Officially, Equatorial Guinea is known as the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Ecuatorial Republic of Guinea, in French: Portuguese Republic of Equatorial Guinea: The Republic of Guiné Equatorial is a country in Central Africa's west that covers 28,000 square kilometers (11,000 square miles). Its post-independence name refers to its proximity to both the Equator and the Gulf of Guinea, where it was once a Spanish colony. The nation's population was 1,468,777 in 2021.

There are two parts to Equatorial Guinea: an island and a mainland. The islands of Bioko (formerly Fernando Pó), located in the Gulf of Guinea, and Annobón, a small volcanic island that is the only part of the country south of the equator, make up the insular region. The capital of Equatorial Guinea, Malabo, is located on Bioko Island, which is in the northernmost part of the country. Between Bioko and Annobón is the Portuguese-speaking island nation of So Tomé and Prncipe. Cameroon lies to the north, while Gabon lies to the south and east of the mainland region known as Ro Muni. It is where Bata, the largest city in Equatorial Guinea, and Ciudad de la Paz, the country's planned future capital, are located. Corisco, Elobey Grande, and Elobey Chico are just a few of the smaller offshore islands in Rio Muni. The country is a part of the CPLP, the African Union, the Francophonie, and OPEC.

Equatorial Guinea gained independence from Spain in 1968 and was ruled for life by President Francisco Macas Nguema until his nephew Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo overthrew him in a coup in 1979. Since then, he has been in charge of the country. Foreign observers have frequently referred to both presidents as dictators. Equatorial Guinea has grown to become one of the largest oil producers in sub-Saharan Africa since the middle of the 1990s. After that, it has become the richest country in Africa per capita, and its GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita ranks 43rd in the world. However, the wealth is distributed very unevenly, with few people benefiting from the oil wealth. With less than half of the population having access to safe drinking water and 7.9% of children dying before the age of five, the nation ranks 144th on the 2019 Human Development Index.