Equatorial Guinea Independence Day – October 12, 2026

History of Equatorial Guinea Independence Day

Equatorial Guinea’s first inhabitants are believed to have been ‘Pygmies’ — this group continues to exist only in isolated areas of Rio Mundi. The ‘Bantu’ people are believed to have migrated to the region in the 17th and 19th centuries. Diversity in Equatorial Guinea expanded as the ‘Fang,’ ‘Igbo,’ ‘Bubi,’ and ‘Annobon’ people eventually also began living within the country.

Fernão do Pó — an explorer — was the first of the Portuguese to land up in Equatorial Guinea in 1472, whilst seeking an alternate path to India. In 1474, the islands of Bioko and Annobón, where he first landed, were colonized. The Spanish and the British eventually took control of Equatorial Guinea. Cacao plantations sprang up throughout the region, and the country’s indigenous peoples were eventually forced to work on the farms.

Nationalism began to emerge in the early 1960s, which capitalized on the strong wave of nationalist sentiments in west-central Africa at the time. Under pressure from the U.N. and nationalists — Spain announced its plans to grant independence to Equatorial Guinea. The people soon ratified a constitution and on October 12, 1968, the country elected Francisco Macías Nguema as the first president and gained independence from the Spanish after centuries of colonization. However, the country was eventually turned into a one-party state in July 1971 and Macias took over the country as an authoritarian dictator.