total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Guernsey:Military
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
@Guernsey:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
GUINEA
@Guinea:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 10 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 245,860 sq km
land: 245,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 3,399 km
border countries: Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Liberia
563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Coastline: 320 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to
November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with
northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain: generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium,
hydropower, fish
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 59%
other: 17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 930 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility
during dry season
Environment-current issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of
potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion;
overfishing, overpopulation in forest region
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
@Guinea:People
Population: 7,477,110 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,634,344; female 1,644,863)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,952,442; female 2,044,363)
65 years and over: 3% (male 83,616; female 117,482) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.83% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 41.28 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 17.76 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -15.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
note: in prior years Guinea received several hundred thousand refugees
from the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, some of whom are now
returning to their own countries
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 128.92 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.01 years
male: 43.58 years
female: 48.52 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.59 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups: Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller tribes 10%
Religions: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages: French (official), each tribe has its own language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.9%
male: 49.9%
female: 21.9% (1995 est.)
@Guinea:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea
local long form: Republique de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
former: French Guinea
Data code: GV
Government type: republic
National capital: Conakry
Administrative divisions: 33 prefectures (prefectures,
singular-prefecture) and 1 national capital* (capitale d'etat); Beyla,
Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka,
Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane,
Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola,
Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele,
Tougue, Yomou
note: the 33 prefectures may have been reorganized into four new
first-order administrative divisions called administrative regions
(regions administrative, singular-region administrative) named
Guinee-Forestiere, Guinee-Maritime, Haute-Guinee, and Moyenne-Guinee
Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)
Constitution: 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
Legal system: based on French civil law system, customary law, and
decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government
since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Sidya TOURE (since July 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected
president; election last held 19 December 1993 (next to be held NA
December 1998); the prime minister was appointed by President CONTE
election results: Lansana CONTE elected president; percent of
vote-Lansana CONTE (PUP) 51.7%, Alpha CONDE (RPG) 19.55%, Mamadou Boye
BA (UNR) 13.37%, Siradiou DIALLO (PRP) 11.86%; note-the country's
first-ever multi-party elections for president
Legislative branch: unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 June 1995 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PUP 71,
RPG 19, PRP 9, UNR 9, UPG 2, PDG 1, UNP 1, PDG-RDA 1, other 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: political parties were legalized on 1
April 1992; of the more than 40 with legal status, the following won
seats in the legislature in the 11 June 1995 elections
other: Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA
[El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; Democratic Party of Guinea or
PDG-AST [Marcel CROS]; National Union for the Prosperity of Guinea or
UNPG [Lt. Col. Facine TOURE]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP
[Siradiou DIALLO]
pro-government: Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Gen. Lansana
CONTE]
other: Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for
Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union
for a New Republic or UNR [Mamadou Boye BA']
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU,
MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Aly THIAM
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420
FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tibor P. NAGY, Jr. (5 July 1996)
embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry
mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23
FAX: [224] 41 15 22
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side),
yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia;
similar to the flag of Rwanda, which has a large black letter R
centered in the yellow band
@Guinea:Economy
Economy-overview: Although possessing major mineral, hydropower, and
agricultural resources, Guinea remains one of the poorest countries in
the world. The agricultural sector employs 80% of the work force.
Guinea possesses over 25% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the
second largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about
75% of exports in 1995. Long-run improvements in government fiscal
arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the
country is to move out of poverty. The government made encouraging
progress in budget management in 1997. Except in the mining industry,
foreign investment remains minimal.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$8.3 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 4.8% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,100 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 24%
industry: 31%
services: 45% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 3.5% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 2.4 million (1983)
by occupation: agriculture 80.0%, industry and commerce 11.0%,
services 5.4%, civil service 3.6%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $553 million
expenditures: $652 million, including capital expenditures of $317
million (1995 est.)
Industries: bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light
manufacturing and agricultural processing industries
Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1994)
Electricity-capacity: 176,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 500 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 76 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava
(tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber
Exports:
total value: $748 million (1995 est.)
commodities: bauxite, alumina, diamonds, gold, coffee, fish,
agricultural products
partners: US 21%, Belgium-Luxembourg 21%, Ireland 15%, Spain 15%
(1995)
Imports:
total value: $809 million (1995 est.)
commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport
equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
partners: France 35%, Cote d'Ivoire 31%, US 14%, Belgium-Luxembourg
10%, Hong Kong 10% (1995)
Debt-external: $3 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Guinean francs (FG) per US$1-1,004.0 (January 1997),
1,004.0 (1997), 991.4 (1995), 976.6 (1994), 955.5 (1993), 902.0 (1992)
note: the official exchange rate of the Guinean franc was set and
quoted weekly against the US dollar until the end of October 1993;
since 1 November 1994, the exchange rate is determined in the
interbank market for foreign exchange
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 18,000 (1994 est.)
Telephone system: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small
radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay
system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 257,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 65,000 (1993 est.)
@Guinea:Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,086 km
standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-m gauge (includes 662 km in common carrier
service from Kankan to Conakry)
Highways:
total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km
unpaved: 25,467 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft
Ports and harbors: Boke, Conakry, Kamsar
Merchant marine:
total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,722 GRT/6,226 DWT
(1997 est.)
Airports: 15 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Guinea:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air
Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard, paramilitary National
Gendarmerie, National Police Force (Surete National)
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 1,706,395 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 861,036 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $50 million (1994)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.6% (1994)
@Guinea:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
GUINEA-BISSAU
@Guinea-Bissau:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea and Senegal
Geographic coordinates: 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly less than three times the size of
Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline: 350 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy
season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season
(December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain: mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country
300 m
Natural resources: fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited
deposits of petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 38%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 17 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility
during dry season; brush fires
Environment-current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing;
overfishing
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
@Guinea-Bissau:People
Population: 1,206,311 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 256,315; female 255,208)
15-64 years: 55% (male 313,270; female 347,431)
65 years and over: 3% (male 15,986; female 18,101) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.32% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 38.67 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 15.48 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 111.61 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.14 years
male: 47.47 years
female: 50.85 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.17 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Guinean (s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups: African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%,
Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53.9%
male: 67.1%
female: 40.7% (1997 est.)
@Guinea-Bissau:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
local short form: Guine-Bissau
former: Portuguese Guinea
Data code: PU
Government type: republic, multiparty since mid-1991
National capital: Bissau
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regioes, singular-regiao);
Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali
note: Bolama is reported to be renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Independence: 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by
Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Constitution: 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26
February 1993, 9 June 1993 and 1996
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Joao Bernardo VIEIRA (initially assumed
power 14 November 1980 in a coup d'etat)
head of government: Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 30 May 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on advice of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held July
1999); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation
with party leaders in the legislature
election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of
vote-Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52%, Koumba YALLA 48%
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly or
Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are popularly elected
to serve a maximum of four years)
elections: last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held by NA
1998; the president determines the date for each legislature election,
which must be held within four years of the last election)
election results: percent of vote by party-PAIGC 46.0%, RGB-MB 19.2%,
PRS 10.3%, UM 12.8%, FLING 2.5%, PCD 5.3%, PUSD 2.9%, FCG 0.2%, others
0.8%; seats by party - PAIGC 62, RGB 19, PRS 12, UM 6, FLING 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica,
consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the president and serve at
his pleasure, final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases;
Regional Courts, supposed to be one in each of nine regions, first
court of appeals for sectoral court decisions, hear all felony cases
and civil cases valued at over $1,000; Sectoral Courts, supposed to be
24 of them, judges are not necessarily trained lawyers, hear civil
cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases
Political parties and leaders: African Party for the Independence of
Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Manuel Saturnino da COSTA,
secretary general]; Front for the Liberation and Independence of
Guinea or FLING [Jose Katengul M. ENDES]; Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba
Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Domingos FERNANDES Gomes]; Guinean Civic
Forum or FCG [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; International League for
Ecological Protection or LIPE [Alhaje Bubacar DJALO, president];
National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Abubacer BALDE,
secretary general]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor
MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Koumba YALLA, leader];
Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president and Dr. Anne SAAD
secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor
Sau'de MARIA]
International organization participation: ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB,
ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mario LOPEZ DA ROSA
chancery: Suite 519, 1511K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 347-3950
FAX: [1] (202) 347-3954
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peggy BLACKFORD
embassy: 1 Rua Ulysses S. Grant, Bairro de Penha, Bissau
mailing address: C.P. 297, 1067 Codex, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
telephone: [245] 252273, 252274, 252275, 252276
FAX: [245] 252282
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green
with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black
five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular
pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Guinea-Bissau:Economy
Economy-overview: One of the 20 poorest countries in the world,
Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have
increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth
in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along
with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the
major crop and staple food. Trade reform and price liberalization are
the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment
program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and
the development of the private sector have begun to reinvigorate the
economy. Inflation dropped sharply in the first quarter of 1997.
Membership in the WAMU (West African Monetary Union), begun in May
1997, should help support 5% annual growth and contribute to fiscal
discipline. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum,
phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.15 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$975 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 18%
services: 37% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 65% (1996)
Labor force: 480,000
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: $NA
Industries: agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 11,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 45 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 40 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew
nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; fishing and forest potential not
fully exploited
Exports:
total value: $25.8 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: cashews 95%, fish, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
(1994)
partners: Spain 35%, India 30%, Thailand 10%, Italy 10% (1995)
Imports:
total value: $63 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, petroleum products,
machinery and equipment (1994)
partners: Thailand 27%, Portugal 23%, Japan 6%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%
(1995)
Debt-external: $953 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100
centimes; note - on 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted as its currency
the CFA franc following its membership into the BCEAO
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998),
583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1-26,373 (1996),
18,073 (1995), 12,892 (1994), 10,082 (1993)
note: as of 2 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau has adopted the CFA franc as the
national currency following its membership in BCEAO
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 13,120 (1997 est.)
Telephone system: small system; only 11 telephones per 1,000 persons
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and cellular communications
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 40,000 (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2
Televisions: NA
@Guinea-Bissau:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 4,400 km
paved: 453 km
unpaved: 3,947 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping
Ports and harbors: Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, and Farim
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 30 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 22 (1997 est.)
@Guinea-Bissau:Military
Military branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes
Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 276,417 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 157,674 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $9 million (1994)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 4.5% (1994)
@Guinea-Bissau:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
GUYANA
@Guyana:Geography
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Map references: South America
Area:
total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho