Omar Bongo

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Omar Bongo

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Omar Bongo (El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba) , 1935-, Gabonese political leader, president of Gabon (1967-), b. Albert-Bernard Bongo. He entered the civil service (1958), became minister of information and tourism in 1966, vice president in 1967, and then succeeded to the presidency. He created a one-party state (1968) and was reelected in 1973, 1979, and 1986. His rule has provided stability and attracted foreign investment, but protests forced him to reinstate a multiparty system in 1990. Bongo was reelected in 1993 and 1998 in elections generally regarded as unfair by observers; he triumphed over a divided opposition again in 2005.

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Gabon

A Dictionary of Contemporary World History | 2004 | | © A Dictionary of Contemporary World History 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Gabon A country on the west coast of central Africa. Under French influence from 1853, it was integrated into French Equatorial Africa in 1910. It became an autonomous member of the French Community in 1958, and acquired complete independence on 17 August 1960. In 1967, its first president, Léon Mba, was deposed in a coup by Omar Bongo (b. 1935), who has continued to rule the country in an authoritarian manner, despite introducing façades of democracy. Thus, a new Constitution was proclaimed in 1991, and other political parties were allowed, but only with the help of large-scale electoral fraud did he win the general elections of 1993. Bongo's position was made tenable through the tacit acquiescence of Western leaders, particularly in France, who did not want to see their investments or exports (e.g. of arms) in danger. One of Africa's richest countries in mineral resources, most of the wealth coming in from its oil exports has gone either to foreign-owned companies or to its corrupt leadership and bureaucratic machine. The economy has suffered from its over-reliance on oil exports, high foreign debt, and its dependence on foreign (and especially French) aid.

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Gabon

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | © A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Gabon An equatorial country on Africa's Atlantic coast, bounded inland by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and Congo.



Physical

Along the coast of Gabon are many lagoons, mangrove swamps, and large deposits of oil and natural gas. A broad plain covered by thick rainforest rises gradually to a plateau which surrounds a central river valley, and near the head this vegetation gives way to savannah.

Economy

Gabon is the wealthiest mainland African country, with one of the continent's fastest economic growth rates, based on substantial, albeit now falling, revenues from offshore oilfields. Gabon was a member of OPEC from 1975 until 1996. Mineral deposits also include gold and diamonds, manganese, and uranium.

History

In 1839 the French made it a naval base to suppress slave trade. Thus a French colony developed, exploiting the rare woods, gold, diamonds, other minerals, and oil. The country became autonomous within the French Community in 1958 and fully independent in 1960. Almost entirely on the basis of its natural resources it has had one of the fastest economic growth rates in Africa. After early years of political instability, there has been considerable support for the presidency of Omar Bongo (first elected in 1967). In November 1990 his Gabonese Democratic Party won a general election, following a decision to restore multiparty politics. In 1993, Omar Bongo was re-elected in multiparty presidential elections.

Capital:

Libreville

Area:

267,667 sq km (103,347 sq miles)

Population:

1,208,000 (1998 est)

Currency:

1 CFA franc = 100 centimes

Religions:

Roman Catholic 65.2%; Protestant 18.8%; African indigenous Christian 12.1%; traditional religions 2.9%; Muslim 0.8%

Ethnic Groups:

Fang 30.0%; Eshura 20.0%; Mbete 15.0%; Kota 13.0%; Omyene 15.0%

Languages:

French (official); Fang; Eshura; local languages

International Organizations:

UN; OAU; Non-Aligned Movement; Franc Zone


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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Gabon's Omar Bongo sworn in as country's leader for fifth time. (President Omar Bongo) (Brief Article)
Magazine article from: Jet; 2/14/1994
Free Article Omar Bongo, longtime leader of Gabon, to be buried
News Wire article from: AP Online; 6/18/2009
Free Article Omar Bongo, longtime leader of Gabon, buried
News Wire article from: AP Online; 6/18/2009

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Omar Bongo, 73, led Gabon for 41 years Obituary
Newspaper article from: International Herald Tribune; 6/10/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...Tribune 06-10-2009 Omar Bongo, 73, led Gabon for 41...Senegal: -- President Omar Bongo, Africa's longest...after the news of Mr. Bongo's death was announced...Madrid. ** CAPTION: Omar Bongo grew wealthy in an...
Omar Bongo's dream for Gabon's capital; Gabon's capital: A legacy of 'ill-acquired goods'
Newspaper article from: International Herald Tribune; 9/15/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...International Herald Tribune 09-15-2009 Omar Bongo's dream for Gabon's capital...The futuristic government palaces on Omar Bongo Triumphal Boulevard, with their...Nice, and the slums close behind. Omar Bongo, who died in June, envisioned...
Backgrounder: Gabonese President Omar Bongo
News Wire article from: Xinhua News Agency; 6/7/2009; 700+ words ; Backgrounder: Gabonese President Omar Bongo NAIROBI, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Gabonese President Omar Bongo has been at the helm of the country...Bongo converted to Islam, taking the name Omar Bongo. In the early 1990s, Bongo ended...
Omar Bongo, 73, president of Gabon for four decades
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 6/9/2009; ; 700+ words ; LIBREVILLE, Gabon - Omar Bongo, the world's longest-serving president...73. The government responded to Mr. Bongo's death at a hospital in Spain by...presidential elections within 90 days of Mr. Bongo's death. But there has been speculation...
Omar Bongo and his worldly possessions
Magazine article from: New African; 7/1/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...Africa is like a car without petrol" - Omar Bongo, president of Gabon, who died on...country's long-reigning president, Omar Bongo, died on 8 June after 42 years...Yamous- soukro. And then, there was Omar Bongo. He didn't have any Pope...
Gabon's 37-year ruler Omar Bongo expected to win as voters go to polls
News Wire article from: AP Worldstream; 11/27/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...scheduled in Gabon, where 37-year ruler Omar Bongo, facing a splintered opposition...year term. "I'm confident," Bongo told reporters as he voted at a primary...Everything's going fine." Bongo's reign among living heads of government...
Gabon's 38-year ruler Omar Bongo expected to win another term in office
News Wire article from: AP Worldstream; 11/27/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...counting votes after dark as scheduled. Omar Bongo, who has ruled for almost 38 years...year term. "I'm confident," Bongo told reporters as he voted at a primary...Among living heads of government, Bongo's reign is second only to Cuba...
Gabons 37-year ruler Omar Bongo expected to win as voters go to polls
News Wire article from: AP Worldstream; 11/27/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...Libreville, where 37-year ruler Omar Bongo voted. Facing a splintered opposition...to win another seven-year term. Bongo's reign among living heads of government...Gnassingbe Eyadema served longer than Bongo _ a 38-year run that ended in February...
Bongo to extend rule to 45 years: President Omar Bongo, already Africa's longest serving head of state, has won another seven years in office following the latest elections. While Bongo's rule has brought stability and prosperity, the question is what will happen when he finally goes and the oil runs out. Neil Ford reports.(politics)
Magazine article from: African Business; 2/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...example, there was little doubt that President Omar Bongo would retain his position. President Bongo secured 79.21% of the vote, far ahead of...Mamboundou, who won 13.57% of the vote. Bongo and his own Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG...
Omar Bongo.(Omar Bongo, president of Gabon)(Obituary)
Magazine article from: The Economist (US); 6/20/2009; 700+ words ; Omar Bongo Ondimba, president of Gabon, died on June 8th, aged 73 ON THE Atlantic...ocean. That sand, in which few tourists leave their footprints, was Omar Bongo's. Elephants and buffalo stroll down to the water, and leatherback...

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