1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (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
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
arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 12%; forest and woodland 42%; other 40%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish
Terrain
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Total area
245,860 km2; land area: 245,860 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
47 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
21 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Fulani 35%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, small indigenous tribes 15%
Infant mortality rate
144 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
2,400,000 (1983); agriculture 82.0%, industry and commerce 11.0%, services 5.4%; 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
41 years male, 45 years female (1991)
Literacy
24% (male 35%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Guinean(s); adjective--Guinean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
virtually 100% of wage earners loosely affiliated with the National Confederation of Guinean Workers
Population
7,455,850 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Total fertility rate
6.0 children born/woman (1991)
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
23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador (vacant); Chancery at 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-9420; US--Ambassador Dane F. SMITH, Jr.; Embassy at 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry (mailing address is B. P. 603, Conakry); telephone (224) 44-15-20 through 24
Elections
none
Executive branch
president, Transitional Committee for National Recovery (Comite Transitionale de Redressement National or CTRN) replaced the 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
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
Budget
revenues $394 million; expenditures $548 million, including capital expenditures of $254 million (1989 est.)
Currency
Guinean franc (plural--francs); 1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $227 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1,075 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $120 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $446 million
Electricity
113,000 kW capacity; 300 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Guinean francs (FG) per US$1--24.39 (1989), 19.23 (1988), 17.54 (1987), 14.29 (1986), NA (1985)
Exports
$645 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--alumina, bauxite, diamonds, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels; partners--US 33%, EC 33%, USSR and Eastern Europe 20%, Canada
External debt
$2.6 billion (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$2.7 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 4.4% (1989 est.)
Imports
$551 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles and other grain; partners--US 16%, France, Brazil
Industrial production
growth rate NA%; accounts for 27% of GDP
Industries
bauxite mining, alumina, gold, diamond mining, light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
28.2% (1989 est.)
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 27% of GDP. Guinea possesses over 25% of theworld's bauxite reserves; exports of bauxite and alumina accounted for about 70% of total exports in 1989.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
16 total, 16 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 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, Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, Republican Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, Surete Nationale
Defense expenditures
$27 million, 1.2% of GDP (1988) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,695,832; 853,593 fit for military service