Bata

About Bata

Bata is a port city in the Litoral province of Equatorial Guinea and the most populous city in the country, with a population of 309,345 at the 2015 census. The city, formerly the capital of Equatorial Guinea, lies on the Atlantic coast of Río Muni. The city is a transport hub, with ferry connections to Malabo and Douala and the second largest airport of the country, Bata Airport. Bata is also known for its nightlife and market.

After the anti-Spanish riots of 1969, the European population declined in Bata, and severe economic stagnation affected Bata in the 1970s and early 1980s. An oil boom of the country boosted the development of the city in the late 1980s and 1990s.

On 7 March 2021, the city was struck by a series of explosions which resulted in the deaths of at least 105 people and the wounding of more than 615 others. The majority of the buildings in the city were damaged by the explosions.

Bata, like most of Equatorial Guinea, has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). It is much less gloomy than Malabo, and has its dry season in the opposite months to insular Equatorial Guinea but in the same months as neighbouring Gabon due...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.