Guinea

CIA slop below.

Background:
Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold democratic
elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the military govt.)
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.

Climate:
Generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to Nov.)
with southwesterly winds; dry season (Dec. to May)
with northeasterly harmattan winds

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, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Net migration rate:
-2.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: over the years Guinea has received several hundred thousand
refugees from the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone; by the end
of 1999 all Liberian refugees were assumed to have returned;
refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning

Economy
Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural
resources, yet remains a poor underdeveloped nation.
The agricultural sector employs 80% of the work force.
Guinea possesses over 25% of the world's bauxite reserves
and is the second largest bauxite producer.
The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1998.
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.
Even with a recovery in prices for some of Guinea's main commodity exports,
annual GDP is unlikely to increase by more than 5% in 2000-2001.

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)

Government

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

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

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

Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Lansana CONTE (head of military govt.
since 4/5/84, elected president 12/19/93)
head of government: PM Lamine SIDIME (since 3/8/99)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a 5-yr term;
candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected
president; election last held 12/14/98 (next to be held NA Dec. 2003);
the prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; 
% 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 5-yr terms)
elections: last held 6/11/95 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: % 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

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];
Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana CONTE] - the governing party;
Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP [Siradiou DIALLO];
Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE];
Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general];
Union for the New Republic or UNR [Mamadou Boye BA]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Aly THIAM
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420  FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joyce E. LEADER
embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23      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; similar to the flag of Rwanda, which has a
large black letter R centered in the yellow band

Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
11 00 N, 10 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
Slightly smaller than Oregon

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

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: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 59%
other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
930 sq km (1993 est.)

People

Population:
7,466,200

Age structure:
0-14 yrs: 43.38%
(m 1,614,789; fe 1,623,691)
15-64 yrs: 53.95%
(m 1,966,929; fe 2,060,877)
65 yrs and up: 2.68%
(m 82,376; fe 117,538)

Population growth rate:
1.95%

Birth rate:
40.08 births/1,000 population

Death rate:
17.86 deaths/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 m/fe
under 15 years: 1 m/fe
15-64 years: 0.95 m/fe
65 years and over: 0.7 m/fe
total population: 0.96 m/fe

Infant mortality rate:
130.98 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.56 yrs
m: 43.16 yrs   fe: 48.02 yrs

Total fertility rate:
5.46 children born/woman

Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean

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

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

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and up can read/write
total population: 35.9%
m: 49.9%  fe: 21.9%
(1995 est.)

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

Data code:
GV

Government type:
Republic

Capital:
Conakry

Independence:
10/2/58 (from France)

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

Constitution:
23 Dec. 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Economy

GDP:
Purchasing power parity - $9.2 billion
(1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita:
Purchasing power parity - $1,200
(1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 24%
industry: 31%
services: 45%
(1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or
consumption by % share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 31.7%
(1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (1999 est.)

Communications

Telephones
Main lines in use:
11,000 (1995)

Mobile cellular:
950 (1995)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
357,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 (1997)

Televisions:
85,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers:
NA

Transportation

Railways:
total: 1,086 km
standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:
807 km 1.000-m gauge
(w/ 662 km in common carrier
service from Kankan to Conakry)

Highways:
total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km
unpaved: 25,467 km (1996 est.)

Waterways:
1,295 km navigable by
shallow-draft native craft

Ports and harbors:
Boke, Conakry, Kamsar

Merchant marine: none
(1999 est.)

Airports:
15 (1999 est.)

Airports - Paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
(1999 est.)

Airports - Unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1
(1999 est.)

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force,
Republican Guard, Presidential Guard,
paramilitary National Gendarmerie,
National Police Force (Surete National)

Availability:
males age 15-49: 1,721,941

Fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 869,442

Expenditures - $ figure:
$56 million (FY96)

Expenditures - % of GDP:
1.4% (FY96)

Economy

Labor force - by occupation:
Agri 80%, industry/commerce 11%,
services 5.4%, civil service 3.6%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $553 million
expenditures: $652 million, w/ capital
 expenditures of $317 million
(1995 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (1994)

Electricity - production:
535 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 63.55%
hydro: 36.45%
(1998)

Electricity - consumption:
498 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (1998)

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

Exports:
$695 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports - commodities:
Bauxite, alumina, gold,
diamonds, coffee, fish,
agricultural products

Exports - partners:
Russia, US, Benelux,
Ukraine, Ireland, Spain
(1997)

Imports:
$560 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities:
Petroleum products, metals, machinery,
transport equipment, textiles,
grain and other foodstuffs
(1997)

Imports - partners:
France, Cote d'Ivoire, US,
Benelux, Hong Kong (1997)

Debt - external:
$3.15 billion (1998 est.)

Currency:
1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates:
Guinean francs (FG) per US$1 - 
1,292.5 (Jan. 1999), 1,236.8 (1998),
1,095.3 (1997), 1,004.0 (1996),
991.4 (1995)

Fiscal year:
Calendar year

Labor force:
2.4 million (1983)

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