2001 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2001 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Administrative divisions
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Age structure
0-14 years: 42.09% (male 276,312; female 277,536) 15-64 years: 55.05% (male 344,493; female 379,889) 65 years and over: 2.86% (male 16,850; female 20,742) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products
rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Airports
29 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.) Guinea-Bissau Military
Area
total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Background
In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998, created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war and the military's predilection for governmental meddling. Guinea-Bissau Geography
Birth rate
39.29 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget
revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital
Bissau
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
Coastline
350 km
Constitution
16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996
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
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States; previously the Guinea-Bissau peso (GWP) was used
Currency code
XOF; GWP
Death rate
15.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external
$964 million (1998 est.)
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
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Mario LOPES DA ROSA chancery: Suite 519, 1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 347-3950
Disputes - international
none
Economic aid - recipient
$115.4 million (1995)
Economy - overview
One of the 20 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 sixth 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 1999-2000. 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. However, unexploited offshore oil reserves could provide much-needed revenue in the long run.
Electricity - consumption
51.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production
55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Environment - current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Guinea-Bissau People
Ethnic groups
African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos per US dollar - 26,373 (1996) note: as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc as the national currency; since 1 January 1999, the CFA franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro
Executive branch
chief of state: President Koumba YALLA (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Faustino IMBALI (since 20 March 2001) cabinet: NA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 November 1999 and 16 January 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature election results: Koumba YALLA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Koumba YALLA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%
Exports
$80 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities
cashew nuts 70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber (1996)
Exports - partners
India 59%, Singapore 12%, Italy 10% (1998)
FAX
[1] (202) 347-3954
Fiscal year
calendar year Guinea-Bissau Communications
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 Guinea-Bissau Economy
GDP
purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 54% industry: 15% services: 31% (1997 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
7.6% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates
12 00 N, 15 00 W
Government type
republic, multiparty since mid-1991
Highways
total: 4,400 km paved: 453 km unpaved: 3,947 km (1996)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
2.5% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
1,300 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
14,000 (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)
Imports
$55.2 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products (1996)
Imports - partners
Portugal 26%, France 8%, Senegal 8%, Netherlands 7% (1998)
Independence
24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
Industrial production growth rate
2.6% (1997 est.)
Industries
agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Infant mortality rate
110.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3% (2000 est.)
International organization participation
ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet country code
.gw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
1,500 (2000) Guinea-Bissau Transportation
Irrigated land
17 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices who are 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 over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)
Labor force
480,000
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 78%
Land boundaries
total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Land use
arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 38% forests and woodland: 38% other: 12% (1993 est.)
Languages
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years) elections: last held 28 November 1999 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRS 37, RGB 27, PAIGC 25, 11 remaining seats went to 5 of the remaining 10 parties that fielded candidates
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 49.42 years male: 47.12 years female: 51.78 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 53.9% male: 67.1% female: 40.7% (1997 est.) Guinea-Bissau Government
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine
none (2000 est.)
Military branches
People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$8 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.8% (FY96) Guinea-Bissau Transnational Issues
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 305,071 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 173,703 (2001 est.)
National holiday
Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Nationality
noun: Guinean (s) adjective: Guinean
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Natural resources
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Net migration rate
-1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders
African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Francisco BENANTE]; Front for the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Francois MENDY]; Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Helder Vaz LOPES]; Guinean Civic Forum or FCG [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; International League for Ecological Protection or LIPE [Alhaje Bubacar DJALO, president]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Abubacer BALDE, secretary general]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Koumba YALLA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
Population
1,315,822 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line
50% (1991 est.)
Population growth rate
2.23% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors
Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
49,000 (1997)
Railways
0 km
Religions
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Telephone system
general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications international: NA
Telephones - main lines in use
8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular
NA
Television broadcast stations
2 (1997)
Televisions
NA
Terrain
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Total fertility rate
5.2 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate
NA%
Waterways
several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping