Guinea-Bissau

Republic of Guinea-BissauRepublica da Guine-Bissau

republicIndependence 24 September 1973 (declared)

Guinea-Bissau as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 118 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, UTC
Position12 00 N, 15 00 W
Area36,120 sq km
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
2007

Every edition of Guinea-Bissau

Populationas each edition published it
1.47 million July 2007 est. · 998,963 in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.052% 2007 est. · 2.38% in 1993
Median ageyears
19.1 years 2007 est. · 18.8 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
47.18 years 2007 est. · 47.03 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
4.79 children per woman 2007 est. · 5.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
103.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 127 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$900 2006 est. · $210 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.1% 2006 est. · 2.3% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him.

In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 36,120 sq km

arable land 8.31%permanent crops 6.92%other 84.77% (2005)irrigated 250 sq km (2003)
Area
36,120sq km
land: 28,000 sq kmwater: 8,120 sq kmslightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Coastline
350km
territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Land boundaries
724km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

12 00 N, 15 00 W

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, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

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, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland

People

20 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

18,463
65 and over3%
26,269
394,799
15-6455.8%
427,055
302,408
0-1441.2%
303,786
MaleFemale
Population
1,472,780
(July 2007 est.)growth rate: 2.052% (2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth
36.81Death
16.29Net migration
0

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)47.18
45.37 · 49.04Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)103.5
113.7 · 93.01
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)42.4%
58.1% · 27.4%Median age years (2007 est.)19.1
18.5 · 19.7
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

indigenous beliefs 50%Muslim 45%Christian 5%

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
0.995 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.924 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.703 male(s)/female
total population:
0.945 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.79 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,200 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk:
very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis (2007)

Nationality

noun:
Guinean(s)
adjective:
Guinean

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Government

Republic; President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005); Prime Minister Martinho N'Dafa CABI (since 9 April 2007)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

52.4%
Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

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

Capital

name:
Bissau
geographic coordinates:
11 51 N, 15 35 W
time difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

  • 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao);
  • Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali;
  • note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Independence

24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Constitution

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005)
head of government:
Prime Minister Martinho N'Dafa CABI (since 9 April 2007)
cabinet:
NA
elections:
  • president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits);
  • election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010);
  • prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%

Legislative branch

unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2008)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%, PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%;
  • seats by party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases);
  • Regional Courts (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);
  • 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they 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 [Carlos GOMES Junior];
  • Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA];
  • Democratic Social Front or FDS;
  • Electoral Union or UE;
  • Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES];
  • Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG;
  • Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE];
  • Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI];
  • Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA];
  • Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP;
  • Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW];
  • Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD];
  • Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ];
  • United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB);
  • United Popular Alliance or APU;
  • United Social Democratic Party or PUSD

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US

  • the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta;
  • the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau

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 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing.

39 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$1.249billion
(2006 est.)official exchange rate: $292.9 million (2006 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$900
(2006 est.)
Real growth rate
2.1%
(2006 est.)industrial production growth: 4.7% (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(1999 est.)

agriculture 62%industry 12%services 26% (1999 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

76.1%
India
Portugal
18.8%
18.1%
Nigeria
Senegal
16.3%
1.4%
Italy
13%
Pakistan
4.5%
Exports $116 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)Imports $176 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)(2006)

Electricity

Electricity production
60 million (2005)Electricity consumption
55.8 million (2005)

Economy - overview

One of the 10 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. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002.

Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were 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 had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect.

However, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base.

In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, resulted in continued low growth in 2002-06.

Labor force

480,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
82%
industry and services:
18% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
0.5%
highest 10%:
42.4% (1991)

Budget

revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA

Agriculture - products

  • rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton;
  • timber;
  • fish

Industries

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption

2,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Exports

$116 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Imports

$176 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Economic aid - recipient

$79.12 million (2005)

Debt - external

$941.5 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
95,000
(2005)
Fixed lines
10,200
(2005) · country code .gw

Telephone system

general assessment:
small system
domestic:
  • combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications;
  • fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons;
  • mobile-cellular teledensity reached 7 per 100 in 2005
international:
country code - 245

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)

Internet users

37,000 (2006)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

1
over 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
1
914 to 1,523 m
4
under 914 m
19
Paved 3Unpaved 24

Airports

27 (2007)

Roadways

total:
3,455 km
paved:
965 km
unpaved:
2,490 km (2002)

Waterways

rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2007)

Ports and terminals

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Military

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

5 fields

Military branches

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

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for selective compulsory military service (2006)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49:
287,542
females age 18-49:
297,295 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49:
152,681
females age 18-49:
161,033 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

3 fields

Disputes - international

in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 7,320 (Senegal) (2006)

Illicit drugs

  • increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine enroute to Europe;
  • enabling environment for trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption;
  • archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug smuggling

Central Intelligence Agency. “Guinea-Bissau.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/guinea-bissau/2007.

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