Bioko

Bioko, Equatorial Guinea Formosa, Fernando Pó, Macías Nguema Biyogo An island thought to have been discovered in 1472, it was first called Formosa ‘Beautiful’ before the name was changed in 1494 to honour its discoverer, the Portuguese explorer, Fernão do Pó. In 1973–9 it was named after Macías Nguema Biyogo (1922–79), the first president of Equatorial Guinea (1968–79), but when he was deposed and executed in 1979 the name was changed to Bioko. This comes from the second son, Bioko, of a paramount chief of the Bubi, the original inhabitants. The island comprises the Insular Region of Equatorial Guinea. Although ceded to Spain in 1778 in return for Spanish cessions in South America, the Spanish presence was minimal and in 1827–58 the island was administered by the UK after the Royal Navy had established a base to try to minimize the movement of slaving ships along the Slave Coast. Bioko united with Río Muni on the mainland in 1900 to form a single colony under Spanish rule.