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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.gw

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

2 (2004)

Internet users [time series]

19,000 (2003)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications international: country code - 245

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

10,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

1,300 (2003)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

NA (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: NA expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States; previously the Guinea-Bissau peso (GWP) was used

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

XOF; GWP

Debt - external [time series]

$941.5 million (2000 est.)

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

$115.4 million (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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, unexploited offshore oil reserves could provide 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. Government drift and indecision, however, have resulted in low growth in 2002-03 and dim prospects for 2004.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

51.15 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

55 million kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999) note: as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the XOF franc as the national currency; since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Exports [time series]

$54 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

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

Exports - partners [time series]

India 76.8%, Nigeria 12.1%, Italy 5.1% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

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

purchasing power parity - $1.063 billion (2003 est.)

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

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

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

purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.)

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

-7% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$104 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Imports - partners [time series]

Senegal 18.1%, India 14.6%, Portugal 14.6%, China 9.7%, Italy 9%, Spain 4.9% (2003)

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]

4% (2002 est.)

Labor force [time series]

480,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 82% (2000 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

2,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA (1998)

Geography

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

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

170 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 10.67% permanent crops: 8.82% other: 80.51% (2001)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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

Government

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

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; US embassy Dakar is responsible for covering Guinea-Bissau: telephone - [221] 823-4296; FAX - [221] 822-5903

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Henrique Adriano DA SILVA chancery: 1511 K Street NW, Suite 519, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 347-3950 FAX: [1] (202) 347-3954

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Henrique ROSA (interim; since 28 September 2003); note - a September 2003 coup overthrew the elected government of Kumba YALA; General Verissimo Correia SEABRA served as interim president from 14 to 28 September 2003 head of government: Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior (since 9 May 2004) 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: Kumba YALA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Kumba YALA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28% note: a bloodless coup led to the dissolution of the elected government of Kumba YALA in September 2003; General Verissimo Correia SEABRA served as interim president from 14 September 2003 until stepping aside on 28 September 2003 with the establishment of a caretaker government

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, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

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; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)

Legal system [time series]

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); note - President YALA dissolved the National People's Assembly in November 2002, elections for a new legislature were scheduled to fall in February 2003 but were then postponed to April, then July, then September, and were last scheduled to occur in March 2004 elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) 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

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 [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Front for the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Francois MENDY]; Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Helder Vaz LOPES]; 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 [Kumba YALA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Platform or UP [coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL]

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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable upheaval. The founding government consisted of a single party system and command economy. In 1980, a military coup established Joao VIEIRA as president and a path to a market economy and multiparty system was implemented. A number of coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him and in 1994 he was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military coup attempt and civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIERA's ouster in 1999. In February 2000, an interim government turned over power when opposition leader Kumba YALA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. YALA was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2003, and Henrique ROSA was sworn in as President. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by its crippled economy, devastated in the civil war.

Military

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]

$8.4 million (2003)

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

2.8% (2003)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 326,864 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 185,801 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 288,760; female 289,975) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 367,728; female 400,996) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 17,570; female 23,334) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

38.03 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

16.57 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

10% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

1,200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

17,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 108.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 119.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 97.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 46.98 years male: 45.09 years female: 48.92 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.4% male: 58.1% female: 27.4% (2003 est.)

Median age [time series]

total: 18.9 years male: 18.3 years female: 19.5 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean

Net migration rate [time series]

-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

1,388,363 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.99% (2004 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: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

5 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

attempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist movement in Senegal's Casamance region

Transportation

Airports [time series]

28 (2003 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 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 4,400 km paved: 453 km unpaved: 3,947 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

none

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Waterways [time series]

4 largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2004)