5. Eguatorial Guinea is sparsely populated. The population in l9B5 is estinatedat 316,418 with an annual grorrth rate of 2.7 per cent. About 80 per cent of thepopulation lives on Rio Muni and 20 per cent on the island of Bioko. Over72 per cent of the population is rural and dispersed in sone 700 communities.Approximately 12 per cent, of the population is located in the capitat city ofIvlaIabo.A/40/430 Eng li sh Page 5 6. Equatorial Guinea became independent of Spain in October 1968. It inherited a colonial plantatlon economy (mainly cocoa), owned and managed by foreigners with the help of contracted labour from Nigeria. With most of the local population engaged in the subsistence sector, the country faced at independence a serious shorgage of trained nationals to manage the economy and to take charqe of admjrnistration. From 1958 to 1979, Equatorial Guinea was ruled by President Frarrcisco ltacias Nguema. During this period, there eras a large exodus of both natjLonals and expatriates, draining the country of the already limited trained manpower of entrepreneurial, professional, technical and administrative competence. Agricultural production declined drastically; basic services in health care, education and public utilities were not maintainedi and buildings, roads and port,s deteriorated. Foreign investment came to a halt and internal and external communications systems broke down. Violations of human rights, including the persecution and arbitrary execution of thousands of nationals, caused approximately one third of the population to flee the country. 7. In August 1979, a military r6gime deposed the President and established a Suprene tvlilitary Council treaded by President Lt. Col. Obiang Nguema Ubasogo. The new Government was immediately faced wit.h the problems of revitalizing the economy and restoring conditions of political and social equity. Substantial progress has been achieved in many areas, in particular, in ensuring basic human and political rights. A process of democratization was launched. On 15 August 1982' a Constit,ution was adopted by a nation-wide referendum and, in 1983, a House of Representatives was established. Ttre basic legal documents regulating the
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the country's independence, its economic challenges, and the subsequent efforts to revitalize the economy and ensure human and political rights. It does not mention natural resources, environment, agriculture, forestry, fishing, industry, transport, communication, or humanitarian aid and relief. The text also does not discuss culture, science, or technology. The content is more relevant to the country's economic development, governance, and human rights.

**Category**
Economic development, Education, Health