ABSTRACT
The political decolonization of Africa in the latter half of the twentieth century created a number of independent microstates. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is one of the oldest such countries. Since its independence in 1968, it has been joined by a plethora of new polities—Guinea-Bissau, the Cape Verdes, Sao Tome and Principe, the Comoros, the Seychelles—that face the unpleasant dilemma of being juridically independent but economically dependent. For purposes of geographical discussion, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea can be divided into three parts: the continental province of Rio Muni, the island of Bioko, and the islets of Annobón, Corisco, and the Elobeys. The largest portion of the republic is Rio Muni, which has an area of 26,000 square kilometers. It is bounded on the north by Cameroon and by Gabon on the east and south. In the Montes de Cristal region, iron is found in association with sulfur.
