NAIROBI, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Equatorial Guinea will hold its presidential elections on Nov. 29, which will pit the long-time President Teodoro Obiang Nguema against opposition leader Placido Mico Abogo.

The following are basic facts about the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea lies in West Africa, bordering Cameroon in the north and Gabon in the east and south. With an area of 28,051 sq km and a population of about 1,000,000, the country is composed of the continental enclaves of Rio Muni and several inhabited islands in the Gulf of Guinea. The capital city is Malabo in the Bioko Island.

The country, a former Spanish colony, gained independence on Oct. 12, 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule.

Official languages of the country are Spanish and French, with Spanish the predominant. Major local languages include Fang and Bube.

Equatorial Guinea has seen rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in the 1990s, and in the last decade it has ranked as Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil producer after Nigeria and Angola.

Other natural resources of the country include natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamond, tantalum and clay.