Malabo (/məˈlɑːboʊ/ mə-LAH-boh, Spanish: [maˈlaβo] ⓘ; formerly Santa Isabel [ˈsantajsaˈβel] ⓘ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the province of Bioko Norte.

Ciudad de la Paz is a planned community under construction in mainland Equatorial Guinea which was designed to replace Malabo as the capital.

The institutions of governance of Equatorial Guinea began the process of locating to Ciudad de la Paz in February 2017.

[4] In 1472, in an attempt to find a new route to India, the Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó, encountered the island of Bioko, which he called Formosa.

At the beginning of the 16th century, specifically in 1507, the Portuguese Ramos de Esquivel made a first attempt at colonization on the island of Fernando Pó.

[citation needed] With the treaties of San Ildefonso in 1777 and El Pardo in 1778, during the reign of the Spanish King Charles III, the Portuguese gave to the Spanish the islands of Fernando Pó, Annobón, and the right to conduct trade in the mainland, an area of influence of approximately 800 000 km2 in Africa, in exchange for the Colonia del Sacramento in Río de la Plata and the Santa Catarina Island off the Brazilian coast (occupied by the Spaniards) during a recent war trying to stop Portuguese expansion in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

The area stretched from the Niger Delta to the mouth of Ogooué River — in current Gabon — and included, besides the islands of Fernando Pó and Annobón, the islets of Corisco and Elobeyes.

[citation needed] These freedmen were settled in Port Clarence before the establishment of Sierra Leone as a colony for freed slaves.

Spain again took control of the island in 1855 and the capital, Port Clarence, was renamed Santa Isabel, in honor of Queen Isabella II.

[citation needed] During the so-called Reign of Terror of Macías Nguema, the dictator suppressed much of the intelligentsia of the country, initiating the process of taking over the positions of the public administration by part of the natives of Mongomo and clan Esangui.

Among those imprisoned and tortured are many political leaders such as Rafael Upiñalo (Movimiento), Fabián Nsue (UP), Felipe Ondo Obiang (FDR), Martín Puye of Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island (MAIB) or Plácido Micó Abogo of the Social Democratic Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS).

A group of mercenaries were jailed at Black Beach for the 2004 coup d'état attempt against President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

On average, the months hit hardest by the wet season are September and October, which receive 500 millimetres (20 in) of rain and showers between them.

At night, the average low temperature is 20 to 21 °C (68 to 70 °F) in every month of the year but January to April have a slightly higher diurnal range because it is clearer.

Nonetheless, with only 1,020 hours of sunshine per year, Malabo is one of the cloudiest,[7] wettest and most lightning-prone capitals of the world, and experiences much fog and haze even when it is not raining in the driest months.

These include drinking water and others public sources, lighting, paving of roads, cemeteries, cleaning and sanitation, the sanitary waste treatment and waste, disinfecting, emergency first aid, health inspections and drinks, health inspection of poor housing, public banks, slaughterhouses, markets and the elimination of stagnant water.

[citation needed] Headquartered in the Technical Cooperation Office in Malabo (created in 1984), carried out actions for the development of the culture, health, education and institutional strengthening.

[citation needed] The city of Malabo is a focal point for tourism in Equatorial Guinea, due to its direct connections with major tourist attractions on the island of Bioko.

Trade is also one of the most prominent and important economic activities, especially since the arrival of US companies which exploit oil wells close to the coast.

In January 2020 a fire due to an electrical failure caused the calcination of part of its structure, currently there is work ongoing for an early restoration in November 2021.

[17] Other points of interest are La Gaditana, known as Finca Amilivia prior to 1918, the casa Teodolita, built in 1902 and one of the oldest homes in the city, the City Hall building in Malabo, the Church of Elá Nguema, Independence Square, Parque Nacional de Malabo, the Casa de España and the bay of the harbor.

Other clubs from the city that have been proclaimed league champions are the Renacimiento FC, the Atlético Malabo or Cafe Bank Sportif.

Malabo has been significantly affected by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's growing co-operation with the petroleum industry.

The country's production has reached 360,000 barrels per day (57,000 m3/d) as of 2005[update], an increase which led to a doubling of the city's population, but for the vast majority, very little of that wealth has been invested in development.