Background
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

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. Reelected in 1998, the president faced growing criticism in 1999 for his jailing of a major opposition leader and widespread economic malaise. Unrest in Sierra Leone also continued to threaten Guinea's stability.

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

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 10 00 W

Area:
total: 245,860 sq km
land : 245,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 3,399 km
border countries: 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

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
highest point : Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish

Land use:
arable land: 4.47%
permanent crops: 2.64%
other: 92.89% (2005)

Irrigated land: 930 sq km (1993 est.); 950 sq km (1998 est.); 950 sq km (2003)

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

Environment - current issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

BACK TO TOP ^

People

Population: 7,405,375 (July 1997 est.); 7,466,200 (July 2000 est.); 7,775,065 (July 2002 est.); 10,211,437 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.3% (male 2,282,453/female 2,239,611)
15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,684,444/female 2,680,472)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 142,327/female 182,130) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.1% (1997 est.); 1.95% (2000 est.); 2.23% (2002 est.); 2.612% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 40.08 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 39.49 births/1,000 population (2002 est.); 41.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 17.86 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 17.24 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.); 15.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.);, -3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 130.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) , 127.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); 87.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.8 years
male: 48.66 years
female: 50.97 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.46 children born/woman (2000 est.); 5.32 children born/woman (2002 est.); 5.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean

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

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

Languages: French (official), each tribe has its own language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 29.5%
male: 42.6%
female: 18.1% (2003 est.)

BACK TO TOP ^

Government

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

National capital: Conakry

Administrative divisions: 4 administrative regions (regions administrative, singular - region administrative) and 1 special zone (zone speciale)*; Conakry*, Guinee, Guinee-Forestiere, Haute-Guinee, Moyen-Guinee

Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)

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

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 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: unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections : last held 11 June 1995 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUP 71, RPG 19, PRP 9, UNR 9, UPG 2, PDG 1, UNPG 1, PDG-RDA 1, other 1

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, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Rwanda, which has a large black letter R centered in the yellow band

BACK TO TOP ^

Economy

Economy - overview: Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country has almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounts for over 70% of exports. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Investor confidence has been sapped by rampant corruption, a lack of electricity and other infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and the political uncertainty due to the failing health of President Lansana CONTE. Guinea is trying to reengage with the IMF and World Bank, which cut off most assistance in 2003, and is working closely with technical advisors from the U.S. Treasury Department, the World Bank and IMF, seeking to return to a fully funded program. Growth rose slightly in 2006-07, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets, but the standard of living fell. The Guinea franc depreciated sharply as the prices for basic necessities like food and fuel rose beyond the reach of most Guineans. Dissatisfaction with economic conditions prompted nationwide strikes in February and June 2006.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.1 billion (1996 est.); $9.2 billion (1999 est.); $15 billion (2001 est.); $9.741 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - 6% (1996 est.); 3.7% (1999 est.); 3.3% (2001 est.); 1.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $950 (1996 est.); $1,200 (1999 est.); $1,970 (2001 est.); $1,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22%
industry: 40.5%
services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line: 40% (1994 est.); 47% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 41% (2006)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 5.1% (1995 est.); 4.5% (1999 est.); 6% (2000 est.); 20% (2007 est.)

Labor force:
total: 2.4 million (1983); 3.7 million (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $382 million
expenditures: $817.4 million (2007 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1994); 7.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 300 million kWh (1995); 535 million kWh (1998); 770 million kWh (2000); 840 million kWh (2006)
note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites

Electricity - consumption: 498 million kWh (1998); 716.1 million kWh (2000); 832.9 million kWh (2006)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2006)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2006)

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

Exports:
total value: $725 million (1995 est.); $695 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.); $694.5 million (f.o.b., 2000); $998 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: bauxite, alumina, diamonds, gold, coffee, fish, agricultural products
partners: Russia 11.6%, Ukraine 9.6%, Spain 9%, South Korea 8.8%, France 7.7%, US 7.7%, Germany 5.4%, Ireland 5.1% (2006)

Imports:
total value: $775 million (1995 est.); $560 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.); $555.2 million (f.o.b., 2000); $838 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
partners: China 8.6%, France 8%, Netherlands 4.8%, Belgium 4.4% (2006)

Debt - external: $3 billion (1996 est.); $3.15 billion (1998 est.); $3.6 billion (1999 est.); $3.298 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: $433.6 million (1995); $359.2 million (1998); $182.1 million (2005)

Currency: 1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Guinean francs per US dollar - 4,122.8 (2007), 5,350 (2006), 3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

BACK TO TOP ^

Communications

Telephones: 11,000 (1995); 37,000 (1998); 26,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 950 (1995); 21,567 (1998); 189,000 (2005)

Telephone system: 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998); AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001); AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006)

Radios: 357,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 6 (2001)

Televisions: 85,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2001)

BACK TO TOP ^

Transportation

total: 837 km
standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Highways:
total: 44,348 km
paved: 4,342 km
unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)

Waterways: 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)

Ports and harbors: Boke, Conakry, Kamsar

Airports: 15 (1999 est.);15 (2001); 16 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2007)

BACK TO TOP ^

Military

Military branches: Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Guineenne, includes Marines), Air Force, Presidential Guard (2008)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 2,230,049
females age 16-49: 2,193,236 (2008 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,268,193
females age 16-49: 1,259,913 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (1994); 1.4% (FY96); 3.3% (FY01); 1.7% (2006)

BACK TO TOP ^