Population:
7,783,926 (July 1992), growth rate - 1.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
21 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-40 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
143 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
41 years male, 45 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Guinean(s); adjective - Guinean
Ethnic divisions:
Fulani 35%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, small indigenous tribes 15%
Religions:
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages:
French (official); each tribe has its own language
Literacy:
24% (male 35%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,400,000 (1983); agriculture 82.0%, industry and commerce 11.0%, services
5.4%; 88,112 civil servants (1987); 52% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor:
virtually 100% of wage earners loosely affiliated with the National
Confederation of Guinean Workers
:Guinea Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Guinea
Type:
republic
Capital:
Conakry
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
Independence:
2 October 1958 (from France; formerly French Guinea)
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
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)
Executive branch:
president, Transitional Committee for National Recovery (Comite
Transitionale de Redressement National or CTRN) replaced the Military
Committee for National Recovery (Comite Militaire de Redressement National
or CMRN); Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
People's National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire) was dissolved
after the 3 April 1984 coup; note: framework for a new National Assembly
established in December 1991 (will have 114 seats)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
Gen. Lansana CONTE (since 5 April 1984)
Political parties and leaders:
none; following the 3 April 1984 coup, all political activity was banned
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
none
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Ansoumane CAMARA; Chancery
at 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-9420
US:
Ambassador Dane F. SMITH, Jr.; Embassy at 2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue,
Conakry (mailing address is B. P. 603, Conakry); telephone (224) 44-15-20
through 24
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
:Guinea Economy
Overview:
Although possessing many natural resources and considerable potential for
agricultural development, Guinea is 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; exports of bauxite and
alumina accounted for about 70% of total exports in 1989.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $3.0 billion, per capita $410; real growth rate
4.3% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
19.6% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $449 million; expenditures $708 million, including capital
expenditures of $361 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
$788 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
alumina, bauxite, diamonds, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm kernels
partners:
US 33%, EC 33%, USSR and Eastern Europe 20%, Canada
Imports:
$692 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
commodities:
petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs,
textiles, and other grain
partners:
US 16%, France, Brazil
External debt:
$2.6 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%; accounts for 27% of GDP
Electricity:
113,000 kW capacity; 300 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries:
bauxite mining, alumina, gold, diamond mining, light manufacturing and
agricultural processing industries
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
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $227 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1,465 million; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $120 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $446
million
Currency:
Guinean franc (plural - francs); 1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Guinean francs (FG) per US$1 - 675 (1990), 618 (1989), 515 (1988), 440
(1987), 383 (1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Guinea Communications
Railroads:
1,045 km; 806 km 1.000-meter gauge, 239 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways:
30,100 km total; 1,145 km paved, 12,955 km gravel or laterite (of which
barely 4,500 km are currently all-weather roads), 16,000 km unimproved earth
(1987)
Inland waterways:
1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft
Ports:
Conakry, Kamsar
Civil air:
10 major transport aircraft
Airports:
15 total, 15 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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
:Guinea Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, Republican Guard,
paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,759,811; 888,968 fit for military service (1989)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $29 million, 1.2% of GDP (1988)
:Guinea-Bissau Geography