fernando Póo became Spanish in 1778 after the island had already been claimed by the Portuguese , but the Spaniards were unable to establish themselves on the mainland due to the hostilities of the inhabitants. In 1841 Spain regained Fernando Poo and Annobón, which had been leased to Great Britain in the 1820s . Two years later, Juan José Lerena opened the first branch in what is now Malabo , which became the starting point for Spanish acquisitions on the mainland. By treaties with local rulers, a protectorate was established over the Río Muni in 1885 . In the Treaty of Paris (June 27, 1900) border conflicts with France could be settled and the Protectorate Río Muni became a Spanish colony. In 1909 Spain united Río Muni and the offshore islands to Spanish Guinea ( Spanish Territorios Españoles del Golfo de Guinea ). 1959 came back to the division and Río Muni and Fernando Poo were declared Spanish provinces. In December 1963, they were reunited to form Equatorial Guinea , and the following year the territory gained partial autonomy. In 1968 Equatorial Guinea became independent.

literature

See also

Coordinates: 2 °  N , 10 °  E