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Corisco, Mandj, or Mandyi, is a small
island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
of
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
, located southwest of the
Río Muni Río Muni (called ''Mbini'' in Fang) is the Continental Region (called ''Región Continental'' in Spanish) of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering . The name is derived from the Muni River, along which ...
estuary that defines the border with
Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, ...
. Corisco, whose name derives from the Portuguese word for lightning, has an area of , and its highest point is
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
. The most important settlement on the island is Gobe.


History

During the Iron Age (50 BC - 1400 AD) and before the arrival of the Portuguese, the island was densely settled. The most important evidence of human occupation comes from the area of Nandá, near the eastern coast, where dozens of prehistoric burials have been excavated. These burials belong to two different periods: Early Iron Age (50 BC - 450 AD) and Middle Iron Age (1000-1150 AD). During the first period, the islanders deposited bundles of human bones and iron implements (axes, bracelets, spears, spoons,
iron currency Iron currency bars are regarded as being objects used by Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolit ...
) in shallow pits dug in the sand. During the second period, tombs have been documented where the corpses (not preserved) lay surrounded by pots, probably containing food and alcoholic beverages. The deceased were interred with their adornments (collars, bracelets and anklets) and a few personal possessions (knives and adzes). When Portuguese sailors arrived in the Mino Estuary in 1471, they noted that the islands in the area were mainly unpopulated. They named Corisco after 'lightning', due to the gales they experienced around the island. After more than three centuries of abandonment, when it was sporadically visited by European sailors, Corisco was settled by the
Benga people The Benga people are an African ethnic group, members of the Bantu peoples, who are indigenous to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Their indigenous language is Benga. They are referred to as Ndowe or ''Playeros'' (Beach People), one of several p ...
. They arrived during the second half of the 18th century attracted by the prospects of trade with the Europeans. The island was later acquired by
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
in 1843, as a result of an arrangement made by Juan José Lerena y Barry with Benga king Bonkoro I. Bonkoro I died in 1846 and was succeeded by his son Bonkoro II, but due to rivalries on the island, Bonkoro II moved to
São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...
, and Munga I ruled in Corisco 1848 to 1858, his son Munga II taking over, and meeting the explorer
Manuel Iradier Manuel Iradier (b. Vitoria, 1854–1911) was a Spanish explorer of Africa. A student of philosophy and literature, he fell under the influence of Henry Morton Stanley and turned to exploration. History From 1868-1874 he made preparations for ...
in the 1870s. In general, the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
paid little attention to Corisco. In the early part of the 20th century it was part of the administration of Elobey, Annobon, and Corisco, and
postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...
s were issued under that name. It became an integral part of Equatorial Guinea upon independence. Corisco and the surrounding waters of Corisco Bay have become of interest in recent years for their oil prospects. A consortium of
Elf Aquitaine Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...
and Petrogab began prospecting in 1981. The area is disputed with
Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, ...
because of the perceived value of the oil. In February 2003, Gabonese Defence Minister Ali-Ben Bongo Ondimba visited the islands and re-stated Gabon's claim to them."Gabon-Equatorial Guinea: UN mediates dispute over Corisco Bay islands"
IRIN, January 23, 2004.


See also

* Corisco International Airport


References


Further reading

* X. Ayán Vila et al., Arqueología en el Estuario del Muni (Guinea Ecuatorial). ''Revista de Arqueología'', 362: 24–33. * * * Max Liniger-Goumaz, ''Small is not always beautiful: The Story of Equatorial Guinea'' (1989, ) p. 7. * *


External link

{{Authority control Islands of Equatorial Guinea Territorial disputes of Equatorial Guinea Territorial disputes of Gabon Equatorial Guinea–Gabon border