1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Coastline
320 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Oregon
Environment
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; deforestation
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
3,399 km total; Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Ivory Coast 610 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Land use
6% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures; 42% forest and woodland; 40% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish
Terrain
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
245,860 km2; land area: 245,860 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
22 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
Fulani, Malinke, Sousou, 15 smaller tribes
Infant mortality rate
147 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
2,400,000 (1983); 82.0% agriculture, 11.0% industry and commerce, 5.4% services; 88,112 civil servants (1987); 52% of population of working age (1985)
Language
French (official); each tribe has its own language
Life expectancy at birth
40 years male, 44 years female (1990)
Literacy
20% in French; 48% in local languages
Nationality
noun--Guinean(s); adjective--Guinean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
virtually 100% of wage earners loosely affiliated with the National Confederation of Guinean Workers
Population
7,269,240 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Religion
85% Muslim, 5% indigenous beliefs, 1.5% Christian
Total fertility rate
6.1 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
29 administrative regions (regions administratives, singular--region administrative); Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou
Capital
Conakry
Communists
no Communist party, although there are some sympathizers
Constitution
14 May 1982, suspended after coup of 3 April 1984
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Kekoura CAMARA; Chancery at 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-9420; US--Ambassador Samuel E. LUPO; Embassy at 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry (mailing address is B. P. 603, Conakry); telephone 44-15-20 through 24
Elections
none
Executive branch
president, Military Committee for National Recovery (Comite Militaire de Redressement National or CMRN), Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
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
Independence
2 October 1958 (from France; formerly French Guinea)
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel)
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--Gen. Lansana CONTE (since 5 April 1984)
Legal system
based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
People's National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire) was dissolved after the 3 April 1984 coup
Long-form name
Republic of Guinea
Member of
ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, Mano River Union, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)
Political parties and leaders
none; following the 3 April 1984 coup all political activity was banned
Suffrage
none
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 40% of GDP (includes fishing and forestry); mostly subsistence farming; principal products--rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava, bananas, sweet potatoes, timber; livestock--cattle, sheep and goats; not self-sufficient in food grains
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $203 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $882 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $120 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $446 million
Budget
revenues $357 million; expenditures $480 million, including capital expenditures of $229 million (1988 est.)
Currency
Guinean franc (plural--francs); 1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes
Electricity
113,000 kW capacity; 300 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Guinean francs (FG) per US$1--505.00 (October 1988), 440.00 (January 1988), 440.00 (1987), 235.63 (1986), 22.47 (1985)
Exports
$553 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--alumina, bauxite, diamonds, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels; partners--US 33%, EC 33%, USSR and Eastern Europe 20%, Canada
External debt
$1.6 billion (December 1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$2.5 billion, per capita $350; real growth rate 5.0%
Imports
$509 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles and other grain; partners--US 16%, France, Brazil
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
bauxite mining, alumina, diamond mining, light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
27.0% (1988)
Overview
Although possessing many natural resources and considerable potential for agricultural development, Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world. The agricultural sector contributes about 40% to GDP and employs more than 80% of the work force, while industry accounts for about 25% of GDP. Guinea possesses over 25% of the world's bauxite reserves; exports of bauxite and alumina accounted for more than 80% of total exports in 1986.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
16 total, 16 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
Highways
30,100 km total; 1,145 km paved, 12,955 km gravel or laterite (of which barely 4,500 km are currently all-weather roads), 16,000 km unimproved earth (1987)
Inland waterways
1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft
Ports
Conakry, Kamsar
Railroads
1,045 km; 806 km 1.000-meter gauge, 239 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Telecommunications
fair system of open-wire lines, small radiocommunication stations, and new radio relay system; 10,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 12,000 TV sets; 125,000 radio receivers; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army (ground forces), Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, paramilitary National Gendarmerie
Defense expenditures
3.1% of GDP (1984)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,657,787; 834,777 fit for military service