Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

NA

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios [time series]

49,000 (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications international: NA

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

13,120 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

NA

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

2 (1997)

Televisions [time series]

NA

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

$NA

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external [time series]

$921 million (1997 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$115.4 million (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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. 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. 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, unexploited off-shore oil reserves could provide much-needed revenue in the long run.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

37 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production [time series]

40 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)

Exchange rates [time series]

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1 - 26,373 (1996), 18,073 (1995) note: as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc as the national currency following its membership in BCEAO; since 1 January 1999, the CFAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro

Exports [time series]

$26.8 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities [time series]

cashew nuts 70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber (1996)

Exports - partners [time series]

India 59%, Singapore 12%, Italy 10% (1997)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 54% industry: 11% services: 35% (1996 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $900 (1999 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

9.5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$22.9 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities [time series]

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products (1996)

Imports - partners [time series]

Portugal 26%, France 8%, Senegal 8%, Netherlands 7% (1997)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

2.6% (1997 est.)

Industries [time series]

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

5.5% (1999)

Labor force [time series]

480,000

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 78%

Population below poverty line [time series]

50% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Area [time series]

total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Climate [time series]

tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Coastline [time series]

350 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues [time series]

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

12 00 N, 15 00 W

Irrigated land [time series]

17 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Bissau

Constitution [time series]

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

Country name [time series]

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

Data code [time series]

PU

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Mario LOPES DA ROSA chancery: Suite 519, 1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 347-3950 FAX: [1] (202) 347-3954

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Koumba YALLA (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Caetana N'TCHAMA (since NA February 2000) cabinet: NA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 November 1999 and 16 January 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature election results: Koumba YALLA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Koumba YALLA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic, multiparty since mid-1991

Independence [time series]

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

International organization participation [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica, consists of nine justices who are 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, hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases

Legal system [time series]

NA

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years) elections: last held 28 November 1999 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRS 37, RGB 27, PAIGC 25, 11 remaining seats went to 5 of the remaining 10 parties that fielded candidates

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Malan Bacai SANHA]; 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]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Background [time series]

In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998, created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war and the military's predilection for governmental meddling.

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$8 million (FY96)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

2.8% (FY96)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 296,482 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 168,930 (2000 est.)

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 42% (male 271,100; female 272,304) 15-64 years: 55% (male 335,150; female 370,667) 65 years and over: 3% (male 16,574; female 19,920) (2000 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

39.63 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate [time series]

15.62 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

112.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages [time series]

Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 49.04 years male: 46.77 years female: 51.37 years (2000 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 53.9% male: 67.1% female: 40.7% (1997 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Guinean (s) adjective: Guinean

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population [time series]

1,285,715 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.4% (2000 est.)

Religions [time series]

indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

5.27 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Disputes - international [time series]

none [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Airports [time series]

30 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 22 (1999 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 4,400 km paved: 453 km unpaved: 3,947 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

none (1999 est.)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Railways [time series]

0 km

Waterways [time series]

several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping