
Bioko (; ; ; historically known as Fernando Pó, ) is an island of
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...
. It is located south of the coast of
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
, and northwest of the northernmost part of mainland Equatorial Guinea.
Malabo
Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...
, on the north coast of the island, is the capital city of Equatorial Guinea. Bioko's population was 335,048 at the 2015 census
and it covers an area of . The island is part of the
Cameroon line
The Cameroon line (, , ) is a long chain of volcanoes that includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea and mountains on the African mainland, from Mount Cameroon on the coast towards Lake Chad on the northeast. They form a natural border between ea ...
of volcanoes and is located off the
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
coast, in the
Bight of Biafra
The Bight of Biafra, also known as the Bight of Bonny, is a bight off the west- central African coast, in the easternmost part of the Gulf of Guinea. This "bight" has also sometimes been erroneously referred to as the "Bight of Africa" because ...
portion of the
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...
. Its geology is volcanic; its highest peak is
Pico Basile at .
Etymology
Bioko's native name is ''Ëtulá a Ëri'' in the
Bube language
The Bube language or Bubi, Bohobé, Bube–Benga or Fernandian (Bobe) is a Bantu language spoken predominately by the Bubi, a Bantu people native to, and once the primary inhabitants of Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea. The language was brou ...
. For nearly 500 years, the island was known as ''Fernando Pó'' (; ), named for
Portuguese navigator
Fernão do Pó. Between 1973 and 1979 the island was named ''Macías Nguema Biyogo'' after
the then-president of Equatorial Guinea. The current name, Bioko, dates from 1979 and is in honour of politician
Cristino Seriche Bioko.
Geography
Bioko has a total area of . It is long from NNE to SSW and about across. The island is mostly covered by
tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...
. It is volcanic and very mountainous with the highest peak
Pico Basile (). It thus resembles neighbouring islands
São Tomé
São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities.
History
Álv ...
and
Príncipe
Príncipe (; ) is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Cens ...
. Like them, it lies on the
Cameroon line
The Cameroon line (, , ) is a long chain of volcanoes that includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea and mountains on the African mainland, from Mount Cameroon on the coast towards Lake Chad on the northeast. They form a natural border between ea ...
. Its southernmost point is called Punta Santiago.
Bioko lies on the African
continental shelf
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...
, separated from the African mainland by of water with a depth of only 60 metres. During the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
epoch Bioko was connected to the African mainland. Bioko separated from Africa around 10,000 years ago, at the end of the
Last Glacial Period.
The
fire skink
The fire skink (''Lepidothyris fernandi)'', also known commonly as Fernand's skink, the Togo fire skink, and the true fire skink, is a fairly large skink, a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is known for its bright and viv ...
, a species of lizard found on the island, carries the scientific name of ''
Mochlus fernandi
The fire skink (''Lepidothyris fernandi)'', also known commonly as Fernand's skink, the Togo fire skink, and the true fire skink, is a fairly large skink, a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is known for its bright and viv ...
'', derived from Fernando Pó, the former name of the island.
Geology
The island is composed mostly of
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
, mostly
alkali basalt and
hawaiite
Hawaiite is an olivine basalt with a composition between alkali basalt and mugearite. It was first used as a name for some lavas found on the island of Hawaii.
It occurs during the later stages of volcanic activity on oceanic islands such as Ha ...
s, and to a lesser extent
mugearite
Mugearite () is a type of oligoclase-bearing basalt, comprising olivine, apatite, and opaque oxides. The main feldspar in mugearite is oligoclase.
Mugearite is a sodium-rich member of the alkaline magma series. In the TAS classification of volc ...
s.
Demographics
The island has a population of 335,048 inhabitants (2015 Census), divided into 2 provinces and then into 4 districts - Malabo (271,008), Baney (29,366), Luba (26,331) and Riaba (8.343).
Its historic indigenous people are the
Bubi people
The Bubi people (also known as Bobe, Voove, Ewota and Bantu Bubi) are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group of Central Africa who are indigenous to Bioko, Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Once the majority group in the region, the population experi ...
, who currently constitute 58% of the population. Other ethnicities include the
Fang
A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs, ...
at 16%, ''
Fernandinos'' at 12%, and the
Igbo at 7%, as well as African and European immigrants.
Languages
Spanish has been an official language since 1844 when Spain took control of the island. It is still the language of education and administration, related to the more than 100 years as a Spanish colony. 67% of Equatoguineans can speak Spanish, especially those living in the capital,
Malabo
Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...
, on Bioko.
[Obiang convierte al portugués en tercer idioma oficial para entrar en la Comunidad lusófona de Naciones]
''Terra'', 13 July 2007.
The
Bube language
The Bube language or Bubi, Bohobé, Bube–Benga or Fernandian (Bobe) is a Bantu language spoken predominately by the Bubi, a Bantu people native to, and once the primary inhabitants of Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea. The language was brou ...
, with about 50,000 speakers, and various dialects, is the original language of the inhabitants of Bioko. However, given the numerous ethnic groups and peoples who operated on Bioko, a creole language developed, known as
Pichi. It is based on English grammar, from the period when the British operated bases for their forces. It also incorporates West African languages from Nigeria and Liberia, as well as Portuguese vocabulary, which forms a considerable part of the
Krio language
The Sierra Leonean Creole or Krio is an English-based creole language that is the lingua franca and de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 96 percent of the country's population, ...
, which had developed in Sierra Leone. Workers came to Bioko from all of these areas in the 19th through much of the 20th century.
History
Unlike other islands in the area, Bioko had an indigenous African population. The island was inhabited in the middle of the first millennium BC by
Bantu tribes from the mainland, who formed the
Bubi ethnic group. The Bubi speak a
Bantu language. The island has probably been inhabited by this or other Bantu-speaking groups since before the 7th century BC.
In 1472, the
Portuguese navigator
Fernão do Pó was the first European to sight the island. He named it ''Formosa Flora'' ("beautiful flower"). In 1494 it was renamed ''Fernando Pó'' in his honour after being claimed as a colony by the Portuguese. The Portuguese developed the island for sugarcane crops, and while considered of poor quality, the refineries' output was such that Fernando Pó sugar briefly dominated the trade centres in Europe.

In 1642, the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
established trade bases on the island without Portuguese consent. It temporarily centralized from there its
slave trade Slave trade may refer to:
* History of slavery - overview of slavery
It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas:
* Al-Andalus slave trade
* Atlantic slave trade
** Brazilian slave trade
** Bristol slave trade
** Danish sl ...
in the
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...
. The Portuguese appeared again on the island in 1648, replacing the Dutch Company with one of their own, also dedicated to slave trading and established in its neighbour island
Corisco.
Parallel with this establishment, the Bubi
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
s began the slow process of establishing the core of a new kingdom on the island, especially after the activity of some local chiefs such as
Molambo (approx. 1700–1760). During a period when enslavement was increasing in the region, local clans abandoned their coastal settlements and settled in the safer hinterland.
Under the 1778
Treaty of El Pardo, Portugal ceded Fernando Po,
Annobón
Annobón (; ) is a province of Equatorial Guinea. The province consists of the island of Annobón and its associated islets in the Gulf of Guinea. Annobón is the smallest province of Equatorial Guinea in both area and population. According t ...
, and the
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
coast,
Río Muni
Río Muni (called ''Mbini'' in Fang language, Fang) is the Continental Region (called ''Región Continental'' in Spanish language, Spanish) of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering . The name is derived fr ...
, to Spain, which together form modern Equatorial Guinea. The treaty was signed by Queen
Mary I of Portugal
''Dom (title), Dona'' Maria I (Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana; 17 December 1734 – 20 March 1816) also known as Maria the Pious in Portugal and Maria the Mad in Brazil, was Queen of Portugal from 24 February 1777 ...
and King
Charles III of Spain
Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...
, in exchange for territory on the American continent. Spain mounted an expedition to Fernando Po, led by the
Conde de Argelejos, who stayed for four months. In October 1778, Spain installed a governor on the island who stayed until 1780, when the Spanish mission left the island.
Chief Molambo was succeeded by another local leader,
Lorite (1760–1810), who was succeeded by
Lopoa (1810–1842). After abolishing the British Atlantic slave trade, from 1827 to 1843 the British leased bases at
Port Clarence (modern
Malabo
Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...
) and
San Carlos for the
African Slave Trade Patrol. The settlement at Port Clarence (named after the
Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence was a substantive title created three times in the Peerage of England. The title Duke of Clarence and St Andrews has also been created in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Prince Leopold, Duke ...
) was constructed under the supervision of
William Fitzwilliam Owen. He had previously mapped most of the coasts of Africa and was a zealous
anti-slaver. During his three-year command, his forces detained 20 ships and liberated 2,500 slaves. The
Mixed Commission Court A Mixed Commission Court was a joint court set up by the British government with Dutch, Spanish or Portuguese representation following treaties agreed in 1817 and 1818. By 1820 there were six such courts. This occurred during a period often referred ...
was moved from
Freetown
Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
, Sierra Leone, to Clarence to hasten the legal process of emancipating slaves liberated from slave ships.

In March 1843,
Juan José Lerena planted the Spanish flag in Port Clarence (renamed
Santa Isabel), starting the decline of British influence on the island. Spain revoked the British lease in 1855.
Madabita (1842–1860) and Sepoko (1860–1875) were principal local chiefs during the period when Spain re-established its control of the island. A notable resident from 1861 to 1865 was the British explorer
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor.
Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...
who served as the British consul, during which time he wrote several books about Africa. This period was also marked by Spain's transport deportation here of several hundred
Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...
s, as well as dozens of Spanish scholars and politicians considered politically undesirable. In addition Spain exiled 218 revolutionaries here from the
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...
, of whom only 94 survived for long.

In 1923–1930, the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
investigated the transportation of contract migrant labour between
Liberia
Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
and the Spanish colony of Fernando Po. Although the League concentrated its attention on arrangements in Liberia, a closer examination revealed that labour abuse arose from conditions on Fernando Po. In the last quarter of the 19th century,
Krio planters on the island had shifted from
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
trading to
cocoa cultivation. Their dependence on
migrant labour and increasing competition with Europeans resulted in an economic crisis in the first years of the twentieth century. Planters detained labour but failed to pay their contracts, resulting in a situation of ''de facto'' slavery. Liberia prohibited labor traders from contracting with their citizens.
In 1942 Fernando Pó was the scene of a secretive small scale British raid code named
Operation Postmaster
Operation Postmaster was a British special operation conducted on the Spanish island of Fernando Po, now known as Bioko, off West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, during the Second World War. The mission was carried out by the Small Scale Raiding ...
which was an action that sought to disrupt German U-boat resupply activities being conducted on the island.
During the
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...
in the 20th century, relief agencies used the island as one of the bases for
Biafran airlift
The Biafran Airlift was an international humanitarian relief effort that transported food and medicine to Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War. Relief flights lasted from 1967 to 1969. This was the largest civilian airlift and, after the Berlin ...
flights into the secessionist Republic of
Biafra
Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...
.
Economy
Located on Punta Europa, west of Malabo, the Alba
Gas Plant processes natural gas delivered from offshore production wells. The plant is operated by
Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil Corporation was an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. In November 2024, it was acquired by ConocoPhillips and absorbed into the company.
Marathon was founded in Lima, Ohio, as the Ohio Oil Company. In 1899, the ...
Company through its subsidiary, Marathon Equatorial Guinea Production Limited. The plant produces
natural gas liquids
Natural-gas condensate, also called natural gas liquids, is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from many natural gas fields. Some gas species within the raw natura ...
including
propane
Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
,
butane
Butane () is an alkane with the formula C4H10. Butane exists as two isomers, ''n''-butane with connectivity and iso-butane with the formula . Both isomers are highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gases that quickly vaporize at ro ...
, and condensate products. The majority of the residue gas from the Alba plant is delivered to a natural gas liquefaction plant operated by
EG LNG. A portion of the Alba plant residue is also delivered to the Atlantic Methanol Production Company and is used to produce
methanol
Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...
. The products from all three plants are loaded onto ocean-going tanker ships for export.
Transport
A rectangular transport route links the four main cities:
Malabo
Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...
,
Luba,
Baney, and
Riaba. The island's airport is
Malabo International Airport.
Tourism
Tourist attractions include the colonial quarter in Malabo, and the southern part of the island, where visitors can hike to the (Moka Falls) and to remote beaches of
Ureka to watch nesting turtles.
See also
*
Annobón
Annobón (; ) is a province of Equatorial Guinea. The province consists of the island of Annobón and its associated islets in the Gulf of Guinea. Annobón is the smallest province of Equatorial Guinea in both area and population. According t ...
, an island
*
Bight of Bonny, also known as the
Bight of Biafra
The Bight of Biafra, also known as the Bight of Bonny, is a bight off the west- central African coast, in the easternmost part of the Gulf of Guinea. This "bight" has also sometimes been erroneously referred to as the "Bight of Africa" because ...
*
Bioko drill
The Bioko drill (''Mandrillus leucophaeus poensis'') is a subspecies of the Drill (animal), drill, an Old World monkey. It is endemic to Bioko, Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, located off the west coast of Africa. The drill is one of the largest ...
*
Bioko Norte Province
*
Bioko Sur Province
*
Cameroon line
The Cameroon line (, , ) is a long chain of volcanoes that includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea and mountains on the African mainland, from Mount Cameroon on the coast towards Lake Chad on the northeast. They form a natural border between ea ...
*
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...
*
Emancipados
Emancipado () was a term used for an African-descended social-political demographic within the population of Spanish Guinea (modern day Equatorial Guinea) that existed in the early to mid 1900s. This segment of the native population had become as ...
, black people in Spanish Guinea assimilated to the Spaniards.
*
Fernandino peoples
*
Fernão do Pó, commander of the first European ship to land here.
*
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...
*
Leopold Janikowski, Polish explorer who visited the island in 1883
*
Kru people
The Kru, Krao, Kroo, or Krou are a West African ethnic group who are indigenous to western Ivory Coast and eastern Liberia. European and American writers often called Kru men who enlisted as sailors or mariners Krumen. They migrated and settl ...
*
Tetteh Quarshie
Tetteh Quarshie (c. 1842 – 25 December 1892) was an agriculturalist in the British Colony of Gold Coast and the person directly responsible for the introduction of Theobroma cacao, cocoa crops to Gold Coast, which today constitute one of the majo ...
, a Ghanaian who introduced cocoa to his native country from the island.
*
Luba Crater Scientific Reserve
*
Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island
* The English-lexicon Creole
Pichi is spoken on Bioko
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Fernando Po
Notes
References
* Room, Adrian (1994). ''African placenames''. Jefferson, North Carolina (US): McFarland.
* Sundiata, Ibrahim K. (1990). ''Equatorial Guinea: Colonialism, State Terror, and the Search for Stability''. Boulder, Colorado (US): Westview Press.
*
*
*
External links
The Drill ProjectBioko Biodiversity Protection ProgramGulf of Guinea Conservation Group
Bubi history and culture from a Spanish missionary* Virginia Morell: "Island ark",
National Geographic Magazine
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
, August 2008
link
{{Authority control
Islands of Equatorial Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
Former colonies in Africa
Former Portuguese colonies
Former Spanish colonies
Portuguese colonisation in Africa
Spanish Africa
Former English colonies
Proposed countries