Annobón Province
Encyclopedia
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for Good Year), also known as Pagalu or Pigalu, is an island of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
. It is located in the South Atlantic Ocean at 1°25′S 5°38′E, about 220 miles (350 km) west of Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
and 110 miles (177 km) south west of São Tomé Island
São Tomé Island
São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in 2009 to about 157,000 or 96% of the nation's population. This island and smaller nearby islets make up São Tomé Province, which is divided into six districts. The main island is located 2 km north of the...
. It measures about 4 miles (6.4 km) long by 2 miles (3.2 km) wide (6.4 by 3.2 km), with an area of about 6¾ square miles (17.5 km²). It has a population of around 5,000. The island's main industries are fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
.
Geography
Annobón is an extinct volcano of which just the 598 m (1961 ft) peak (called Quioveo) rises above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. It is characterised by a succession of lush valleys and steep mountains, covered with rich woods and luxuriant vegetation. It has a central crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
named Lago A Pot. A number of tiny rocky islets lie off the main island, including Santarém
Santarém
-In Portugal:* Santarém District, a district in Portugal* Santarém Municipality, a municipality in that district* Santarém, Portugal the seat of the above district* Roman Catholic Diocese of Santarém, Portugal-Other:* Santarém cheese, a Portuguese goat cheese...
to the south.
The island constitutes the small Annobón Province, one of the provinces of Equatorial Guinea
Provinces of Equatorial Guinea
||Equatorial Guinea is divided into 2 regions and seven provinces :-Regions:#Insular Region #Continental Region -Provinces:Provinces 1–3 in Insular Region; Provinces 4–7 in Continental Region....
. Its capital is the northern village of San Antonio de Palé
San Antonio de Palé
San Antonio de Palé, is the capital of Annobón, an island in Equatorial Guinea that was once part of the Spanish Empire in Africa.A small town, it has only 600 inhabitants, the majority of whom speak the Annobonese creole. It is located in the extreme north of the island, which is the driest and...
, and the island's other main settlement is the similarly named San Antonio. The roadstead
Roadstead
A roadstead is a place outside a harbor where a ship can lie at anchor. It is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea, narrower than a bay or gulf. It has a surface that cannot be confused with an estuary. It can be created artificially by jetties or dikes...
is relatively safe, and some passing vessels take advantage of it in order to obtain water and fresh provisions, of which Annobon offers an abundant supply. However, there is no regular shipping service to the rest of Equatorial Guinea, and ships call as infrequently as every few months.
Annobón is often described as being "in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
" like the neighbouring islands of São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
, but the International Hydrographic Organization
International Hydrographic Organization
The International Hydrographic Organization is the inter-governmental organisation representing the hydrographic community. It enjoys observer status at the UN and is the recognised competent authority on hydrographic surveying and nautical charting...
(IHO) boundary line for the Gulf of Guinea actually runs north of it.
History
The island was discovered by the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on January 1, 1473 – its name arises from its discovery on New Year's Day. It was apparently uninhabited until colonised under the Portuguese from 1474, primarily by Africans from Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
via São Tomé Island
São Tomé Island
São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in 2009 to about 157,000 or 96% of the nation's population. This island and smaller nearby islets make up São Tomé Province, which is divided into six districts. The main island is located 2 km north of the...
.
The island was passed to Spain in 1778 by the First Treaty of San Ildefonso
First Treaty of San Ildefonso
The First Treaty of San Ildefonso was signed on October 1, 1777 between the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire, shortly after the crowning of Mary I of Portugal and dismissal of Sebastião de Melo, Marquis of Pombal as de facto ruler of Portugal....
, together with Fernando Pó (now Bioko
Bioko
Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of...
) and the Guinea coast as part of an exchange in which Portugal received territory in Brazil. Spain wished to acquire territory in Africa, while Portugal wanted to further enlarge what they called "New Portugal" (Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
). The Spanish colony thus formed came to be known as Spanish Guinea
Spanish Guinea
Spanish Guinea was an African colony of Spain that became the independent nation of Equatorial Guinea.-History:The Portuguese explorer, Fernão do Pó, seeking a route to India, is credited with having discovered the island of Bioko in 1472. He called it Formosa , but it quickly took on the name of...
.
The island's populace was opposed to the arrangement and hostile toward the Spaniards. The islanders revolted against their new masters and a state of anarchy ensued, leading, it is said, to an arrangement by which the island was administered by a body of five natives, each of whom held the office of governor during the period that elapsed until ten ships landed at the island. In the latter part of the 19th century the authority of Spain was re-established. The island briefly became part of the Elobey, Annobón, and Corisco
Elobey, Annobón, and Corisco
Elobey, Annobón, and Corisco was a colonial administration of Spanish Africa, consisting of the small islands of Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico, Annobón, and Corisco, located in the Gulf of Guinea. Its total area was under 36 km², and the estimated population in 1910 was 2,950 people. The capital...
colony until 1909.
In 1968, Spanish Guinea, including the island of Annobon, achieved independence from Spain as the state of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
.
During the final years of the rule of Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema was the first President of Equatorial Guinea, from 1968 until his overthrow in 1979.-Rise to power:...
, the first President of Equatorial Guinea, the island was called Pigalu or Pagalu (Parrot), which is the name by which it is known in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
Today, Spanish is the official language. The island's inhabitants are of mixed Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, and Angolan
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
descent. Nevertheless, the early anti-Spanish sentiment, combined with the isolation from mainland Equatorial Guinea and the proximity of São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
— which is just 175 km (about 110 miles) from the island — has helped preserve the island's cultural ties with Portugal.
Flora and fauna
Originally, this small equatorial island 335 km (about 210 miles) from the Gabonese coast was uninhabited and had great biological diversity. With colonisation, islanders used rafts or "cayucos" (canoe-like boats), and hunted humpback whaleHumpback Whale
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
s, whale calves, and other Cetaceans with harpoons near to the island.
Today the Ojo Blanco (Annobón White-eye
Annobón White-eye
The Annobón White-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family.It is endemic to the island of Annobón, part of Equatorial Guinea....
, Zosterops griseovirescens) and the Monarca del Paraíso de Annobón (Annobón Paradise-flycatcher
Annobón Paradise-flycatcher
The Annobón Paradise-flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird. It was previously classified with the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, but the paradise-flycatchers, monarch flycatchers and Australasian fantails are now normally grouped with the drongos in the family Dicruridae, which...
, Terpsiphone smithii) are endemic passeri (songbirds), as is the São Tomé Island or Malherbi pigeon (Columba malherbii). There are 29 species of bird on the island as well as 2 bat species (1 endemic); reptiles (5 species endemics): 1 snake, 3 geckos, 2 scincid lizards, 3 marine turtles; river fish: 18 species (1 endemic); mosquitoes, scorpions and huge centipedes. Introduced domestic animals include: fish, guinea fowl, rats, dogs and cats. The island has no indigenous mammalian predators. Sharks are found in the surrounding sea.
There are 208 species of vascular plant (of which 15% are endemic) including the "point up" baobab
Baobab
Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island....
, ceiba
Ceiba
Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Mexico, Central America, South America, The Bahamas, Belize and the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia...
(used for cayuco construction), ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
, ferns and tree ferns, and great moss masses.
Language
The island's main language is the Annobonese languageAnnobonese language
The Annobonese language, known to its speakers as Fá d'Ambô or Fa d'Ambu, is spoken by 2,500 in the Annobon and Bioko Islands off the coast of Equatorial Guinea, mostly by people of mixed African, Spanish, and Portuguese descent....
(Fá d'Ambô), a Portuguese creole
Portuguese Creole
Portuguese creoles are creole languages which have been significantly influenced by Portuguese.- Origins :Portuguese overseas exploration in the 15th and 16th century's led to the establishment of a Portuguese Empire with trading posts, forts and colonies in the Americas, Asia and Africa...
. Spanish, the official language, is also widely spoken, especially by schoolchildren and those working in tourism. Spanish is also a second language of the majority of residents.
Noted writer
The Annobonese Juan Tomás Ávila LaurelJuan Tomás Ávila Laurel
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel is an Annobonese writer from Equatorial Guinea.-Background and early life:...
is a writer who has issued reflections on his home island. He writes in Spanish.
Oil reserves
Annobon is of strategic importance to Equatorial Guinea as through its ownership the Equatorial Guinean government claims to extensive maritime territory to the south of its neighbour, São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
(which itself lies to the south of Equatorial Guinea's main land mass). Oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
represents more than 80% of Equatorial Guinea's economy, though supplies from current reserves are predicted by some sources to run out before 2020. Although no drilling is currently taking place in São Tomé, there are estimated to be 34 Goilbbl of oil within its marine borders. Equatorial Guinea claims the right to explore for and produce hydrocarbons in a huge area of sea surrounding Annobón that stretches from 1°N to almost 5°S, and from 2°E to 7°E; an area larger than the entire land and sea borders of the rest of Equatorial Guinea.
Waste dumping
The German edition of Der SpiegelDer Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
of 28 August 2006 reported that the government of Equatorial Guinea uses the island of Annobón to bury radioactive waste.
External links
- Gulf of Guinea Conservation Group
- http://www.icex.es/staticFiles/GuineaEcuatorial_6814_.pdf
- http://www.iradier.org/colaboracion5.htm
- Ghuty Mamae: La esencia de Annobón
