Fernado Pó, and island off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, was discovered by the Portuguese in 1472. Together with Annobón and the Guinea coast it was ceded to Spain in 1778. In 1827 it was leased to Britain as an antislavery naval base when the Treaty of El Pardo, between England, Portugal and Spain, was signed. It merged with Elobey, Annobón, Corsico and Rio Muni into Spanish Guinea in 1909, and in 1959 Fernado Pó and Annobón were made a province of Spain. In 1968 it gained independence and joined Rio Muni to form Equatorial Guinea. In 1979 it was renamed Masie Ngueme Biyogo Island, and is now known as Bioko.
     The map on the Spanish stamp for Fernando Pó was issued as part of a set of four stamps in 1961. It is a shaded relief map with a number of towns located and identified. The island of Annobón is shown in a box in the lower right corner. At the top the legend, 1936 - 10 Octubre - 1961, defines the 25th anniversary of the proclamation of General Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo (1892-1975) as Generalísimo of the National army and Jefe del Estado (Head of State) of Spain.