Guinea-Bissau

Republic of Guinea-BissauRepublica da Guine-Bissau

republic, multiparty since mid-1991Independence 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by

Guinea-Bissau as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 94 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBissau

Position12 00 N, 15 00 W

Area36,120 sq km

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Populationas each edition published it

1.21 million July 1998 est. · 998,963 in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.32% 1998 est. · 2.38% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

49.14 years 1998 est. · 47.03 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.17 children per woman 1998 est. · 5.9 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

111.61 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 127 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$975 1997 est. · $210 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5% 1997 est. · 2.3% in 1993

Geography

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

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Area

36,120sq km

land: 28,000 sq kmwater: 8,120 sq kmslightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Coastline

350km

exclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

724km

border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Irrigated land

17sq km

(1993 est.)

Location

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

Elevation extremes

lowest point:: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m

Natural resources

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

Land use

arable land:: 11%
permanent crops:: 1%
permanent pastures:: 38%
forests and woodland:: 38%
other:: 12% (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Environment-current issues

deforestation;
soil erosion;
overgrazing;
overfishing

Environment-international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

People

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Population

1,206,311

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 2.32% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

38.67Death

15.48Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)49.14

47.47 · 50.85

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1997 est.)53.9%

67.1% · 40.7%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

indigenous beliefs 50%Muslim 45%Christian 5%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 42% (male 256,315; female 255,208)
15-64 years:: 55% (male 313,270; female 347,431)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 15,986; female 18,101) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.88 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

111.61 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Guinean (s)
adjective:: Guinean

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Government

Republic, multiparty since mid-1991; President Joao Bernardo VIEIRA (initially assumed power 14 November 1980 in a coup d'etat); Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 30 May 1997)

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Presidential electionpercent of vote

52%

Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52%Koumba YALLA 48%election last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held July 1999)

Legislature, 100 seats, elected 3 July and 7 August 1994one dot, one seat

PAIGC 62RGB 19PRS 12UM 6FLING 1

Percent of vote

PAIGC 46.0%RGB-MB 19.2%PRS 10.3%UM 12.8%FLING 2.5%PCD 5.3%PUSD 2.9%FCG 0.2%others 0.8%

Country name

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

Administrative divisions

9 regions (regioes, singular-regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali note: Bolama is reported to be renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Independence

24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)

Constitution

16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993 and 1996

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Joao Bernardo VIEIRA (initially assumed power 14 November 1980 in a coup d'etat)
head of government:: Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 30 May 1997)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on advice of the prime minister
elections:: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held July 1999);
prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature
election results:: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote-Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52%, Koumba YALLA 48%

Legislative branch

unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are popularly elected to serve a maximum of four years)

elections:: last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held by NA 1998; the president determines the date for each legislature election, which must be held within four years of the last election)
election results:: percent of vote by party-PAIGC 46.0%, RGB-MB 19.2%, PRS 10.3%, UM 12.8%, FLING 2.5%, PCD 5.3%, PUSD 2.9%, FCG 0.2%, others 0.8%;
seats by party - PAIGC 62, RGB 19, PRS 12, UM 6, FLING 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica, consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure, final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases;
Regional Courts, supposed to be one in each of nine regions, first court of appeals for sectoral court decisions, hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000;
Sectoral Courts, supposed to be 24 of them, judges are not necessarily trained lawyers, hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases

Political parties and leaders

African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Manuel Saturnino da COSTA, secretary general];
Front for the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Jose Katengul M. ENDES];
Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Domingos FERNANDES Gomes];
Guinean Civic Forum or FCG [Antonieta Rosa GOMES];
International League for Ecological Protection or LIPE [Alhaje Bubacar DJALO, president];
National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Abubacer BALDE, secretary general];
Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA];
Social Renovation Party or PRS [Koumba YALLA, leader];
Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president and Dr. Anne SAAD secretary general];
United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]

International organization participation

ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Mario LOPEZ DA ROSA
chancery:: Suite 519, 1511K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:: [1] (202) 347-3950

FAX

[1] (202) 347-3954

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Peggy BLACKFORD
embassy:: 1 Rua Ulysses S. Grant, Bairro de Penha, Bissau
mailing address:: C.P. 297, 1067 Codex, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
telephone:: [245] 252273, 252274, 252275, 252276

FAX

[245] 252282

Flag description

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

Economy

One of the 20 poorest countries in the world, | Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing.

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GDP, purchasing power parity

-$1.15billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$975

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 2.6% (1997 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

65%

(1996)

GDP-composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 45%industry 18%services 37% (1997 est.)

Fixed lines

13,120

(1997 est.)

Economy-overview

One of the 20 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber.

Rice is the major crop and staple food. Trade reform and price liberalization are the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector have begun to reinvigorate the economy.

Inflation dropped sharply in the first quarter of 1997. Membership in the WAMU (West African Monetary Union), begun in May 1997, should help support 5% annual growth and contribute to fiscal discipline. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect.

Labor force

480,000

Unemployment rate

NA%

Budget

$NA

Industries

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Electricity-capacity

11,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production

45 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

40 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; fishing and forest potential not fully exploited

Exports

total value:: $25.8 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:: cashews 95%, fish, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber (1994)
partners:: Spain 35%, India 30%, Thailand 10%, Italy 10% (1995)

Imports

total value:: $63 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:: foodstuffs, transport equipment, petroleum products, machinery and equipment (1994)
partners:: Thailand 27%, Portugal 23%, Japan 6%, Cote d'Ivoire 7% (1995)

Debt-external

$953 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes;
note - on 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted as its currency the CFA franc following its membership into the BCEAO

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1-26,373 (1996), 18,073 (1995), 12,892 (1994), 10,082 (1993) note: as of 2 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau has adopted the CFA franc as the national currency following its membership in BCEAO