2003 Edition

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: 41.9% (male 284,150; female 285,370) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 358,891; female 392,703) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 17,285; female 22,428) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Airports

28 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

total

3

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m

20 (2002) Military Guinea-Bissau

Area

land

28,000 sq km

total

36,120 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. A military junta ousted the president in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Kumba YALA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by its crippled economy, devastated in the civil war. Geography Guinea-Bissau

Birth rate

38.41 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$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

former

Portuguese Guinea

local long form

Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form

Guine-Bissau

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

16.62 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$941.5 million (2000 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; for the time being, US embassy Dakar is

responsible for covering Guinea-Bissau

telephone - [221] 823-4296; FAX - [221] 822-5903

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1511 K Street NW, Suite 519, Washington, DC 20005

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Henrique Adriano DA SILVA

Disputes - international

separatist war in Senegal's Casamance region results in refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling and other illegal activities, and political instability in Guinea-Bissau This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

$115.4 million (1995)

Economy - overview

One of the 10 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 1999-2002. 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. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. Government drift and indecision, however, have resulted in low growth in 2002 and dim prospects for 2003.

Electricity - consumption

51.15 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

55 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 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

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 - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)

note

as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the XOF franc as the national currency; since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Executive branch

cabinet

NA

chief of state

President Henrique ROSA (interim; since 28 September 2003); note - a September 2003 coup overthrough the elected government of Kumba YALA; General Verissimo Correia SEABRA served as interim president from 14 to 28 September 2003

election results

Kumba YALA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Kumba YALA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%

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

head of government

Prime Minister Artur SANHA (since 28 September 2003)

note

a bloodless coup led to the dissolution of the elected government of Kumba YALA in September 2003; General Verissimo Correia SEABRA served as interim president from 14 September 2003 until stepping aside on 28 September 2003 with the establishment of a caretaker government

Exports

$71 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Exports - partners

India 51.5%, Uruguay 19.5%, Thailand 19.4% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 347-3954

telephone

[1] (202) 347-3950

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Guinea-Bissau

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 Economy Guinea-Bissau

GDP

purchasing power parity - $901.4 million (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

62%

industry

12%

services

26% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-4.3% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

12 00 N, 15 00 W

Geography - note

this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland People Guinea-Bissau

Government type

republic, multiparty since mid-1991

Highways

paved

453 km

total

4,400 km

unpaved

3,947 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

17,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

42.4% (1991)

lowest 10%

0.5%

Imports

$59 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Imports - partners

Senegal 19.6%, Portugal 19.1%, India 15.3%, Taiwan 5.1% (2002)

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

female

99.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

120.99 deaths/1,000 live births

total

110.29 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Internet country code

.gw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2002)

Internet users

4,000 (2002) Transportation Guinea-Bissau

Irrigated land

170 sq km (1998 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 82% (2000 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

total

724 km

Land use

arable land

10.67%

other

87.55% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

1.78%

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); note - President YALA dissolved the National People's Assembly in November 2002, elections for a new legislature were scheduled to fall in February 2003 but were then postponed to April, then July, and were last scheduled to occur in September 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

elections

last held 28 November 1999 (next to be held NA September 2003)

Life expectancy at birth

female

48.91 years (2003 est.)

male

45.09 years

total population

46.97 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

27.4% (2003 est.) Government Guinea-Bissau

male

58.1%

total population

42.4%

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

Median age

female

19.4 years (2002)

male

18.2 years

total

18.8 years

Merchant marine

none (2002 est.)

Military branches

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$5.6 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.8% (FY02) Transnational Issues Guinea-Bissau

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

318,711 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

181,318 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Nationality

adjective

Guinean

noun

Guinean(s)

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

-1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

2,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (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 [Kumba YALA]; 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

1,360,827 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

2.02% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002)

Radios

49,000 (1997)

Railways

0 km

Religions

indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

under 15 years

1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications

general assessment

small system

international

NA

Telephones - main lines in use

10,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (2001)

Television broadcast stations

NA (1997)

Televisions

NA

Terrain

mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Total fertility rate

5.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Waterways

several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping