Map of Guinea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Guinea has had a history of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003 though all the polls were marred by irregularities. History repeated itself in December 2008 when following President CONTE's death Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup seizing power and suspending the constitution. His unwillingness to yield to domestic and international pressure to step down led to heightened political tensions that culminated in September 2009 when presidential guards opened fire on an opposition rally killing more than 150 people and in early December 2009 when CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and evacuated to Morocco and subsequently to Burkina Faso. A transitional government led by General Sekouba KONATE held democratic elections in 2010 and Alpha CONDE was elected president in the country's first free and fair elections since independence. CONDE in July 2011 survived an attack on his residence allegedly perpetrated by the military. In October 2012 he announced a cabinet reshuffle that removed three members of the military from their positions making the current administration Guinea's f


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Location: Western Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N 10 00 W

Map reference

Area
Rank: 79
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries

Coastline: 320 km

Maritime claims

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 salt

Land use

Irrigated land: 950 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 226 km³ (1987)

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

Geography
Note: the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands


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Population: 10,884,958 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 76
Growth rate: 2.641% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 23
Below poverty line: 47% (2006 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Peuhl 40% Malinke 30% Soussou 20% smaller ethnic groups 10%

Languages: French (official)

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.641% (2012 est.)
Rank: 23

Birth rate: 36.6 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 21

Death rate: 10.19 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 50

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 86

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 31

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 192

Total fertility rate: 5.04 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 20

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.1 physicians/1000 population (2005)

Hospital bed density: 0.31 beds/1000 population (2005)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.3% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 38
People living with hivaids: 79,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 45
Deaths: 4,700 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 39

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 20.8% (2008)
Rank: 31

Education expenditures: 2.4% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 149

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital

Administrative divisions: 33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla Boffa Boke Conakry* Coyah Dabola Dalaba Dinguiraye Dubreka Faranah Forecariah Fria Gaoual Gueckedou Kankan Kerouane Kindia Kissidougou Koubia Koundara Kouroussa Labe Lelouma Lola Macenta Mali Mamou Mandiana Nzerekore Pita Siguiri Telimele Tougue Yomou

Dependent areas

Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 2 October (1958)

Constitution: 7 May 2010 (Loi Fundamentale)

Legal system: civil law system based on the French model

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: the legislature was dissolved by junta leader Moussa Dadis CAMARA in December 2008 and in February 2010 the Transition Government appointed a 155 member National Transition Council (CNT) that has since acted in the legislature's place

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders: National Party for Hope and Development or PEDN [Lansana KOUYATE]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for the Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean Marie DORE]; Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Cellou Dalein DIALLO]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU ECOWAS EITI (candidate country) FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINURSO NAM OIC OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNISFA UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side) yellow and green; red represents the people's sacrifice for liberation and work; yellow stands for the sun for the riches of the earth and for justice; green symbolizes the country's vegetation and unity

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Guinea is a poor country that possesses major mineral hydropower and agricultural resources. The country has almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and significant iron ore gold and diamond reserves. However Guinea has been unable to profit from this potential as rampant corruption dilapidated infrastructure and political uncertainty have drained investor confidence. In the time since a 2008 coup following the death of long-term President Lansana CONTE international donors including the G-8 the IMF and the World Bank have significantly curtailed their development programs. Throughout 2009 policies of the ruling military junta severely weakened the economy. The junta leaders spent and printed money at an accelerating rate driving inflation and debt to perilously high levels. In early 2010 the junta collapsed and was replaced by a Transition Government which ceded power in December 2010 to the country's first-ever democratically elected president Alpha CONDE. International assistance and investment are expected to return to Guinea but the levels will depend upon the ability of the new government to combat corruption reform its banking system improve its business environment and build infrastructure. IMF and World Bank programs will be especially critical as Guinea attempts to gain debt relief. International investors have expressed keen interest in Guinea's vast iron ore reserves which could further propel the country's growth. The government put forward a new mining code in September 2011 that includes provisions to combat corruption protect the environment and review all existing mining contracts. Longer range plans to deploy broadband Internet throughout the country could spur economic growth as well.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 149

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 62

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 215

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: rice coffee pineapples palm kernels cassava (manioc) bananas sweet potatoes; cattle sheep goats; timber

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 103

Labor force: 4.778 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 81

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 47% (2006 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 40.3 (1994)
Rank: 63

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -6.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 180

Taxes and other revenues: 21.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 149

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 21.4% (2011 est.)
Rank: 212

Central bank discount rate: 22.25% (31 December 2005)
Rank: 7

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 28% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 8

Stock of narrow money: $1.38 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 134

Stock of broad money: $1.731 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 152

Stock of domestic credit: $1.533 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 144

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$1.215 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 134

Exports: $1.433 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 145
Commodities: bauxite alumina gold diamonds coffee fish agricultural products
Partners: Chile 24.6% Spain 9.2% Russia 7.5% India 5.2% Germany 5.2% Ireland 5.1% US 5% Ukraine 4.4% (2011)

Imports: $2.106 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 152
Commodities: petroleum products metals machinery transport equipment textiles grain and other foodstuffs
Partners: China 13.2% Netherlands 8.1% US 5.4% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $806.8 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 146

Debt external: $2.997 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 138

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 955 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 149
Consumption: 888.2 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 153
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 204
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 196
Installed generating capacity: 393,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 143
Generation sources fossil fuels: 68.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 111
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 102
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 31.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 72
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 136

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 143
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 122
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 195
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 141

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 155
Products consumption: 8,671 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 158
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 184
Products imports: 8,970 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 135

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 140
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 153
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 210
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 205
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 146

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.392 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 158

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 18,000 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 194
Mobile cellular: 4.5 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 111

Telephone system

Broadcast media: government maintains marginal control over broadcast media; single state-run TV station; state-run radio broadcast station also operates several stations in rural areas; a steadily increasing number of privately-owned radio stations nearly all in Conakry and about a dozen community radio stations; foreign TV programming available via satellite and cable subscription services (2011)

Internet
Country code: .gn
Hosts: 15 (2012)
Hosts rank: 225
Users: 95,000 (2009)
Users rank: 161

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.1% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 121

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (2009)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 16 (2012)
Rank: 144

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Rank: 87

Roadways
Rank: 82

Waterways: 1300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft in the northern part of the Niger system) (2011)
Rank: 54

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Conakry Kamsar


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Disputes international: conflicts among rebel groups warlords and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs