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; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was
elected in an emergency election held in June 2009.
Geography ::Guinea-Bissau
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Geographic coordinates:
12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 36,125 sq km
37
land:
28,120 sq km
water:
8,005 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 724 km
border countries:
Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline:
350 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Climate:
Current Weather
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
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, 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 inland
People ::Guinea-Bissau
Population:
1,565,126 (July 2010 est.)
50
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 317,089/female 318,424)
15-64 years:
56.3% (male 425,342/female 455,273)
65 years and over:
3.1% (male 19,578/female 29,420) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.4 years
male:
18.8 years
female:
19.9 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.004% (2010 est.)
Birth rate:
35.56 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Death rate:
15.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
1
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 30% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
3.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.66 male(s)/female
total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 98.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male:
108.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
87.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.3 years
16
male:
46.44 years
female:
50.22 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.58 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.8% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
16,000 (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
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
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
animal contact disease:
rabies (2009)
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%
Religions:
Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
42.4%
male:
58.1%
female:
27.4% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 5 years
male:
7 years
female:
4 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (1999)
country comparison to the world: 59
Government ::Guinea-Bissau
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
Government type:
republic
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 (from 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
Legal system:
based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Malam Bacai SANHA (since 8 September 2009)
head of government:
Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior (since 25 December 2008)
cabinet:
NA
elections:
president
elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election
last held on 28 June 2009 with a runoff between the two leading
candidates held on 26 July 2009 (next to be held by 2014); prime
minister appointed by the president after consultation with party
leaders in the legislature
election results:
Malam Bacai SANHA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Malam Bacai SANHA 63.5%, Kumba YALA 36.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National
People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held on 16 November 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results:
percent
of vote by party - PAIGC 49.8%, PRS 25.3%, PRID 7.5%, PND 2.4%, AD
1.4%, other parties 13.6%; seats by party - PAIGC 67, PRS 28, PRID 3,
PND 1, AD 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 more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are
not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less
than $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]; Democratic Alliance or AD [Victor MANDINGA]; Democratic Social
Front or FDS [Rafael BARBOSA]; Electoral Union or UE [Joaquim BALDE];
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 [Lancuba INDJAI]; New Democracy Party or PND; Party for Democratic
Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or
PRP; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Progress Party or PP;
Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides
GOMES]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; Union for
Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by
PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United
Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Frnacisco FADUL]
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;
yellow symbolizes the sun; green denotes hope; red represents blood shed
during the struggle for independence; the black star stands for African
unity
note:uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the flag design was heavily influenced by the Ghanian flag
Economy ::Guinea-Bissau
Economy - overview:
One of the six 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 fifth 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. Offshore oil prospecting is underway in several sectors but
has not yet led to commercially viable crude deposits. 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 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. Higher raw
material prices boosted growth in 2007-09.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$933.4 million (2009 est.)
01
$907.1 million (2008 est.)
$878.1 million (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$443.1 million (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.9% (2009 est.)
3.3% (2008 est.)
2.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$600 (2009 est.)
23
$600 (2008 est.)
$600 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 62%
industry:
12%
services:
26% (1999 est.)
Labor force:
632,700 (2007)
52
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 82%
industry and services:
18% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA% est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Portugal 24.1%, Senegal 16.9%, India 11.3%, Cote dIvoire 4.9%, Pakistan 4.7%, France 4.5% (2008)
Debt - external:
$941.5 million (2000 est.)
50
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere
Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.35 (2009), 447.81 (2008),
493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005)
note:since
1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the
euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc
(XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central
African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies
trade at par
Communications ::Guinea-Bissau
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,600 (2008)
14
Telephones - mobile cellular:
500,200 (2008)
55
Telephone system:
general assessment: small
system including a combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire
lines, radiotelephone, and mobile-cellular communications
domestic:
fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approached 35 per 100 in 2008
international:
country code - 245 (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2007)
Internet country code:
.gw
Internet hosts:
82 (2009)
02
Internet users:
37,100 (2008)
6
Transportation ::Guinea-Bissau
Airports:
9 (2009)
58
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
3
under 914 m:
3 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 3,455 km
61
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 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Military ::Guinea-Bissau
Military branches:
People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary force
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age for
selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age or younger with
parental consent, for voluntary service (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 361,785
females age 16-49:
363,488 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 199,771
females age 16-49:
206,240 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 17,300
female:
17,523 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Transnational Issues ::Guinea-Bissau
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): 7,454 (Senegal) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Guinea-Bissau
is a source country for children trafficked primarily for forced
begging and forced agricultural labor to other West African countries
tier rating:
Tier
2 Watch List - for the second year in a row, Guinea-Bissau is on the
Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to combat severe forms of trafficking
in persons, as evidenced by the continued failure to pass an
anti-trafficking law and inadequate efforts to investigate or prosecute
trafficking crimes or convict and punish trafficking offenders (2008)
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
