from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the
military seized the government after the death of the first
president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections
until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was
elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in
1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls have been marred by
irregularities. Guinea has maintained its internal stability despite
spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia. As
those countries have rebuilt, Guinea's own vulnerability to
political and economic crisis has increased. Declining economic
conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad
governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006; a third nationwide
strike in early 2007 sparked violent protests in many Guinean cities
and prompted two weeks of martial law. To appease the unions and end
the unrest, CONTE named a new prime minister in March 2007.
Geography
Guinea
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: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 3,399 km
border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km,
Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Coastline:
320 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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, salt
Land use:
arable land: 4.47%
permanent crops: 2.64%
other: 92.89% (2005)
Irrigated land:
950 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
226 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.51 cu km/yr (8%/2%/90%)
per capita: 161 cu m/yr (2000)
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; poor mining practices have led to
environmental damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in
the Guinean highlands
People
Guinea
Population:
9,806,509 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 2,126,575/female 2,080,048)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,628,675/female 2,633,876)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 148,159/female 189,176) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.4 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 18.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.492% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
37.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 67.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 71.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 63.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.58 years
male: 55.12 years
female: 58.08 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.25 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups:
Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%
Religions:
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages:
French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 29.5%
male: 42.6%
female: 18.1% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 10 years
female: 7 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
1.6% of GDP (2005)
Government
Guinea
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
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Conakry
geographic coordinates: 9 33 N, 13 42 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; 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
Independence:
2 October 1958 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 October (1958)
Constitution:
23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
Legal system:
based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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 Ahmed Tidiane SOUARE (since 23
May 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes
cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003
(next to be held in December 2010); the prime minister is appointed
by the president
election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote
- Lansana CONTE 95.3%, Mamadou Bhoye BARRY 4.6%
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by a mixed system of
direct popular vote and proportional party lists)
elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%,
other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9
note: legislative elections were due in 2007 but have been postponed
Judicial branch:
Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of
Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; Party for
Unity and Progress or PUP (the governing party) [Lansana CONTE];
People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Charles Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for
the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union of Democratic Forces
of Guinea or UFDG [Cellou Dalein DIALLO]; Union of Republican Forces
or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG
[Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for Progress and Renewal
or UPR [Ousmane BAH]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union of Guinean
Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes National Confederation of
Guinean Workers or CNTG [Rabiatou Sarah DIALLO] and Labor Union of
Guinean Workers or USTG [Dr. Ibrahima FOFANA]); National Council of
Civil Society Organizations of Guinea or CNOSCG [Ben Sekou SYLLA];
Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or SLECG [Dr. Louis
M'Bemba SOUMAH]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mory Karamoko KABA
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Elizabeth
RASPOLIC
embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle
mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif
de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry
telephone: [224] 65-10-40-00
FAX: [224] 65-10-42-97
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy
Guinea
Economy - overview:
Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural
resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country has
almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the
second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounts for over
70% of exports. Long-run improvements in government fiscal
arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the
country is to move out of poverty. Investor confidence has been
sapped by rampant corruption, a lack of electricity and other
infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and the political
uncertainty due to the failing health of President Lansana CONTE.
Guinea is trying to reengage with the IMF and World Bank, which cut
off most assistance in 2003, and is working closely with technical
advisors from the U.S. Treasury Department, the World Bank and IMF,
seeking to return to a fully funded program. Growth rose slightly in
2006-07, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity
prices on world markets, but the standard of living fell. The Guinea
franc depreciated sharply as the prices for basic necessities like
food and fuel rose beyond the reach of most Guineans.
Dissatisfaction with economic conditions prompted nationwide strikes
in February and June 2006.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$10.96 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.714 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.8%
industry: 38.6%
services: 37.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
3.7 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 76%
industry and services: 24% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
47% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 41% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.1 (2006)
Investment (gross fixed):
11.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $347.1 million
expenditures: $742.7 million (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
23.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
22.25% (31 December 2005)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$309.8 million (31 December 2005)
Stock of quasi money:
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$422.1 million (31 December 2005)
Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas,
sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber
Industries:
bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron; alumina refining; light
manufacturing, and agricultural processing
Industrial production growth rate:
7.6% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
800 million kWh
note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2006
est.)
Electricity - consumption:
744 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 45.5%
hydro: 54.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
8,559 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
8,811 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$424 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.128 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products
Exports - partners:
Russia 10.8%, Ukraine 9.6%, Spain 8.8%, US 7.5%, Germany 7.4%, South
Korea 7.2%, France 7%, Ireland 5.5%, China 5% (2007)
Imports:
$1.202 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment,
textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
China 10%, France 7%, Netherlands 6.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$182.1 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$119 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.351 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Guinean franc (GNF)
Currency code:
GNF
Exchange rates:
Guinean francs (GNF) per US dollar - 4,122.8 (2007), 5,350 (2006),
3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003)
Communications
Guinea
Telephones - main lines in use:
26,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
189,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines, small
radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay
system
domestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remains
inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for
nationwide links; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is
about 2 per 100 persons
international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006)
Radios:
357,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
6 (2001)
Televisions:
85,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gn
Internet hosts:
16 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2001)
Internet users:
50,000 (2006)
Transportation
Guinea
Airports:
16 (2007)
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 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Railways:
total: 837 km
standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 44,348 km
paved: 4,342 km
unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)
Waterways:
1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)
Ports and terminals:
Conakry, Kamsar
Military
Guinea
Military branches:
Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Guineenne, includes Marines), Air
Force, Presidential Guard (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript
service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,230,049
females age 16-49: 2,193,236 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,268,193
females age 16-49: 1,259,913 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 106,967
female: 104,631 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.7% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Guinea
Disputes - international:
conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in
neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in
domestic instability; Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of
the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the
Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued
occupation of these lands, including the hamlet of Yenga, occupied
since 1998
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 21,856 (Liberia); 5,259 (Sierra
Leone); 3,900 (Cote d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 19,000 (cross-border incursions from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia,
Sierra Leone) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Guinea is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are
children, and internal trafficking is more prevalent than
transnational trafficking; within the country, girls are trafficked
primarily for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, while boys
are trafficked for forced agricultural labor, and as forced beggars,
street vendors, shoe shiners, and laborers in gold and diamond
mines; some Guinean men are also trafficked for agricultural labor
within Guinea; transnationally, girls are trafficked into Guinea for
domestic servitude and likely also for sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
eliminate trafficking over 2006; Guinea demonstrated minimal law
enforcement efforts for a second year in a row, while protection
efforts diminished over efforts in 2006; the government did not
report any trafficking convictions in 2007; due to a lack of
resources, the government does not provide shelter services for
trafficking victims; the government took no measures to reduce the
demand for commercial sexual exploitation (2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Guinea-Bissau
Introduction
Guinea-Bissau
Background:
Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has
experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a
military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo
'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market
economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by
the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political
rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s
failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the
country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting
civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In
February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to
opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in
transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in
office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and
businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In
2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to
pursue economic development and national reconciliation.
Geography
Guinea-Bissau
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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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, clay, granite, limestone,
unexploited deposits of petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 8.31%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 84.77% (2005)
Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
31 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%)
per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying
inland
People
Guinea-Bissau
Population:
1,503,182 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 307,353/female 308,726)
15-64 years: 55.9% (male 404,747/female 436,245)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 18,819/female 27,292) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.2 years
male: 18.6 years
female: 19.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.035% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
36.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 101.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 111.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 91.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.52 years
male: 45.71 years
female: 49.39 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
10% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
17,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,200 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups:
African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga
13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Religions:
Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.4%
male: 58.1%
female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 5 years
male: 7 years
female: 4 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (1999)
Government
Guinea-Bissau
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
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Bissau
geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau,
Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have
been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Independence:
24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from 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 in 1996
Legal system:
based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: