manufacturing, and agricultural processing
Industrial production growth rate:
7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
Electricity - production:
850 million kWh
country comparison to the world: 149
note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2007
est.)
Electricity - consumption:
790.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
Oil - consumption:
9,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
Oil - imports:
8,674 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 71
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
Current account balance:
-$489 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
-$463 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.392 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
$1.203 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products
Exports - partners:
India 28.9%, Spain 10%, Russia 9.5%, Germany 6.7%, US 5.8%, Ireland
4.2%, France 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$1.389 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
$1.218 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment,
textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
China 9.6%, France 7.8%, Netherlands 7.6% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$93 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
$86 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.222 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
$3.351 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Guinean francs (GNF) per US dollar - 5,500 (2008 est.), 4,122.8
(2007), 5,350 (2006), 3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004)
Communications ::Guinea
Telephones - main lines in use:
50,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 163
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.6 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 113
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; fixed-line density less than 1 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular subscribership is expanding and is roughly 25 per
100 persons
international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
6 (2001)
Internet country code:
.gn
Internet hosts:
14 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 218
Internet users:
90,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 157
Transportation ::Guinea
Airports:
17 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 141
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Railways:
total: 1,185 km
country comparison to the world: 86
standard gauge: 238 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 947 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 44,348 km
country comparison to the world: 82
paved: 4,342 km
unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)
Waterways:
1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 57
Ports and terminals:
Conakry, Kamsar
Military ::Guinea
Military branches:
National Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Armee de Mer or Marine Guineenne,
includes Marines), Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service;
18-month conscript service obligation (2009)
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: 1,396,278
females age 16-49: 1,435,387 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 110,281
female: 107,879 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.7% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 97
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)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Guinea-Bissau (Africa)
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. He was
assassinated in March 2009; new elections are to take place in June
2009.
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: 36,125 sq km
country comparison to the world: 137
land: 28,120 sq km
water: 8,005 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, Hazardous Wastes, 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:
1,533,964 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.8% (male 312,253/female 313,609)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 414,924/female 445,639)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 19,191/female 28,348) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.3 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 19.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.019% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Birth rate:
35.97 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Death rate:
15.79 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Urbanization:
urban population: 30% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 99.82 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 10
male: 109.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 89.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.9 years
country comparison to the world: 210
male: 46.07 years
female: 49.79 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.65 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.8% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
16,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
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
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
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)
country comparison to the world: 60
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:
chief of state: President Malam Bacai SANHA (since 8 September 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior (since 25
December 2008)
cabinet: NA
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(no term limits); election last held 28 June 2009 with a runoff
between the two leading candidates held on 26 July 2009 (next to be
held by 2014); prime minister appointed by the president after
consultation with party leaders in the legislature
election results: Malam Bacai SANHA elected president; percent of
vote, second ballot - Malam Bacai SANHA 63.5%, Kumba YALA 36.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular
(100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 16 November 2008 (next to be held 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 49.8%, PRS 25.3%,
PRID 7.5%, PND 2.4%, AD 1.4%, other parties 13.6%; seats by party -
PAIGC 67, PRS 28, PRID 3, PND 1, AD 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine
justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final
court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one
in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court
decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at more than
$1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained
lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less than $1,000 and
misdemeanor criminal cases)
Political parties and leaders:
African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde
or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS
[Kumba YALA]; Democratic Alliance or AD [Victor MANDINGA];
Democratic Social Front or FDS [Rafael BARBOSA]; Electoral Union or
UE [Joaquim BALDE]; Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or
FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG;
Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE];
Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; New Democracy
Party or PND; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor
MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or
PP; Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID
[Aristides GOMES]; Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of
Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP
(coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular
Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Frnacisco
FADUL]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),
WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official
representation in Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of
violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and
military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to
Guinea-Bissau
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
Economy ::Guinea-Bissau
Economy - overview:
One of the five 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 fifth 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. However, intermittent fighting between
Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed
much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to
the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that
year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war, trade
reform and price liberalization were 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 had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high
costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral
resources is not a near-term prospect. Offshore oil prospecting is
underway in several sectors but has not yet led to commercially
viable crude deposits. The inequality of income distribution is one
of the most extreme in the world. The government and international
donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development
from a lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF,
and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary
support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over
80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision,
however, resulted in continued low growth in 2002-06. Higher raw
material prices boosted growth in 2007 and 2008.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$896.5 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
$867.9 million (2007 est.)
$845.1 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$461 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
2.7% (2007 est.)
0.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$600 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 224
$600 (2007 est.)
$600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 62%
industry: 12%
services: 26% (1999 est.)
Labor force:
632,700 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 147
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 82%
industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 28% (2002)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Central bank discount rate:
4.75% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 120
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$142.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$12.04 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$46.44 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm
kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Industries:
agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Electricity - production:
65 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Electricity - consumption:
60.45 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Oil - consumption:
3,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Oil - imports:
2,545 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 130
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Current account balance:
-$6 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Exports:
$133 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 186
Exports - commodities:
cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
Exports - partners:
India 56.8%, Nigeria 35.6%, Pakistan 1.2% (2008)
Imports:
$200 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 200
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Portugal 24.5%, Senegal 17.2%, Pakistan 4.8%, France 4.6% (2008)
Debt - external:
$941.5 million (2000 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81
(2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29
(2004)
note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has
been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro;
West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in
countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa,
even though the two currencies trade at par
Communications ::Guinea-Bissau
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,600 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 214
Telephones - mobile cellular:
500,200 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 155
Telephone system:
general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity
less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approached
35 per 100 in 2008
international: country code - 245 (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2007)
Internet country code:
.gw
Internet hosts:
82 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 202
Internet users:
37,100 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 176
Transportation ::Guinea-Bissau
Airports:
9 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 160
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3