1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 245,860 sq km land: 245,860 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative
slightly smaller than Oregon
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
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
Environment--current issues
deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region
Environment--international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates
11 00 N, 10 00 W
Irrigated land
930 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 3,399 km border countries: Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Land use
arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 22% forests and woodland: 59% other: 17% (1993 est.)
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season
Natural resources
bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish
Terrain
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,640,158; female 1,653,184) 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,974,849; female 2,068,221) 65 years and over: 2% (male 83,859; female 118,682) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
40.62 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
17.3 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller tribes 10%
Infant mortality rate
126.32 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
French (official), each tribe has its own language
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 46.5 years male: 44.02 years female: 49.06 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 35.9% male: 49.9% female: 21.9% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean
Net migration rate
-15.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.) note: over the years Guinea has received up to several hundred thousand refugees from the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, some of whom are now returning to their own countries
Population
7,538,953 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
0.82% (1999 est.)
Religions
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
5.53 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
4 administrative regions (regions administrative, singular--region administrative) and 1 special zone (zone speciale)*; Conakry*, Guinee, Guinee-Forestiere, Haute-Guinee, Moyen-Guinee
Capital
Conakry
Constitution
23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
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
Data code
GV
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 Lamine SIDIME (since 8 March 1999) 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 14 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003); the prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote--Lansana CONTE (PUP) 56%, Alpha CONDE (RPG) 16%, Mamadou Boye BA (UNR-PRP) 24%
Flag description
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
Government type
republic
Independence
2 October 1958 (from France)
International organization participation
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Aly THIAM chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tibor P. NAGY, Jr. embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Political parties and leaders: political parties were legalized on 1 April 1992; of the more than 40 with legal status, the following won seats in the legislature in the 11 June 1995 elections other: Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or
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
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 11 June 1995 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PUP 71, RPG 19, PRP 9, UNR 9, UPG 2, PDG 1, UNP 1, PDG-RDA 1, other 1
National holiday
Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber
Budget
revenues: $553 million expenditures: $652 million, including capital expenditures of $317 million (1995 est.)
Currency
1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes
Debt--external
$3.15 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid--recipient
$433.6 million (1995)
Economy--overview
Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains a poor underdeveloped nation. The agricultural sector employs 80% of the work force. Guinea possesses over 25% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1998. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. The government made encouraging progress in budget management in 1997-98. Except in the mining industry, foreign investment remains minimal but is expected to pick up in 1999.
Electricity--consumption
525 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
525 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 63.81% hydro: 36.19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
Guinean francs (FG) per US$1--1,292.5 (January 1999), 1,095.3 (1997), 1,004.0 (1996), 991.4 (1995), 976.6 (1994) note: the official exchange rate of the Guinean franc was set and quoted weekly against the US dollar until the end of October 1993; since 1 November 1994, the exchange rate is determined in the interbank market for foreign exchange
Exports
$695 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities
bauxite, alumina, diamonds, gold, coffee, fish, agricultural products
Exports--partners
Russia, US, Belgium, Ukraine, Ireland, Spain (1997)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$8.8 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 24% industry: 31% services: 45% (1996 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$1,180 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
4.9% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 31.7% (1991)
Imports
$560 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities
petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs (1997)
Imports--partners
France, Cote d'Ivoire, US, Belgium, Hong Kong (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
3.2% (1994)
Industries
bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.5% (1998 est.)
Labor force
2.4 million (1983)
Labor force--by occupation
agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 11%, services 5.4%, civil service 3.6%
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 3, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios
257,000 (1992 est.)
Telephone system
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: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones
18,000 (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations
6 (1997)
Televisions
65,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
15 (1998 est.) 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 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 30,500 km paved: 5,033 km unpaved: 25,467 km (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
none
Railways
total: 1,086 km standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-m gauge (includes 662 km in common carrier service from Kankan to Conakry)
Waterways
1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft Ports and harbors: Boke, Conakry, Kamsar
Military and Security
Military branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force (Surete National)
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$56 million (1996)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
1.4% (1996)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 1,726,933 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 871,615 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
none