Guinea-Bissau

Airports

total: 32 usable: 16 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 5

Highways

total: 3,218 km paved: bituminous 2,698 km unpaved: earth 520 km

Inland waterways

scattered stretches are important to coastal commerce

Ports

Bissau

Telecommunications

poor system of radio relay, open-wire lines, and radiocommunications; 3,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 1 TV

Branches

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; including Army, Navy, Air Force), paramilitary force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $9.3 million, 5%-6% of GDP (1987)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 243,715; fit for military service 139,161

Agriculture

accounts for over 45% of GDP, nearly 100% of exports, and 90% of employment; rice is the staple food; other crops include corn, beans, cassava, cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, and cotton; not self-sufficient in food; fishing and forestry potential not fully exploited

Budget

revenues: $33.6 million expenditures: $44.8 million, including capital expenditures of $570,000 (1991 est.)

Currency

1 Guinea-Bissauan peso (PG) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $49 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $615 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $41 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $68 million

Electricity

capacity: 22,000 kW production: 30 million kWh consumption per capita: 30 kWh (1991)

Exchange rates

Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1 - 11,850 (December 1993), 10,082 (1993), 6,934 (1992), 3,659 (1991), 2,185 (1990), 1,810 (1989)

Exports

$20.4 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: cashews, fish, peanuts, palm kernels partners: Portugal, Spain, Senegal, India, Nigeria

External debt

$462 million (December 1990 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$63.5 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, petroleum products, machinery and equipment partners: Portugal, Netherlands, China, Germany, Senegal

Industrial production

growth rate 0.1% (1991 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

Industries

agricultural processing, beer, soft drinks

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

55% (1991 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $860 million (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$800 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

NA

Overview

Guinea-Bissau ranks among the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita GDP of roughly $800. Agriculture and fishing are the main economic activities. Cashew nuts, peanuts, and palm kernels are the primary exports. Exploitation of known mineral deposits is unlikely at present because of a weak infrastructure and the high cost of development.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 36,120 sq km land area: 28,000 sq km comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Climate

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

Coastline

350 km

Environment

current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands; signed, but not ratifed - Biodiversity, Climate Change

International disputes

Guinea-Bissau and Senegal signed an agreement resolving their maritime boundary in 1993

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

total 724 km, Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Land use

arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 43% forest and woodland: 38% other: 7%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and Senegal

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

unexploited deposits of petroleum, bauxite, phosphates, fish, timber

Terrain

mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Administrative divisions

9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali

Capital

Bissau

Constitution

16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991 (currently undergoing revision to liberalize popular participation in the government)

Council of State

this body is elected by the National People's Assembly from among its own members to legislate between sessions of the National People's Assembly cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Digraph

PU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Alfredo Lopes CABRAL chancery: 918 16th Street NW, Mezzanine Suite, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: (202) 872-4222

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President of the Council of State Gen. Joao Bernardo VIEIRA (assumed power 14 November 1980 and was elected President of Council of State on 16 May 1984); election last held 19 June 1989 (next to be held 3 July 1994); results - Gen. Joao Bernardo VIEIRA was reelected without opposition by the National People's Assembly

FAX

(202) 872-4226

FAX

[245] 25-2282

Flag

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Cape Verde, which has the black star raised above the center of the red band and is framed by two corn stalks and a yellow clam shell

Independence

10 September 1974 (from Portugal)

Judicial branch

none; there is a Ministry of Justice in the Council of Ministers

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau local long form: Republica de Guine-Bissau local short form: Guine-Bissau former: Portuguese Guinea

National People's Assembly

(Assembleia Nacional Popular) elections last held 15 June 1989 (next to be held 3 July 1994); results - PAIGC was the only party; seats - (150 total) PAIGC 150

National holiday

Independence Day, 10 September (1974)

Political parties and leaders

African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), President Joao Bernardo VIEIRA, leader; Democratic Social Front (FDS), Rafael BARBOSA, leader; Bafata Movement, Domingos Fernandes GARNER, leader; Democratic Front (FD), Aristides MENEZES, leader note: PAIGC is still the major party (of 10 parties) and controls all aspects of the government

Suffrage

15 years of age; universal

Type

republic formerly highly centralized, multiparty since mid-1991

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Roger A. McGUIRE embassy: Barrio de Penha, Bissau mailing address: C.P. 297, 1067 Bissau Codex, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau telephone: [245] 25-2273, 25-2274, 25-2275, 25-2276

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Infant mortality rate

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

Labor force

403,000 (est.) by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry, services, and commerce 5%, government 5% note: population of working age 53% (1983)

Languages

Portuguese (official), Criolo, African languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 47.44 years male: 45.79 years female: 49.15 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 36% male: 50% female: 24%

Nationality

noun: Guinea-Bissauan(s) adjective: Guinea-Bissauan

Net migration rate

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

Population

1,098,231 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.37% (1994 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 65%, Muslim 30%, Christian 5%

Total fertility rate

5.51 children born/woman (1994 est.)