Bioko

Bioko (spelled also Bioco) is an island off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, formerly called Fernando P? or Fernando P?o. It is part of Equatorial Guinea.

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Bioko has a total area of 2,017 kilometers. It is 70 km long from N.N.E. to S.S.W. and about 32 km across. It is volcanic and very mountanous, and in this way resembles neighboring islands such as S?o Tom? and Pr?ncipe.

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The first European discovery of the island was made, probably in 1472, by the Portuguese navigator Fern?o do P?. It was at first named Formosa ('Beautiful'), but in 1494 was renamed for its discoverer (Fernando P? or Fernando P?o). Unlike other islands in the area, Bioko had an indigenous (African) population. Presently still a distinct ethnic group on the island, these indigenous people, the Bubi, speak a Bantu language; the island was likely inhabited by this or other Bantu-speaking groups since before the 7th century BCE.

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Portugal ceded to Spain Fernando P?o, Annob?n and the Guinea coast (modern Equatorial Guinea) in 1778, with the Treaty of El Pardo, signed between Queen Maria II of Portugal and King Charles III of Spain, in exchange for territory in the American continent. Spain then mounted an expedition to Fernando P?o, led by the Conde de Argelejos.

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From 1827 to 1843 the British leased bases at Port Clarence (modern Malabo) and San Carlos for the anti-slavery patrols.

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The island was used as a base for flights into Biafra during the Nigerian civil war.

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Notably, Fernando P?o was a central historical nexus in Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's Illuminatus! trilogy.

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Africa: Africa is the world's second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. At about 30,244,050 km² (11,677,240 mi²) including its adjacent islands, it covers 20.3 percent of the total land area on Earth. With over 800 million human inhabitants in 54 countries, it accounts for abou...

Gulf of Guinea: The Gulf of Guinea is the part of the Atlantic southwest of Africa. The gulf is considered the geographic center of the earth because it is zero degrees longitude and latitude (where the Equator and Prime Meridian meet)....

Equatorial Guinea: The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a nation in central Africa, and one of the smallest countries in continental Africa. It borders Cameroon on the north, Gabon on the south and east, and the Gulf of Guinea on the west, where the islands of S?o Tom? and Pr?ncipe lie to its southwest. Formerly the S...