With an elevation of 9,878 ft (3,011 m), it is the summit of the largest and highest of three overlapping basaltic shield volcanoes which form the island.

The peak forms a part of Pico Basilé National Park, created in April 2000[3] The boundaries of Bioko Norte and Sur runs near the summit.

This line includes other volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea such as Annobón, Príncipe and São Tomé, along with the massive stratovolcano of Mount Cameroon.

[4] The island was inhabited in the middle of the first millennium BC by Bantu tribes from the mainland, who formed the Bubi ethnic group.

Its first official ascent was made in 1839 by the British John Beecroft who was later governor of the island that was once Fernando Po, now Bioko.