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

top of page


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. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war and the military's predilection for governmental meddling.


top of page


Location: Western Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and Senegal

Geographic coordinates: 12 00 N 15 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries

Coastline: 350 km

Maritime claims

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

Terrain: mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Elevation

Natural resources: fish timber phosphates bauxite unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use

Irrigated land: 17 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hot dry dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Geography


top of page


Population: 1,285,715 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 2.4% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 50% (1991 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: African 99% (Balanta 30% Fula 20% Manjaca 14% Mandinga 13% Papel 7%) European and mulatto less than 1%

Languages: Portuguese (official) Crioulo African languages

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50% Muslim 45% Christian 5%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.4% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 39.63 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 15.62 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 112.25 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 5.27 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name

Government type: republic multiparty since mid-1991

Capital: Bissau

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regioes singular - regiao); Bafata Biombo Bissau Bolama Cacheu Gabu Oio Quinara Tombali

Dependent areas

Independence: 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day 24 September (1973)

Constitution: 16 May 1984 amended 4 May 1991 4 December 1991 26 February 1993 9 June 1993 and 1996

Legal system: NA

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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)

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 $1000; 24 Sectoral Courts judges are not necessarily trained lawyers hear civil cases under $1000 and misdemeanor criminal cases

Political parties and leaders: African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Malan Bacai SANHA]; Front for the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Jose Katengul M. ENDES]; Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Domingos FERNANDES Gomes]; 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 [Koumba YALLA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA president Dr. Anne SAAD secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]

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

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

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: One of the 20 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. 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 off-shore oil reserves could provide much-needed revenue in the long run.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 9.5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries: agricultural products processing beer soft drinks

Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 480,000
By occupation: agriculture 78%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 50% (1991 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: $N/A

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.5% (1999)

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: $26.8 million (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: cashew nuts 70% shrimp peanuts palm kernels sawn lumber (1996)
Partners: India 59% Singapore 12% Italy 10% (1997)

Imports: $22.9 million (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment petroleum products (1996)
Partners: Portugal 26% France 8% Senegal 8% Netherlands 7% (1997)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $921 million (1997 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1 - 26,373 (1996) 18,073 (1995)


top of page


Electricity access

Electricity production: 40 million kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 37 million kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: small system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $8 million (FY96)
Percent of gdp: 2.8% (FY96)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 30 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping

Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs