Map of Guinea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Independent from France since 1958 Guinea has been under military rule ever since.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

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

Coastline: 320 km

Maritime claims
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain: generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

Elevation

Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish

Land use: 6% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures; 42% forest and woodland; 40% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 7,269,240 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Nationality: noun--Guinean(s; adjective--Guinean

Ethnic groups: Fulani, Malinke, Sousou, 15 smaller tribes

Languages: French (official; each tribe has its own language

Religions: 85% Muslim, 5% indigenous beliefs, 1.5% Christian

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 47 births/1000 population (1990)

Death rate: 22 deaths/1000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1990)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; deforestation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 147 deaths/1000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 40 years male, 44 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 6.1 children born/woman (1990)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 20% in French; 48% in local languages

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea

Government type: republic

Capital: Conakry

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France; formerly French Guinea)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)

Constitution: 14 May 1982, suspended after coup of 3 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--Gen. Lansana CONTE (since 5 April 1984)

Legislative branch: Army (ground forces), Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, paramilitary National Gendarmerie

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, Mano River Union, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Kekoura CAMARA; Chancery at 2,112 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 483-9,420; US--Ambassador Samuel E. LUPO; Embassy at 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry (mailing address is B. P. 603, Conakry; telephone 44-15-20 through 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy 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 about 25% of GDP. Guinea possesses over 25% of the world's bauxite reserves; exports of bauxite and alumina accounted for more than 80% of total exports in 1986.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: 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

Industries: bauxite mining, alumina, diamond mining, light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $357 million; expenditures $480 million, including capital expenditures of $229 million (1988 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $553 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.)
Commodities: alumina, bauxite, diamonds, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels
Partners: US 33%, EC 33%, USSR and Eastern Europe 20%, Canada

Imports: $509 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.)
Commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles and other grain
Partners: US 16%, France, Brazil

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.6 billion (December 1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Guinean francs (FG) per US$1--505.00 (October 1988), 440.00 (January 1988), 440.00 (1987), 235.63 (1986), 22.47 (1985)


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Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 3.1% of GDP (1984)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 16 total, 16 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs