*Guinea, Government
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, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Ansoumane CAMARA
chancery:
2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 483-9420
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dane F. SMITH, Jr.
embassy:
2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry
mailing address:
B. P. 603, Conakry
telephone: (224) 44-15-20 through 24
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
*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.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3 billion (1990 est.)
National product real growth rate:
4.3% (1990 est.)
National product per capita:
$410 (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:
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
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
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, Presidential Guard,
Republican Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,403,776; fit for military service 708,078 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $29 million, 1.2% of GDP (1988)
*Guinea-Bissau, Geography
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and
Senegal
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
36,120 km2
land area:
28,000 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total 724 km, Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline:
350 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 12 November 1991 rendered its
decision on the Guinea-Bissau/Senegal maritime boundary in favor of Senegal
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
Terrain:
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Natural resources:
unexploited deposits of petroleum, bauxite, phosphates, fish, timber
Land use:
arable land:
11%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
43%
forest and woodland:
38%
other:
7%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season