Day 55: Equatorial Guinea

[they don't love you like i love you]

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ek.html

Discuss.

[phk]

Is comparatively economically successful vis-a-vis other African countries.

[they don't love you like i love you]

That's due to its oil reserves. Politics are an utter mess. Notable for being the only country to date to have all of its presidents declare themselves to be God. One lunatic started running it after independence and transformed the country into a totalitarian hellhole, even by African standards. He was then deposed in a coup in the 70s by his nephew who is the current president and toned down his uncle's notable insane and paranoid regime to just your typical despotic African regime. Interesting note: After the coup, he had to hire mercenaries from Morrocco to execute his uncle. No soldiers from Equatorial Guinea would do so, because they still believe he had magical powers.

The statistics on wealth are also misleading, the high GDP per capita is only because of a bunch of wealth elites (cronies of the dictator) being super rich from the oil reserves. Everyone else lives in miserable poverty like the rest of Africa. All the factors of your typical African regime, mass corruption, a few wealth elites and everyone else in poverty, and a megalomanical and highly eccentric dictator.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Need to have their oil and the profits made from it consficated by the west

[DanielX]

Small African nation, lotsa natural resources, but still poor. Anyone want to establish an 'Equatorial Guinea Purchase Fund' so we can get together, buy Equatorial Guinea, and run it halfway decently?

[Bacon King]

Small African nation, lotsa natural resources, but still poor. Anyone want to establish an 'Equatorial Guinea Purchase Fund' so we can get together, buy Equatorial Guinea, and run it halfway decently?

I've got $20 to donate.

[Bono]

Small African nation, lotsa natural resources, but still poor. Anyone want to establish an 'Equatorial Guinea Purchase Fund' so we can get together, buy Equatorial Guinea, and run it halfway decently?

Mark Tatcher already tried that.

[WMS]

One of the worst regimes on the planet. Ugh.