Guinea

Airports

total: 15 usable: 15 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 10

Highways

total: 30,100 km paved: 1,145 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 12,955 km (of which barely 4,500 are currently all-weather roads); unimproved earth 16,000 km (1987)

Inland waterways

1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft

Ports

Conakry, Kamsar

Railroads

1,045 km; 806 km 1.000-meter gauge, 239 km 1.435-meter standard gauge

Telecommunications

poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiocommunication stations, and new radio relay system; 15,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM 1 FM, 1 TV; 65,000 TV sets; 200,000 radio receivers; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Army, Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, Presidential Guard, Republican Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $29 million, 1.2% of GDP (1988)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,440,297; fit for military service 726,543

Agriculture

accounts for 40% of GDP (includes fishing and forestry); mostly subsistence farming; principal products - rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava, bananas, sweet potatoes, timber; livestock - cattle, sheep and goats; not self-sufficient in food grains

Budget

revenues: $449 million expenditures: $708 million, including capital expenditures of $361 million (1990 est.)

Currency

1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $227 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.465 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $120 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $446 million

Electricity

capacity: 113,000 kW production: 300 million kWh consumption per capita: 40 kWh (1989)

Exchange rates

Guinean francs (FG) per US$1 - 810.94 (1 July 1993), 922.9 (30 September 1992), 675 (1990), 618 (1989), 515 (1988), 440 (1987), 383 (1986)

Exports

$622 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: bauxite, alumina, diamonds, gold, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels partners: US 23%, Belgium 12%, Ireland 12%, Spain 12%

External debt

2.5 billion (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$768 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, and other grain partners: France 26%, Cote d'Ivoire 12%, Hong Kong 6%, Germany 6%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%; accounts for 27% of GDP

Industries

bauxite mining, alumina, gold, diamond mining, light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

16.6% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.1 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$500 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

3.2% (1992 est.)

Overview

Although possessing major mineral and hydropower resources and considerable potential for agricultural development, Guinea remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The agricultural sector contributes about 40% to GDP and employs more than 80% of the work force, while industry accounts for 27% of GDP. Guinea possesses over 25% of the world's bauxite reserves. The mining sector accounted for 85% of exports in 1991. Long-run improvements in literacy, financial institutions, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Except in the bauxite industry, foreign investment remains minimal.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 245,860 sq km land area: 245,860 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Climate

generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Coastline

320 km

Environment

current issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of safe drinking water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

240 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 3,399 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

Land use

arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 12% forest and woodland: 42% other: 40%

Location

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

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish

Terrain

generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

Administrative divisions

33 administrative regions (regions administratives, singular - region administrative); Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, 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

Capital

Conakry

Constitution

23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Digraph

GV

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Elhadj Boubacar BARRY chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 483-9420

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Lansana CONTE, elected in the first multi-party election 19 December 1993 prior to the election he had ruled as head of military government since 5 April 1984 cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

FAX

(202) 483-8688

FAX

(224) 44-15-22

Flag

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

Independence

2 October 1958 (from France)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel)

Legal system

based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea

National holiday

Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)

People's National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire)

the People's National Assembly was dissolved after the 3 April 1984 coup; framework established in December 1991 for a new National Assembly with 114 seats; legislative elections are scheduled for 1994

Political parties and leaders

political parties were legalized on 1 April 1992 pro-government: Party for Unity and Progress (PUP) other: Rally for the Guinean People (RPG), Alpha CONDE; Union for a New Republic (UNR), Mamadou BAH; Party for Renewal and Progress (PRP), Siradiou DIALLO

Suffrage

none

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph A. SALOOM embassy: 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry telephone: (224) 44-15-20 through 24

Birth rate

44.08 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

19.6 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, indigenous tribes 10%

Infant mortality rate

139.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

2.4 million (1983) by occupation: agriculture 82.0%, industry and commerce 11.0%, services 5.4% note: 88,112 civil servants (1987); 52% of population of working age (1985)

Languages

French (official); each tribe has its own language

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 44.13 years male: 41.9 years female: 46.43 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 24% male: 35% female: 13%

Nationality

noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

6,391,536 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.45% (1994 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

5.85 children born/woman (1994 est.)