| Guinea-Bissau |
| The early history
of Guinea-Bissau is obscure, but some of the major ethnic groups of the
country, such as the Balante and Pepel, were apparently established there
by the 12th century. The area was visited in 1446 by Nuno Tristão,
a Portuguese slave trader, and became an important slave center. A Portuguese
post was established at Bissau in 1687, but the Portuguese claim was disputed
by the French and the British, and in 1792 the latter briefly had a settlement
at Bolama. In 1879 the region was constituted a Portuguese colony, and border
disputes with the French were settled by treaty in 1886. Not until 1915,
however, were the Portuguese able to exercise effective control over the
country. The status of Guinea-Bissau was changed from colony to overseas province in 1952; soon afterward an African nationalist movement arose, led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). After sporadic violence, the party launched a war of independence in the early 1960s. By September 1973 the rebels proclaimed an independent republic and sought international recognition. On September 10, 1974, Portugal formally granted Guinea-Bissau independence. The new government, under the presidency of PAIGC leader Luis de Almeida Cabral, established a monopoly over foreign trade and moved toward a socialist state by authorizing nationalization of all landholdings. President Cabral was overthrown in a coup led by Prime Minister João Bernardo Vieira in November 1980. Elected to five-year terms in 1984 and 1989, President Vieira's and his military-dominated government survived a coup attempt in November 1985. Vieira was reelected again in 1994 |
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