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:

Coastline: 320 km

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

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 7,455,850 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)

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

Ethnic groups: Fulani 35%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, small indigenous tribes 15%

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

Religions: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 47 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 21 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1991)

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: 144 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 41 years male, 45 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 6.0 children born/woman (1991)

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: 24% (male 35%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

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: 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

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, Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, Republican Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, Surete Nationale

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

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador (vacant; Chancery at 2,112 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 483-9,420; US--Ambassador Dane F. SMITH, Jr.; Embassy at 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry (mailing address is B. P. 603, Conakry; telephone (224) 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 Guinea GuineaGuinea

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 27% of GDP. Guinea possesses over 25% of theworld's bauxite reserves; exports of bauxite and alumina accounted for about 70% of total exports in 1989.

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, gold, diamond mining, light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA%; accounts for 27% of GDP

Labor force: 2,400,000 (1983; agriculture 82.0%, industry and commerce 11.0%, services 5.4%; 88,112 civil servants (1987; 52% of population of working age (1985)

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 $394 million; expenditures $548 million, including capital expenditures of $254 million (1989 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: $645 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
Commodities: alumina, bauxite, diamonds, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels
Partners: US 33%, EC 33%, USSR and Eastern Europe 20%, Canada

Imports: $551 million (c.i.f., 1989 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: $2.6 billion (1990 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Guinean francs (FG) per US$1--24.39 (1989), 19.23 (1988), 17.54 (1987), 14.29 (1986), NA (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: $27 million, 1.2% of GDP (1988)

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; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 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