Contrary to rumor, Equatorial Guinea is a nice place to visit, and an even nicer place to live in!! Massive public infrastructure projects are under way...new hospitals, schools, public housing, etc. The job market is booming and few if any people are going hungry. The country is governed by a charismatic leader who enjoys the general support and respect of the population. Petty crime and violence are rare, and in contrast to most African countries there are no beggars in the streets. I'm visiting the country now (and have on a number of previous occasions). Even my driver, a simple, illterate cab driver from a minority tribe, has cable TV (featuring many international channels) in his small home. The system of governance may not be the best, but women's empowerment is a top priority, and improvement in the people's lives can almost be noticed from one day to the next. 90% of the population are from one ethnic group, and President Obiang is seen and admired locally as The Chief. The best comparison is probably one of the emirates in the Arabian Gulf. Reporters should stop believing the hearsay that they read on the net, and visit and seriously analyze the countries they are writing about. Life in Equatorial Guinea vs the current conditions in Zimbabwe...it's a difference between day and night!

I'll grant you EG Guy, it's been awhile since I've been in the area we're speaking of. Might you not be overstating it a bit?

Out of curiousity, are you with our State. Or are you working for Mobile or Vanco?

Just an anecdotal comment: you ain't drinking the water are you?

Bottled water only, and I'm not associated with any of the entities you mention, or any other govt agency or major company for that matter! I'm a liberal, Obama-supporting ex-Peace Corps volunteer who has traveled widely in West and Central Africa, at the grassroots level, going back to the mid-1970s. The current atmosphere in Equatorial Guinea is probably the most upbeat of any I've encountered in all those years of experience in the region. The average person n the street here is genuinely proud of his/her country and its leadership, and astonished and/or highly amused when I mention the negative press coverage that EG receives internationally. I think it's a question of cultural insensitivity on the part of many who write about the country, and lack of real knowledge about the very positive and steadily improving circumstances 'on the ground'.

As in Equatorial Guinea life is also very good in Iraq. People are extremely happy with the widely popular government of of Prime Minister Maliki a good friend of George Bush and Secretary of State Condi Rice who used to be on the board of Exxon Mobile. Ethnic tensions have evaporated and problems with employment, schools, food, sanitation and security are a distant memory ever since the oil law was signed and Exxon along with the other big three originally American oil companies were given access to the oil fields through special contracts. All my Iraqi friends just laugh at all the negative reporting about our country. It must be a media, UN and CIA conspiracy. I was going to sign this post as "A Genuine Iraqi" but forgot to change my name before I started typing. We in Iraq say if you can't report good news perhaps you shouldn't report any news at all. My post deserves two check marks as Iraq is a bigger country than Equatorial Giunnea.

How much of the country have you actually seen? The place where the President and his supporters lives isn't necessarily going to be the same as the place where the oil actually is or rural areas with no resources to speak of.

I have visited all of the country including the Green Zone, though it isn't my favorite as I find it a bit formal. The children of Sadr City are often invited to visit and swim in the embassy swiming pool and I often go along as a life guard. You are right there are no oil fields in the Green Zone although most of the oil flows through it. You were asking me, right? That is good because I would never lie to you.

information can be readily found on the internet.

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Hello feline74, I should begin by pointing out to you, Mark14 misspelled Guinea in Equatorial Guinea, to continue your geography course.

You probably didn't know, ions ago, this region is where the pygmies lived. What does pygmy mean? It is derived from the Greek word "fist measurement." Over time, the pygmy population moved southward and are mostly found in the Congo now, where they are quite the hunters.

Equatorial Guinea is plagued with the "resource curse." There is a high degree of ciminality at the highest levels of government. You have a booming sector and those being left behind. A lot of wealth is pouring-in Felin74, but there are too many have nots, as the government will not link the wealth to those area you are referrring to : - }

. . .mainly because I haven't been around here much:P

Didn't know that about the name's origins. Unfortunately, the pygmies are also the hunted: if one news article I read is to be believed, there's a superstition going around parts of the Congo about the benefits of eating a pygmy.

Knew about the resource curse. That's one reason I asked the question I did--how many countries with said curse spend their wealth in places where the country's leaders DON'T live?

Bonjour 'felin' souixante-quatorze. You may also look toward Nigeria to see much of the same thing.

The problem is overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector at the expense of not developing other sectors such as agriculture and social services

I once knew someone down in Port Harcourt, who use to take apart the Jeopardy games and memorize the answers. He'd impress the Peace Corps ladies, over drinks while playing the game : - )

Hi Tyrtaios-rising. I remember someone fitting your discription from my former consular activities in Africa. Might that have been you? The person I have in mind, was working on a special assignment outside the normal accredited DIA. : - )