Bioko Island: History, People, and Ecology of the African Tree Island
Bioko Island: The Gulf of Guinea's Lush African Tree Island
Bioko is a mountainous, volcanic island covered in lush green forests situated in the Gulf of Guinea as part of Equatorial Guinea.
Bioko Island, formerly known as Fernando Pó
About the Gulf of Guinea's Bioko African Tree Island
Before European exploration, the island was inhabited by the Bubi people. The island was known as Fernando Pó, named after the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó, who was the first European to discover the island in 1472.
In 1778, the Portuguese ceded control of Bioko to Spain as part of a treaty, and it became a Spanish colony. The Spanish used the island as a base for the transatlantic slave trade.
The Bubi, once the dominant group on Bioko Island, saw their numbers decline due to conflict and disease from Portuguese expeditions. In the 1960s, Bubi leaders sought independence from mainland Equatorial Guinea, facing harsh repression that resulted in deaths and exile.
After many conflicts between the local African population and European colonizers, Equatorial Guinea, including Bioko, was granted independence from Spain in 1968. In 1973, the island was renamed Bioko.
Bioko Island is home to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast. Malabo serves as the country's political and economic center.
The island has a population of over 300,000 people from various ethnic groups. Bioko Island is central to Equatorial Guinea's oil industry, with significant extraction and processing facilities.
Bioko is covered in tropical rainforest, particularly in the southern and central regions, which remain largely undisturbed.
The rich biodiversity of Bioko's forests
The island's dominant tree species—including Kapok, African mahogany, Ebony, Fig, Palm oil, and Mangrove trees—are essential for protecting wildlife and play a key role in maintaining ecological balance, stabilizing the climate, and supporting local communities.
As part of the Congo Basin's broader ecosystem, Bioko's rainforests contribute to global carbon sequestration, making them essential for combating climate change and preserving tropical biodiversity.
By resisting deforestation and habitat loss, Bioko Island and similar forested islands not only preserve biodiversity but also protect the intricate balance of the global climate.
Bioko Island impacts everything from the air quality we breathe to weather patterns across the Atlantic.
Did You Know?
In 1993, Bubi activists formed the Movimiento de Autodeterminación de la Isla de Bioko (MAIB) to challenge ongoing discrimination against their people.
