BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Equator 147
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea is a country on the
west coast of Africa. It includes a mainland
region as well as several islands. The
capital, Malabo, is on Bioko Island.
Geography
The mainland region, called Rio Muni,
is bordered by Cameroon and Gabon.
The Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic
Ocean, separates Rio Muni from the
islands of Bioko, Corisco, Great Elobey,
Little Elobey, and Annobon. Bioko is
made up of three extinct volcanoes. All
of Equatorial Guinea has a warm climate
with rainy and dry seasons.
Plants and Animals
On the mainland, okume, African walnut,
and mahogany trees grow in thick
rain forests. Bioko has mangrove
swamps along the coast. Hunting has
decreased Equatorial Guinea’s wildlife,
which includes gorillas, chimpanzees,
leopards, elephants, and crocodiles.
People
The Fang people form the majority of
the population. The largest group on
Bioko is the Bubi. Spanish and French
are the official languages. Most people
are Roman Catholics. Almost half of the
population lives in cities.
Economy
Equatorial Guinea’s economy depends
on its petroleum (oil) reserves. Farming
and logging are also important. The
main crops are cassava, sweet potatoes,
palm oil, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, and
coffee. Petroleum, wood, and cocoa are
sold to other countries.
History
Portuguese explorers claimed the island
of Bioko, which they called Fernando
Po, in 1494. In 1778 Spain took over
the islands, which were a stopping
point for slave traders. From 1827 to
1858 the British occupied Fernando Po,
where it fought the slave trade. Spain
later combined the islands and the
mainland into the colony of Spanish
Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea declared its independence
from Spain in 1968. The first
president ruled harshly, and many citizens
were killed or left the country. Later
presidents allowed some elections but
kept strong control.
..More to explore
Africa • Malabo
Facts About
EQUATORIAL
GUINEA
Population
(2008 estimate)
616,000
Area
10,831 sq mi
(28,051 sq km)
Capital
Malabo
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Malabo, Bata,
Mbini, Ebebiyin,
Luba
148 Equatorial Guinea BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Erie, Lake
Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five
Great Lakes of North America. It was
named after the Erie Indians, who once
lived on its shores.
Lake Erie forms the boundary between
the Canadian province of Ontario and
the U.S. states of Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and New York. It covers
an area of 9,910 square miles (25,667
square kilometers). It is the shallowest
and stormiest of the Great Lakes.
At its eastern end Lake Erie empties over
Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario. Its
western end contains several islands. The
largest is Pelee Island. Point Pelee
National Park is located on the northwestern
shore of the lake, in southern
Ontario.
Lake Erie has four major ports. Detroit,
Michigan, is at the western end. Buffalo,
New York, is at the eastern end. Cleveland
and Toledo, both in Ohio, are on
the lake’s southern shore. The lake is an
important link in the Saint Lawrence
Seaway. The seaway connects the Great
Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean.
Severe water pollution nearly destroyed
Lake Erie in the 1960s. It forced many
beaches and resorts to close. Scientists
and others tried to address the problem
beginning in the 1970s. By 1990 the
quality of the water in the lake had
improved greatly.
#More to explore
Great Lakes • Saint Lawrence River and
Seaway
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is an artificial, or manmade,
waterway in the U.S. state of
Trees stand among sand dunes on the shore of Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Erie Canal 149
New York. It helps connect the Great
Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The
canal runs 363 miles (584 kilometers)
between Buffalo, New York, on Lake
Erie, and Albany, New York. From
Albany, the Hudson River continues the
waterway to New York City.
Work began on the canal in 1817. The
engineers and builders who worked on
the canal faced many challenges. The
land that the canal was to pass through
was not flat. The engineers therefore had
to figure out how to move boats up and
down the natural changes in elevation.
They built 83 locks to do this. Locks are
structures that allow boats to be raised
or lowered by changing the level of the
water beneath them.
By the time the canal was finished in
1825 the engineers had learned a great
deal about building canals. They later
moved to other states to help build
canals throughout the country.
The Erie Canal was an immediate success.
It encouraged people to move west
and settle the midwestern United States.
It also helped the economies of many
cities in New York. Boats traveling west
through the canal carried settlers from
the East Coast to Michigan, Ohio, Indiana,
and Illinois. The settlers shipped
their farm produce back eastward. In
return, manufacturers in the Eastern
cities shipped their goods westward.
Shipments from New York City to the
Great Lakes took eight days using the
canal, much faster than before the canal
was built.
As the country’s railroad system was
built, the Erie Canal became less important.
