Miss Universe 1999 was the 48th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago, on 26 May 1999.
Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana was crowned by Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago at the conclusion of the event.
This edition marks the most recent time that a first-time entry of a country at Miss Universe has won and the third time in pageant's history, after Colombia in 1958 and Finland in 1952. This edition also saw a back-to-back victory by black women. Eighty-four contestants competed in this year.
Background Selection of participants Contestants from eighty-four countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Five of these delegates were appointed to their titles after either being a runner-up of their national pageant, in an audition process or in an internal selection.
Replacements The winner of Miss Great Britain Universe 1999, Nicki Lane, decided to give up the crown to her first runner-up Cherie Pisiani, after Lane confessed that she had a child at 14 years old. The winner of Binibining Pilipinas 1999, Janelle Delfin Bautista, had to resign due to citizenship issues, as she was an American citizen. The Binibining Pilipinas World 1999, Miriam Quiambao, assumed the Binibining Pilipinas Universe title.
Results Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 1999 – Mpule Kwelagobe 1st Runner-Up – Miriam Quiambao 2nd Runner-Up – Diana Nogueira Top 5 – Sonia Raciti – Carolina Indriago Top 10 – Akuba Cudjoe – Gul Panag – Nicole Haughton – Silvia Salgado – Brenda Liz Lopez
Contestants Eighty-four contestants competed for the title. Country/TerritoryContestantAgeHometown AngolaEgidia Torres22Luanda ArgentinaElena Fournier22Santa Fe ArubaIrina Croes18Oranjestad AustraliaMichelle Shead20Sydney AustriaKatja Giebner21Vienna BahamasGlennis Knowles25Nassau BarbadosOlivia Harding25Bridgetown BelgiumTanja Dexters21Mol BelizeViola Jeffery21Belmopan BoliviaSusana Barrientos20Santa Cruz BonaireJulina Felida21Kralendijk BotswanaMpule Kwelagobe19Gaborone BrazilRenata Fan22Santo Ângelo British Virgin IslandsMovel Lewis20Road Town CanadaShannon McArthur26Windsor Cayman IslandsGemma McLaughlin19George Town ChileAndrea Muñoz23Santiago ColombiaMarianella Maal20Barranquilla Cook IslandsTina Vogel24Avarua Costa RicaArianna Bolaños22Guanacaste CroatiaMarijana Kuzina21Šibenik CuraçaoJouraine Ricardo22Willemstad CyprusValentina Dionysiou19Nicosia Czech RepublicPetra Faltynova20Prague Dominican RepublicLuz García21Moca EcuadorCarolina Alfonso21Quito EgyptAngie Abdalla18Alexandria El SalvadorCynthia Cevallos21San Salvador EstoniaTriin Rannat20Tallinn FinlandVanessa Forsman22Porvoo FranceMareva Galanter22Papeete GermanyDiana Drubig19Leipzig GhanaAkuba Cudjoe19Accra Great BritainCherie Pisani21Clacton GreeceSofia Raptis19Athens GuatemalaMonica Penedo19Sacatepéquez GuyanaMorvinia Sobers20Georgetown HondurasSofia Guerrero21Atlántida Hong KongAnne Heung24Hong Kong HungaryAnett Garami19Soltvadkert IndiaGul Panag20Chandigarh IrelandVivienne Doyle22Galway IsraelRana Raslan21Haifa ItalyGloria Bellicchi20Parma JamaicaNicole Haughton24Kingston JapanSatomi Ogawa21Misato LebanonClémence Achkar19Beirut MalaysiaJeanette Ooi23Kuching MaltaDorianne Muscat21Qormi MauritiusMicaella L'Hortalle23Port Louis MexicoSilvia Salgado20Monterrey NamibiaVaanda Katjiuongua23Windhoek New ZealandKristy Wilson20North OtagoLiliana Pilarte23Managua NigeriaAngela Ukpoma 25Imo Northern Mariana IslandsCherilyn Cabrera24Saipan PanamaYamani Saied20Panama City ParaguayCarmen Morinigo22San Pedro PeruFabiola Lazo18Lima PhilippinesMiriam Quiambao23Quezon City PolandKatarzyna Pakuła 20Lublin PortugalMarisa Ferreira20Santarém Puerto RicoBrenda Liz Lopez23Lares RussiaAlexandra Petrova†19Cheboksary SingaporeCheryl Marie Cordeiro23Singapore SlovakiaAneta Kuklova19Lučenec South AfricaSonia Raciti21Johannesburg South KoreaChoi Ji-hyun20Seoul SpainDiana Noguiera24Pontevedra SurinameSerafija Niekoop21Paramaribo SwedenEmma-Helena Nilsson24Östersund SwitzerlandSonia Grandjean19Dietikon TaiwanWan-Fei Wang21Taipei ThailandApisamai Srirangsan24Nakhon Pathom Trinidad and TobagoNicole Dyer25Diego Martin TurkeyOznur Dursun24Istanbul Turks and Caicos IslandsShantell Stubbs21Cockburn Town UkraineZhanna Pikhulya18Kyiv United StatesKimberly Pressler21Las Vegas United States Virgin IslandsSherece Smith25Charlotte Amalie UruguayVeronica Gonzales19Montevideo VenezuelaCarolina Indriago18Valencia YugoslaviaAna Karić19Belgrade ZambiaEsanju Kalopa† 18Muchinga
Withdrawals
During the contest: - Miss Guam 1999, Tisha Elaine Heflin had to withdraw a few days before the preliminary competition, after being discovered that she was pregnant.
References
External links Miss Universe official website