Introduction

 
Background:  Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence 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. Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade, threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies.

 

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: 245,857 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: 3.63% ; permanent crops: 2.58% ; other: 93.79% (2001)

 

Irrigated land:   950 sq km (1998 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; 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, 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

 

Population:  9,467,866 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure:  0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,123,207/female 2,079,475); 15-64 years: 52.4% (male 2,478,820/female 2,486,300); 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 131,130/female 168,934) (2005 est.)

 

Median age:  total: 17.67 years; male: 17.42 years; female: 17.93 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate:  2.37% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 42.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate:    15.38 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate:   -2.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population; note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees (2005 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 (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 90.37 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 95.82 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 84.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.86 years; male: 48.61 years; female: 51.15 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate:    5.83 children born/woman (2005 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 are high risks in some locations; water contact disease: schistosomiasis; respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis; aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2004)

 

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), each ethnic group 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.)

 

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

 

Government type:    republic

 

Capital:    Conakry

 

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; 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 Cellou Dalein DIALLO (since 4 December 2004); 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 21 December 2003 (next to be held December 2008); the prime minister is appointed by the president; election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 95.3%, Mamadou Boye BARRY (UPR) 4.6%

 

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 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); 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

 

Judicial branch:   Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation and caused riots in local markets. Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid. The IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth rose slightly in 2004, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets.

 

GDP:  purchasing power parity - $19.5 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate:        1% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita:      purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector:  agriculture: 25%; industry: 38.2%; services: 36.8% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force:   3 million (1999)

 

Labor force - by occupation:  agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2000 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: NA (2002 est.)

 

Population below poverty line:  40% (2003 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 2.6%;highest 10%: 32% (1994)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40.3 (1994)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices):     18% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed):     21% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $382.7 million; expenditures: $711.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products:          rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

 

Industries:      bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

 

Industrial production growth rate:   3.2% (1994)

 

Electricity - production:  855 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 795.2 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports:  0 kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 8,600 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports:  NA

 

Oil - imports:  NA

 

Current account balance:  $-308.3 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports:  $709.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities:  bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products

 

Exports - partners:  South Korea 15.6%, Russia 13.1%, Spain 12.3%, Ireland 9.1%, US 7.5%, Germany 6.2%, France 5.9%, Ukraine 5.6%, Belgium 5.2% (2004)

 

Imports:   $641.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities:  petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

 

Imports - partners:    France 14.6%, China 9.6%, Netherlands 6.8%, Belgium 6%, US 5.9%, Italy 5%, South Africa 4.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3%, India 4% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:     $201.7 million (2004 est.)

 

Debt - external:  $3.25 billion (2001 est.)

 

Economic aid - recipient:  $359.2 million (1998)

 

Currency (code): Guinean franc (GNF)

 

Exchange rates:  Guinean francs per US dollar - 2,550 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003), 1,975.8 (2002), 1,950.6 (2001), 1,746.9 (2000)

 

Fiscal year:    calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use:  26,200 (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular:  111,500 (2003)

 

Telephone system:    general assessment: 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: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001)

 

Television broadcast stations: 6 low-power stations (2001)

 

Internet country code:   .gn

 

Internet hosts:  380 (2004)

 

Internet users:   40,000 (2003)

 

Transportation

 

Railways:  total: 837 km; standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge; narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

 

Highways:   total: 30,500 km; paved: 5,033 km; unpaved: 25,467 km (1999 est.)