* βeta
Guinea-Bissau
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; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was elected in an emergency election held in June 2009.
Location :
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Geographic Coordinates Center :
12 00 N, 15 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -16.72 |
| North | 12.68 |
| East | -13.64 |
| South | 10.92 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 36 125 | square km |
| land | 28 120 | square km |
| water | 8 005 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 724 | km |
| Guinea (gn) | 386 | km |
| Senegal (sn) | 338 | km |
Coastline :
350.00 km
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 | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 300 | metres |
Natural resources :
| bauxite | clay |
| fish | granite |
| limestone | phosphates |
| timber | unexploited deposits of petroleum |
Land use :
| arable land | 8.31 | % |
| permanent crops | 6.92 | % |
| other | 84.77 | % |
Irrigated land :
250 square km
Total renewable water resources :
31 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| harmattan haze |
current issues :
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Wetlands |
Population :
1 533 964
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.02 | % |
| Birth rate | 35.97 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 4.65 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 15.79 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 40.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 56.10 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.10 | % |
Median age :
| total | 19.30 | years |
| male | 18.70 | years |
| female | 19.80 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.93 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.68 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.95 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 99.82 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 47.90 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 46.07 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 49.79 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.80 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 16 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 1 100 |
Religions :
| Muslim | 50.00 | % |
| indigenous beliefs | 40.00 | % |
| Christian | 10.00 | % |
Languages :
| Portuguese | |
| Crioulo | |
| African |
Literacy :
| total population | 42.40 | % |
| male | 58.10 | % |
| female | 27.40 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | GW |
| ISO Numeric | 624 |
| ISO3 | GNB |
| FIPS | PU |
| ccTLD | gw |
| English | Guinea-Bissau |
Administrative divisions :
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Capital :
| name | Bissau |
| geographic coordinates | 11 51 N, 15 35 W |
| time difference | 0.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AOSIS |
| AU | AfDB |
| CPLP | ECOWAS |
| FAO | FZ |
| G-77 | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt (signatory) |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IDB | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IOC |
| IOM | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NAM | OIC |
| OIF | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | Union Latina |
| WADB (regional) | WAEMU |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1973-09-24
National holiday :
Independence Day
1973-09-24
Executive branch :
| President Malam Bacai SANHA | Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior |
Legislative branch :
| PAIGC | 49.80 | % |
| PRS | 25.30 | % |
| PRID | 7.50 | % |
| PND | 2.40 | % |
| AD | 1.40 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 939 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 438 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 3.50 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 600 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 62.00 | % |
| industry | 12.00 | % |
| services | 26.00 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 82.00 | % |
| services | 18.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.80 | % |
| Current account balance | - 6 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 941 500 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 3.10 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.90 | % |
| highest 10% | 28.00 | % |
Agriculture - products :
| beans | cashew nuts |
| cassava | corn |
| cotton | fish |
| palm kernels | peanuts |
| rice | timber |
Industries :
| agricultural products processing | beer |
| soft drinks |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 65 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 60 450 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 3 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 2 545 | bbl/day |
Value :
133 000 000 $
Partners :
| India (in) | 64.00 | % |
| Nigeria (ng) | 30.10 | % |
| Pakistan (pk) | 1.00 | % |
Commodities :
| cashew nuts | palm kernels |
| peanuts | sawn lumber |
| shrimp |
Value :
200 000 000 $
Partners :
| Portugal (pt) | 24.10 | % |
| Senegal (sn) | 16.90 | % |
| India (in) | 11.30 | % |
| Cote dIvoire | 4.90 | % |
| Pakistan (pk) | 4.70 | % |
| France (fr) | 4.50 | % |
Commodities :
| foodstuffs | machinery and transportation equipment |
| petroleum products |
Currency-code :
XOF
Currency-name :
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 4 600 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 500 200 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 4 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | gw | |
| Internet Hosts | 82 | |
| Internet Users | 37 100 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 2 | |
| Roadways - total | 3 455 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 965 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 2 490 | km |
Flag
| Photos provided by
are under the copyright of their owners
|