Today's GeoCRAZY Question: Heads of State!

[Bicoastal]

Who is the longest-serving head of state still in power today?

Bonus question: Only 25 years ago, the third longest-ruling head of state in history (and the only one whose term in office can be historically verified) passed away. Who was he, and how long did he rule?

HINT: Look outside of Europe for this one...

[MrScorpio]

1. Mubarak

Bonus: Sadat

[SPKrazy]

2. Castro?

don't know the other

[qwertyMike]

3. Queen Elizabeth II n/t ????

[TheCentepedeShoes]

4. Don't know number 1

Think number 2 may be Haile Salassie (oh, jeeze the spelling) of Ethiopia.

[Bicoastal]

5. Hmmm...nobody's gotten it yet.

I should add, at this point, that "heads of state" INCLUDES monarchs--and that Europe isn't the only part of the world that has 'em.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. If you include royalty, it's probably the King of Thailand (1946)

If not, it's probably Castro (1959).

As for the bonus question, let me ask for a clarification. By "25 years ago," do you literally mean "1982"?

[Bicoastal]

7. Good--now for the bonus.

Yes, King Rama IV of Thailand has been around since 1946. Only a few world leaders are still around fron pre-1970--Rama, Elizabeth II, Castro, Bongo of Gabon, and al-Gaddafi.

And yes, I literally meant that he died in 1982.

[UrbScotty]

8. Okay... Brezhnev?

On edit: You said he was outside of Europe...

[Bicoastal]

9. Wrong continent.

[UrbScotty]

10. Yeah, I just edited it.

Okay, I cheated by looking on Wikipedia. I'm not going to tell you who, however, because I don't want to ruin it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. That means that it's NOT

Hailie Selassie
Generalissimo Franco
Ne Win of Burma
William Tubman of Liberia
Papa Doc Duvalier of Haiti
Salazar of Portugal
Stroessner of Paraguay
Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya
Kim Il-sung of North Korea

Hirohito of Japan was around for 64 years, but he died in 1989.

Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982, but he wasn't around that long.

Poland's Wladislaw Gomulka also died in 1982, but he wasn't around that long either.

I'm working on it...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Ooh, ooh, I think I found it by perusing a list of 1982 deaths...

King Sobhuza II of Swaziland?

[Bicoastal]

14. We have a WINNER!

King Sobhuza II of Swaziland--inherited the throne a few months after his birth in 1899, and stayed until his death in 1982. A record 83 years in office.


There are only two other countries ruled by kings in Africa--Morocco and Lesotho. And of these, Swaziland's is the only absolute monarchy left on the continent.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. I declared myself Beneficent Tyrant God of Antarctica in 3121 BCE - does that count?