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 of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998. Unrest in Sierra Leone has spilled over into Guinea threatening stability and creating a humanitarian emergency.

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N 10 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 245,857 km²
Water: 0 km²
Land: 245,857 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 3,399 km
Border countries: (6) Cote d'Ivoire 610 km; , Guinea-Bissau 386 km; , Liberia 563 km; , Mali 858 km; , Senegal 330 km; , Sierra Leone 652 km

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
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources: bauxite iron ore diamonds gold uranium hydropower fish

Land use
Arable land: 3.6%
Permanent crops: 2.44%
Other: 93.96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 950 km² (1998 est.)

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

Population: 7,775,065 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 2.23% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 40% (1994 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guinean
Adjective: Guinean

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

Languages: French (official) each ethnic group has its own language

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.8% (male 1,660,795; female 1,669,850)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 2,067,991; female 2,165,625)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 86,968; female 123,836) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.23% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 39.49 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 17.24 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate
Note: as a result of civil war in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees (2002 est.)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 0.99 male/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 127.08 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 46.28 years
Female: 48.82 years (2002 est.)
Male: 43.81 years

Total fertility rate: 5.32 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.54% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 55,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 5,600 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 35.9%
Male: 49.9%
Female: 21.9% (1995 est.)

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

Government type: republic

Capital: Conakry

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

Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 2 October (1958)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister Lamine SIDIME (since 8 March 1999)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 14 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003); the prime minister is appointed by the president
Election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 56.1%, Mamadou Boye BA (UNR-PRP) 24.6%, Alpha CONDE (RPG) 16.6%,

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 30 June 2002; next to be held NA 2007
Election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Guinea or PDG-AST [Marcel CROS]; Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or UNP [Paul Louis FABER]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana CONTE] - the governing party; People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR; note - Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP and Union for the New Republic or UNR merged into UPR [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE secretary-general]; Union for the New Republic or UNR [Mamadou Boye BA]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITU MINURSO NAM OAU OIC OPCW UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rafiou Alpha Oumar BARRY
In the us fax: [1] (202) 483-8,688
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 483-9,420
In the us chancery: 2,112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY
From the us embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry
From the us mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
From the us telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23
From the us fax: [224] 41 15 22

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side) yellow and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy overview: Guinea possesses major mineral hydropower and agricultural resources yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements literacy and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. The government made encouraging progress in budget management in 1997-99 and reform progress was praised in the World Bank/IMF October 2000 assessment. However escalating fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders has caused major economic disruptions. In addition to direct defense costs the violence has led to a sharp decline in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff while panic buying has created food shortages and inflation in local markets. Multilateral aid - including Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief - and single digit inflation should permit 5% growth in 2002.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.3% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1970 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 24%
Industry: 38%
Services: 38% (2000 est.)

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

Industries: bauxite gold diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1994) (1994)

Labor force: 3 million (1999) (1999)
By occupation agriculture: 80%
By occupation industry and services: 20% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 40% (1994 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3%
Highest 10: 32% (1994) (1994)

Distribution of family income gini index: 40 (1994)

Budget
Revenues: $395.7 million
Expenditures: $472.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6% (2000 est.)

Exports: $694.5 million f.o.b. (2000)
Commodities: bauxite alumina gold diamonds coffee fish agricultural products
Partners: Belgium US Ireland Russia

Imports: $555.2 million f.o.b. (2000)
Commodities: petroleum products metals machinery transport equipment textiles grain and other foodstuffs
Partners: France US Belgium Cote d'Ivoire

Debt external: $3.6 billion (1999 est.)

Exchange rates: Guinean francs per US dollar - 1974.4 (December 2001) 1950.6 (2001) 1746.9 (2000) 1387.4 (1999) 1236.8 (1998) 1095.3 (1997)

Electricity
Production: 770 million kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 46%
Production by source hydro: 54%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 716.1 million kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 37,000 (1998)
Mobile cellular: 21,567 (1998)

Telephone system
General assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system
Domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .gn
Service providers isps: 4 (2001)
Users: 15,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $137.6 million (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 3.3% (FY01)

Airports: 15 (2001)
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 10 10
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 1 (2002)

Railways
Total: 1,086 km
Standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-m gauge (includes 662 km in common carrier service from Kankan to Conakry, of which 36 km are usable and the rest are deteriorating (2000 est.)

Waterways: 1295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft)

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Disputes international: major border incursions from Revolutionary United Front combatants from Sierra Leone dissident Guinean forces Liberian Army and mercenaries between September 2000 and March 2001 killed over 1500 Guinean civilians and military personnel; the borders remain mostly sealed