EQUATORIAL GUINEA National Flag and Emblem Locator Map TEXT HIGHLIGHTS: Diaries updates, key events, brief analysis and relating news articles in timeline Overview It is one of the tiniest countries in Africa with mainland and five Islands. At around 1472, Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó arrived at the spot that has become Malabo area and surrounding coast mainly visited by Portuguese traders. Portugal assigned the rights to offer Spain a foothold to conduct slave trade. The Island of Bioko was then ceded to the Spanish in 1777 by its original Portuguese colonizers. Spain then went on to settle the mainland province of Rio Muni in 1844. In 1904 the 2 territories were united as the Western African Territories and later renamed Spanish Guinea. In the 1940s, Spain started to establish their presence in the colony. Interests for the Spanish are mainly the fertile land with the country’s Cocoa and Coffee plantations. Spanish Guinea achieved independence from Spain in March 1968 and became the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Following multi-party elections, President Francisco Macías Nguema swiftly established absolute power. A third of the population fled the ensuing repression and the economy collapsed. Teodoro Obiang Nguema M'basogo, nephew of the President and commander of the National Guard, seized power in a coup in August 1979. Macias was arrested, tried and executed. Obiang has since remained in complete control despite several reported coup attempts and the formal acceptance of the principle of multi-party democracy in 1991. In March 2004, 14 people were arrested in Malabo and 67 in Harare, Zimbabwe for their alleged involvement in an attempted coup to overthrow the Government of Equatorial Guinea. All were tried and convicted in the country in which they were arrested. 62 of the men arrested in Zimbabwe and 6 Armenians in Malabo have since been released. In February 2008, the British national Simon Mann, an alleged coup plotter, was extradited from Zimbabwe to Malabo. However, in November 2009 he was released after receiving a presidential pardon. In 1968 there was a constitution in place to formalize Republic status. Equatorial-Guinea attained independence on October 12, 1968. Headship since independence: Head of State In 1972, first president Francisco Macías Nguema changed constitution to allow him rule for life. In 1979 Francisco Macías Nguema was toppled in a military coup led by his nephew, the head of presidential guard (Aid-de-camp) Lt. Colonel Theodoro Obiang’ Nguema. The country has gone through major growth, especially after discovery of oil- now sub- Saharan third largest oil exporter. A Republic in West Africa. The now prominent Fang & Bubi tribes reached the mainland region in the seventeenth century through the so called, Bantu migrations, consisting of Rio-Muni on the main land & the island of Macias Nguema in the gulf of Guinea with four smaller islands ceded by Portugal to Spain in 1778, it's former name until 1964, was "Spanish Guinea". A tiny country, is one of the smallest countries in the African continent. A national constitution was drafted and ratified by 63% majority of Guineans-Guineans by referendum on the 11th of August, 1968. It achieved official independence, in October, 1968 as a united country after 190 years of Spanish rule. During independence, on the 12th of October, 1968, a former civil servant under the Spanish rule, has having occupied several positions under Spanish colonial rule that increased in importance and influence through time, called, Francisco Macias Nguema Biogo Masie inaugurated as the country's first post-colony president through pre-organized election by the Spanish colonists. In 1973, he named himself "president for life". In October 1979, president Francisco Macias Nguema Biogo was overthrown and was arrested when fled to the wooded areas to save his life, but was eventually caught, tried and executed after few weeks on the 29th of September, 1979. The coup was led by his nearest cousin, in the name of Lt. Colonel Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbassogo, then commander (Aide-de- camp) of the presidential-bodyguard, who heads Equatorial Guinea since August, 1979. The country’s two presidents (one current the other former) changed their names at some point. President Theodoro Oiang Nguema Mbassogo has won more than 95% of the vote in the country's most recent elections of 1991, 1992, 2002, 2008. Notwithstanding that Mr. Theodoro Obiang Nguema won his recent national elections with 97% of the vote amid allegations of poll-rigging, that did not take long for his claim to be contradicted by a news black-out by the government controlled national broadcasting agency on protests in North African states of Tunisia & Egypt. Since early January, 2010. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large off-shore Oil reserves, and in the last decade has become sub-Saharan Africa's third largest Oil exporter. Major Conflicts Bloody Coup d'etat When: August 3, 1979 Who: Francisco Macías Nguema Biogo Why: Takeover of power Outcome: Coup was successful Politics The government continues to battle opposition parties, most of which are operating from exile. Presidential elections held on November 29, 2009, president Obiang’ Nguema Mbasogo garners 97 per cent of the total votes cast. Economy Majority in the population are sustained by agriculture supplemented by hunting and fishing Bartering is the major aspect of the market Country has no railway network Exile and imprisonment of working population have drained the country’s workforce Government has been able to sustain itself due to rivalries of the countries benefiting from Equatorial Guinea resources. Discovery of oil reserves has boosted country’s growth in the recent years Social A destination country for women and children traffickers for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Non-violent street crime on the rise. Widening income gap between the haves and the have nots. Endnote: French authorities have seized the Paris mansion of the son of Equatorial Guinea's leader as part of a money-laundering probe, officials confirm. Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue is currently being sought on corruption charges. His Paris villa is thought to be worth between 100m (£79m: $124m) and 150m Euros, the AFP news agency reports. Mr. Obiang, the 43-year-old son of President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo, denies any wrongdoing. Authorities seized the six-storey property on July 19, a court official told the BBC. The luxury mansion is located on Avenue Foch in one the most prestigious neighborhoods of the French capital. A week earlier, Judge Roger Le Loire had issued an international search warrant after Mr Obiang refused to be interviewed by magistrates on charges of corruption. The allegations were brought forward by anti-corruption group Transparency International. The organization suspects Mr Obiang, as well his father and several other African leaders, of using state assets to acquire property in France. Mr Obiang's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, told the AFP news agency in mid-July that he had not been informed that any mandate for his client's arrest had been issued. He added that any such warrant would be a "non-event" due to Mr Obiang's status. "Mr Obiang has judicial immunity as he is the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea and therefore could not attend the summons," Mr Marsigny said. Correspondents say Mr Obiang, who serves as agriculture minister, is known for his lavish lifestyle. He recently hit the headlines when he honored his promise to pay his national football team $1m (£641,000) for winning the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations which Equatorial Guinea co-hosted earlier this year. In October 2011, the US government said it would seek to recover assets worth more $70m from Mr Obiang. A month earlier, French police seized some fifteen luxury cars belonging to Mr Obiang, including a Maserati, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce. Equatorial Guinea is one of Africa's largest oil exporters, but most of its 720,000-strong population lives in poverty. President Obiang seized power from his uncle in 1979 and was re-elected last year with 95% of the vote. Accession to power of president Lt. Colonel Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbassogo - 4th August, 1979 by coup. Tentative election calendar- Presidential/Parliamentary, December. Equatorial Guinea – Timeline Diaries updates, and related key notes: 1471 - Portuguese navigator Fernao do Po sights the island of Fernando Poo, which is now called Bioko. 1777 - Portuguese cedes islands of Annobon and Fernando Poo as well as rights on the mainland coast to Spain, giving it access to a source of slaves. 1844 - Spanish settle in what became the province of Rio Muni - mainland Equatorial Guinea. 1904 - Fernando Poo and Rio Muni become the Western African Territories, which later renamed Spanish Guinea. 1968 - Spanish Guinea granted independence and becomes the Republic of Equatorial Guinea with Francisco Macias Nguema as founder president. 1972 – Francisco Macias Nguema Biogo becomes president for life. 1979 – President Fransisco Macias Nguema Biogo ousted in military coup led by his nephew Aid de camp, Lt. Colonel Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Francisco Macias Nguema killed in a speedy court trial adjourned. 1993 - First multi-party elections are generally condemned as fraudulent and are boycotted by the opposition. February 1996 - President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo wins 99% of votes in election amid reports of widespread irregularities. March 1996 - Mobil oil corporation announces it has discovered sizeable new oil and gas reserves. January 1998 - Amnesty International reports the arrest of scores of people - mostly from the Bubi minority - in the wake of attacks on military posts on Bioko island. June 1998 - Military tribunal sentences 15 people to death for separatist attacks on Bioko island. March 1999- Ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea wins majority of seats in parliamentary elections condemned as fraudulent.