Background: Guinea has had only two presidents 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. Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies.

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N 10 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 245,857 km²
Land: 245,857 km²
Water: 0 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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 3.63%
Permanent crops: 2.58%
Other: 93.79% (2001)

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: 9,246,462 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.37% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 40% (2003 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: 44.4% (male 2,075,652; female 2,032,936)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 2,417,440; female 2,428,085)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 127,654; female 164,695) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.7 years
Male: 17.4 years
Female: 17.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.37% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 42.26 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 15.53 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate
Note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees (2004 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: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 91.82 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 97.3 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 86.18 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 49.7 years
Male: 48.45 years
Female: 50.99 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 140,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 9,000 (2003 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 long form: Republique de Guinee
Local short form: Guinee
Former: French Guinea

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 Cellou Dalein DIALLO (since 9 December 2004)
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 21 December 2003 (next to be held NA December 2008); the prime minister is appointed by the president
Election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 95.3%, Mamadou Boye BARRY (UPR) 4.6%

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-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; 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 [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE secretary-general]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU ECOWAS FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA MINURSO NAM OIC ONUB OPCW UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNOCI UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rafiou Alpha Oumar BARRY
In the us chancery: 2,112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 986-4,300
In the us fax: [1] (202) 478-3,010
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. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders as well as refugee movements have caused major economic disruptions including a loss in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff while panic buying has created food shortages and inflation in local markets. Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid. The IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth should strengthen in 2004 however because of a slowly improving security situation and increased investor confidence.

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 24.9%
Industry: 38.2%
Services: 36.9% (2003 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)

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

Unemployment rate: NA (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: 40% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.6%
Highest 10: 32% (1994)

Distribution of family income gini index: 40.3 (1994)

Budget
Revenues: $410.7 million
Expenditures: $708.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2003 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 14.8% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $-252 million (2003)

Exports: $726 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: bauxite alumina gold diamonds coffee fish agricultural products
Partners: South Korea 14.8% Spain 10.7% US 10.1% France 9.2% Russia 9% Ireland 7.9% Belgium 6.4% Germany 5.6% Ukraine 5.3% (2003)

Imports: $646 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: petroleum products metals machinery transport equipment textiles grain and other foodstuffs
Partners: France 16.8% China 9.3% Belgium 7.1% Italy 6.6% Netherlands 5.4% UK 5.4% Cote d'Ivoire 4.8% US 4.5% (2003)

Debt external: $3.25 billion (2001 est.)

Exchange rates: Guinean francs per US dollar - NA (2003) 1975.84 (2002) 1950.56 (2001) 1746.87 (2000) 1387.4 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 790.6 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 735.2 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 26,200 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 111,500 (2003)

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: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .gn
Hosts: 380 (2004)
Users: 40,000 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $58.5 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 1.7% (2003)

Airports: 16 (2003 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 11
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Railways
Total: 837 km
Standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

Waterways: 1295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,344 GRT/5,003 DWT
By type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: Iraq 1 (2003 est.)

Disputes international: domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups in Guinea domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups warlords and youth gangs in Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies street violence looting arms trafficking ethnic conflicts skirmishes deaths and refugees in border areas; in 2003 Guinea and Sierra Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over the town of Yenga

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 133,175 (Liberia), 13,633 (Sierra Leone), 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire)
Idps: 100,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire) (2004)