Map of Guinea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Independent from France since 1958 Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president in disputed balloting. Security clampdowns continue although not as severe as in earlier decades.


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Location:

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 245,860 km²
Land: 245,860 km²

Land boundaries: total 3,399 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

Coastline: 320 km
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate:

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: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 12%
Forest and woodland: 42%
Other: 40%

Irrigated land: 240 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 6,236,506 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 2.46% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guinean(s)
Adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups: Fulani 35%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, 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: 2.46% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 44.76 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 20.13 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

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: 141.7 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 43.68 years
Male: 41.49 years
Female: 45.93 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 24%
Male: 35%
Female: 13%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
Conventional short form: Guinea
Local long form: Republique de Guinee
Local short form: Guinee
Former: French Guinea

Government type: republic

Capital: Conakry

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)

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

Constitution: 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) jurisdiction

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch: president, Transitional Committee for National Recovery (Comite Transitionale de Redressement National or CTRN) replaced the Military Committee for National Recovery (Comite Militaire de Redressement National or CMRN; Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral People's National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire) was dissolved after the 3 April 1984 coup; framework established in December 1991 for a new National Assembly with 114 seats

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

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Ansoumane CAMARA
In the us chancery: 2,112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 483-9,420
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dane F. SMITH, Jr.
From the us embassy: 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry
From the us mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
From the us telephone: (224) 44-15-20 through 24
From the us fax:

Flag description

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 the world'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: 4.3% (1990 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $410 (1990 est.)

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

Labor force: 2.4 million (1983)
By occupation agriculture: 82.0%
By occupation industry and commerce: 11.0%
By occupation services:
By occupation 112civilservants(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 $449 million; expenditures $708 million, including capital expenditures of $361 million (1990 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

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: $788 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodoties: alumina, bauxite, diamonds, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels
Partners: US 33%, EC 33%, USSR and Eastern Europe 20%, Canada

Imports: $692 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, and other grain
Partners: US 16%, France, Brazil

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Production: 113,000 kW capacity; 300 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $29 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: 15
Usable: 15
With permanentsurface runways: 4
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 3
With runways 1220-2439 m: 10

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: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs