Lighthouses of Equatorial Guinea

The nation of Equatorial Guinea was formed in 1968 by uniting two small, dissimilar Spanish colonies. One part is Bioko, called Fernando Póo in Spanish times, a volcanic island in the Bight of Biafra off the coasts of Nigeria and Cameroon. The other is Río Muní, a rectangular tract on the mainland wedged between Cameroon and Gabon. Also included in the country are the islands of Elobey and Corisco off the northwestern coast of Gabon and the remote island of Pagalu (formerly Annobón), 300 km (190 mi) west of the Gabonese coast.

The capital of the country is Malabo (formerly Santa Isabel), at the northern end of Bioko. The major ports are Malabo and Luba on Bioko and Bata in Río Muní.

Very little information is available on the lighthouses of Equatorial Guinea, so visitor reports and photos would be very welcome.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.

General Sources
Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Postcards from the collection of Klaus Huelse.

Punta Europa Light
Punta Europa Light, Malabo, April 2013
anonymous contributed photo; used by permission
Pagalu (Annobón) Lighthouse
* Mission de Santo Antonio
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); white flash every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) masonry tower, painted white. No photo available. The Spanish edition of Wikipedia mentions the lighthouse. Clouds block Google's satellite view. Located on Punta del Palmar, the northern tip of the island, near Santo Antonio, the principal village on the island. Site status unknown. ARLHS EQG-009; Admiralty D4248; NGA 25208.

Río Muní Lighthouses
Port de Cogo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white, red, or green light, depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 16 m (52 ft) slender square skeletal tower. NGA describes the tower as red, but more likely it is white. No closeup photo available, but Huelse has a postcard view of a skeletal tower having approximately the right height. This view matches the white tower seen in the lower right quadrant of a 2005 aerial view of the town, but the tower appears only as a small white spot in Google's satellite view. The lighthouse guides ships northeastward into the port of Cogo, on the Río Muní estuary at the southern edge of the country. Site status unknown. ARLHS EQG-008; Admiralty D4210; NGA 25288.
[Cabo San Juan]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 18 m (59 ft) "red pylon," according to the NGA listing. No photo available, and Google's distant satellite view has no detail in this area. Located on a prominent cape near the southwesternmost point of Río Muní. Site status unknown. Admiralty D4190; NGA 25276.
Punta Ngaba
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 5 s. 24 m (79 ft) metal tower on a concrete base. No photo available, and Google's distant satellite view has no detail in this area. Located on a cape about 15 km (9 mi) southwest of Bata. Site status unknown. Admiralty D4175.5; NGA 25260.
Punta Mbonda
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (119 ft); four white flashes, in a 3+1 pattern, every 20 s. 35 m (115 ft) octagonal brick tower. Mike Fleming's photo is at right, another photo is available (halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view. In recent years Punta Mbonda has been a restricted area, the site of military camps and a prison. Located on a point of land about 30 km (19 mi) north of Bata. Site and tower closed. ARLHS EQG-003; Admiralty D4170; NGA 25248.
Faro de Punta Mbonda
Punta Mbonda Light, Río Muní
photo copyright Mike Fleming; used by permission

Bioko Lighthouses
Fronton de Caracas
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); three flashes, white or red depending on direction, every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) pyramidal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google's distant satellite view shows no detail. Located on a headland about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Riaba. Site status unknown. ARLHS EQG-007; Admiralty D4064; NGA 25160.
* Riaba (Concepción)
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane unknown; flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) square white masonry tower with gallery but no lantern. A photo is available, captioned "Antiguo Torreón" (old tower). However, it's not clear from the photo that this is the active lighthouse. Google's distant satellite view has no detail in this area. Riaba, known as Concepción in Spanish times, is a small port on the east coast of Bioko. More information needed. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS EQG-006; Admiralty D4060; NGA 25164.
* Punta Barceloneta (Luba, San Carlos)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); four flashes, white or red depending on direction, every 15 s. 16 m (52 ft) hexagonal masonry tower with gallery; no lantern. Lighthouse painted with horizontal red and white bands. A 2008 closeup photo is at right, and there is a postage stamp view, but Google's distant satellite view shows no detail in this area. The lighthouse marks the southern entrance to the Bahía de Luba on the west coast of Bioko. (Luba was called San Carlos in colonial times.) A modern port has been built recently at Luba to support the natural gas fields offshore to the west. Located on the point, about 1.5 km (1 mi) northwest of Luba. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS EQG-005; Admiralty D4046; NGA 25144.
Faro de Punta Barceloneta
Punta Barceloneta Light, Luba, November 2008
Panoramio Creative Commons photo by lescalanteg
Punta Europa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 71 m (233 ft); three white flashes, separated by 4 s, every 20 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A photo is at the top of this page, and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Punta Europa is the location of the island's main power plant, fired by natural gas from offshore wells, and Marathon Oil has constructed a large liquified natural gas plant there. Located within the Marathon plant on the northwestern tip of Bioko, about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Malabo. Site and tower closed. ARLHS EQG-002; Admiralty D4040; NGA 25112.
* Punta de la Unidad Africana (Punta Fernanda, Fernando Póo) (2)
1900 (station established 1866). Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); red light occulting four times every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) square masonry tower with gallery but no lantern, painted white. Jessica Weinberg's aerial photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. An aerial photo taken in September 2008 shows extensive redevelopment of the port, with a new building and a tall communications tower next to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is identical in design to the old lighthouse at Riaba (see above). The Punta de la Unidad Africana is a narrow, curving peninsula (the caldera rim of an ancient volcano) that has been sculpted into a breakwater protecting the east side of the harbor at Malabo. Located at the tip of the point. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS EQG-004; Admiralty D4032; NGA 25120.
[Islote Horacio]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 4 s. 16 m (52 ft) "white pylon," according to the NGA listing. No photo available, but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a rocky islet off the northeastern tip of Bioko, about 18 km (11 mi) northeast of Malabo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS EQG-001; Admiralty D4028; NGA 25136.
Malabo Lighthouse
Punta de la Unidad Africana Light, Malabo, 2005
photo copyright Jessica Weinberg; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Cameroon | South: Gabon | West: São Tomé and Principe

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Posted September 14, 2005. Checked and revised August 15, 2012. Lighthouses: 11. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.