Travel Profile:
Tourism industry is very undeveloped, with limited hotel space available in Malabo and Bata. Major attractions include the Spanish colonial architecture of Malabo, the white sand beaches, and the tropical rain forests. Currently a visit to this country is worth its time only for a die-hard traveler.
Philatelic Profile:
The first stamps of Equatorial Guinea were a set of three stamps released on October 12, 1968 to mark the attainment of independence. The set (Scott #1 to #3) catalogs for around a dollar MNH or used. The design shows clasped hands and laurel. This issue was followed in 1970 and 1971 by a couple of sets featuring President Francisco Maricas Nguema as the primary theme. The sets (Scott #4 to #10 and Scott #11 to #14) are inexpensive cataloging for a few dollars each.
Nguema
was the first president of Equatorial Guinea. Soon, after election, he
created a single-party state and started a reign of terror – the country
earned the nickname “the Dachau of Africa” (Dachau was Hilter’s first
concentration camp) due to political executions and human rights
violations that resulted in the killing of one-fourth of the population.
Education was banned, there was no economic plan, and so foreigners and
skilled citizens left the country. His reign continued until the coup
of August 3, 1979 when he was captured and executed following a trial. Other issues of Equatorial Guinea enjoying good philatelic interest include:
- A souvenir sheet released on August 30, 1981 showcasing President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The sheet (Scott #46)
catalogs for around $8 MNH and $3 used. In the interim, a large number
of semi-postals were issued. These have very limited value. Mbasogo
overthrew Nguema in 1979 and formally assumed presidency in October of
that year.
Although
Mbasogo promised change and a new start, his regime has also turned
into an authoritarian single-party state, although elections are held
after each term. Human rights violations, government sanctioned killings
and kidnappings, along with stealing from the treasury
are characteristics of his regime. - A set of four stamps released on Feburary 4, 1983 showing the Fauna. The set (Scott #59 to #62) catalogs for around $5 MNH and a dollar for used. The designs show gorilla, hippopotamus, African brush-tailed porcupine (atherurus africanus), and panther (felis pardus).
A set of stamps released in 1994 in the Minerals theme. The set (Scott #206 to #209)
catalogs for around $12 MNH and around $7 for used. The designs show
aurichalcite, pyromorphite, fluorite, and halite. Although the country
has mineral resources, development is ignored. Large oil reserves were
discovered in 1996 which has resulted in a dramatic rise in the
country’s GDP although wealth is concentrated among relatively few
people. 
A strip of four stamps released in 2005 in the Churches theme. The set (Scott #268a-d)
catalogs for around $2 MNH or used. The designs show Cathedral in Pisa
Italy, Notre-Dame-la-Grande Church in Poitiers France, Speyer Cathedral
of Germany, and Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The
country is predominantly Roman Catholic (87%) and christians account for
around 93% of the population.
The first coins of Equatorial Guinea are Aluminum-Bronze Pesetas issued in 1969. The issues have high mintage and catalogs for a few dollars in UNC. Equatorial Guinea has issued a number of commemorative silver and gold coins over the years. Chief among them is a proof set of four gold and four silver coins released in 1969 and 1970 for the tenth anniversary of independence.
Numismatic items of Equatorial Guinea include:
| Item | Price Range | Description |
| Coins | $3 and up | Early Pesetas in UNC starts around $3. Early Silver Proofs starts around $30. Low mintage proofs, sets, and gold coins go well into the 100s. |
| Paper Money | $10 and up | Common UNCs starts around $10. Errors and other rare varieties start around $50. |
Last Updated: 12/2015.
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