Capital: Malabo (political), Oyala/Ciudad de la Paz (administrative under construction)
Currency: CFA Franc (XAF)
Area: 28,051 km²
Population: ~1,600,000
Official languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese
Government: Presidential Republic
ISO Code: GNQ
The CFA Franc (XAF) is the official currency of Equatorial Guinea and other Central African states. It was introduced in 1945 by France as the “Franc des Colonies Françaises d’Afrique.” Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony, joined the CFA franc zone in 1985 after abandoning the Guinean peseta. The term “franc” comes from medieval France, from the coin minted in 1360 with the inscription “Francorum Rex Johannes Dei Gratia,” symbolizing the liberation of King John II the Good.
1 CFA franc is divided into 100 centimes. The word “centime” comes from French and means “one hundredth.”
