2009 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2009 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation. He was assassinated in March 2009; new elections are to take place in June 2009.
Geography
Area
total: 36,125 sq km country comparison to the world: 137 land: 28,120 sq km water: 8,005 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
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
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%) per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)
Geographic coordinates
12 00 N, 15 00 W
Geography - note
this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland
Irrigated land
250 sq km (2003)
Land boundaries
total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Land use
arable land: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005)
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Natural resources
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Terrain
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Total renewable water resources
31 cu km (2003)
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 40.8% (male 312,253/female 313,609) 15-64 years: 56.1% (male 414,924/female 445,639) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 19,191/female 28,348) (2009 est.)
Birth rate
35.97 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Death rate
15.79 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Education expenditures
5.2% of GDP (1999) country comparison to the world: 60
Ethnic groups
African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
1.8% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
HIV/AIDS - deaths
1,100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
16,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Infant mortality rate
total: 99.82 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 10 male: 109.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 89.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Languages
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 47.9 years country comparison to the world: 210 male: 46.07 years female: 49.79 years (2009 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.4% male: 58.1% female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Median age
total: 19.3 years male: 18.7 years female: 19.8 years (2009 est.)
Nationality
noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Population
1,533,964 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 150
Population growth rate
2.019% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Religions
Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 5 years male: 7 years female: 4 years (2001)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.65 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Urbanization
urban population: 30% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 3.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Capital
name: Bissau geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Constitution
16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 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
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; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC
Executive branch
chief of state: President Malam Bacai SANHA (since 8 September 2009) head of government: Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior (since 25 December 2008) cabinet: NA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 28 June 2009 with a runoff between the two leading candidates held on 26 July 2009 (next to be held by 2014); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature election results: Malam Bacai SANHA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Malam Bacai SANHA 63.5%, Kumba YALA 36.5%
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
Government type
republic
Independence
24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices 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 more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less than $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)
Legal system
based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 November 2008 (next to be held 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 49.8%, PRS 25.3%, PRID 7.5%, PND 2.4%, AD 1.4%, other parties 13.6%; seats by party - PAIGC 67, PRS 28, PRID 3, PND 1, AD 1
National holiday
Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Political parties and leaders
African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Democratic Alliance or AD [Victor MANDINGA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS [Rafael BARBOSA]; Electoral Union or UE [Joaquim BALDE]; Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG; Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE]; Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; New Democracy Party or PND; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or PP; Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides GOMES]; Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Frnacisco FADUL]
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Budget
revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Central bank discount rate
4.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 120 4.25% (31 December 2007)
Current account balance
-$6 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Debt - external
$941.5 million (2000 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
Economy - overview
One of the five 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 fifth 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. Offshore oil prospecting is underway in several sectors but has not yet led to commercially viable crude deposits. 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. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, resulted in continued low growth in 2002-06. Higher raw material prices boosted growth in 2007 and 2008.
Electricity - consumption
60.45 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - production
65 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004) note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par
Exports
$133 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 186
Exports - commodities
cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
Exports - partners
India 56.8%, Nigeria 35.6%, Pakistan 1.2% (2008)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 62% industry: 12% services: 26% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$600 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 224 $600 (2007 est.) $600 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - real growth rate
3.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 116 2.7% (2007 est.) 0.6% (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$461 million (2008 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$896.5 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 205 $867.9 million (2007 est.) $845.1 million (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 28% (2002)
Imports
$200 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 200
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Imports - partners
Portugal 24.5%, Senegal 17.2%, Pakistan 4.8%, France 4.6% (2008)
Industrial production growth rate
4.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Industries
agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.8% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 60
Labor force
632,700 (2007) country comparison to the world: 147
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 82% industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
$NA
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 151
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 130
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 143
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Oil - consumption
3,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 177
Oil - exports
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Oil - imports
2,545 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
Oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 142
Population below poverty line
NA%
Stock of domestic credit
$NA (31 December 2008) $46.44 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of money
$NA (31 December 2008) $142.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money
$NA (31 December 2008) $12.04 million (31 December 2007)
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Internet country code
.gw
Internet hosts
82 (2009) country comparison to the world: 202
Internet users
37,100 (2008) country comparison to the world: 176
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)
Telephone system
general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approached 35 per 100 in 2008 international: country code - 245 (2008)
Telephones - main lines in use
4,600 (2008) country comparison to the world: 214
Telephones - mobile cellular
500,200 (2008) country comparison to the world: 155
Television broadcast stations
1 (2007)
Transportation
Airports
9 (2009) country comparison to the world: 160
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Ports and terminals
Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Roadways
total: 3,455 km country comparison to the world: 162 paved: 965 km unpaved: 2,490 km (2002)
Waterways
rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2008)
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 344,087 females age 16-49: 347,886 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 194,110 females age 16-49: 200,660 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 16,957 female: 17,172 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures
3.1% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
Military service age and obligation
18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age or younger with parental consent, for voluntary service (2009)
People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP)
Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary force
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau
Illicit drugs
increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine enroute to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug smuggling page last updated on November 11, 2009
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 7,454 (Senegal) (2007)
Trafficking in persons
current situation: Guinea-Bissau is a source country for children trafficked primarily for forced begging and forced agricultural labor to other West African countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second year in a row, Guinea-Bissau is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, as evidenced by the continued failure to pass an anti-trafficking law and inadequate efforts to investigate or prosecute trafficking crimes or convict and punish trafficking offenders (2008)