Guinea




                                 Geography


Location:
     Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between
     Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     245,860 sq km
land area:
     245,860 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
     total 3,399 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Liberia
     563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Coastline:
     320 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     none
Climate:
     generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to
     November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with
     northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain:
     generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Natural resources:
     bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish
Land use:
arable land:
     6%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     12%
forest and woodland:
     42%
other:
     40%
Irrigated land:
     240 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation; inadequate supplies of safe drinking water;
     desertification; soil contamination and erosion
natural hazards:
     hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season




international agreements:
     party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of
     the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


                                  People


Population:
     6,391,536 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.45% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     44.08 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     19.6 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     139.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     44.13 years
male:
     41.9 years
female:
     46.43 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     5.85 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Guinean(s)
adjective:
     Guinean
Ethnic divisions:
     Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, indigenous tribes 10%
Religions:
     Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages:
     French (official); each tribe has its own language
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     24%
male:
     35%
female:
     13%
Labor force:
     2.4 million (1983)
by occupation:
     agriculture 82.0%, industry and commerce 11.0%, services 5.4%
note:
     88,112 civil servants (1987); 52% of population of working age (1985)


                                Government




Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Guinea
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republique de Guinee
local short form:
     Guinee
former:
     French Guinea
Digraph:
     GV
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Conakry
Administrative divisions:
     33 administrative regions (regions administratives, singular - region
     administrative); Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba,
     Dinguiraye, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan,
     Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe,
     Lelouma, Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita,
     Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou
Independence:
     2 October 1958 (from France)
National holiday:
     Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April (1984)
Constitution:
     23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
Legal system:
     based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal
     codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
     jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     none
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
     President Lansana CONTE, elected in the first multi-party election 19
     December 1993 prior to the election he had ruled as head of military
     government since 5 April 1984
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
People's National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire):
     the People's National Assembly was dissolved after the 3 April 1984
     coup; framework established in December 1991 for a new National
     Assembly with 114 seats; legislative elections are scheduled for 1994
Judicial branch:
     Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel)
Political parties and leaders:
     political parties were legalized on 1 April 1992
pro-government:
     Party for Unity and Progress (PUP)




other:
     Rally for the Guinean People (RPG), Alpha CONDE; Union for a New
     Republic (UNR), Mamadou BAH; Party for Renewal and Progress (PRP),
     Siradiou DIALLO
Member of:
     ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD,
     ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
     ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
     WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Elhadj Boubacar BARRY
chancery:
     2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 483-9420
FAX:
     (202) 483-8688
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Joseph A. SALOOM
embassy:
     2nd Boulevard and 9th Avenue, Conakry
mailing address:
     B. P. 603, Conakry
telephone:
     (224) 44-15-20 through 24
FAX:
     (224) 44-15-22
Flag:
     three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green;
     uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag
     of Rwanda, which has a large black letter R centered in the yellow
     band


                                  Economy


Overview:
     Although possessing major mineral and hydropower resources and
     considerable potential for agricultural development, Guinea remains
     one of the poorest countries in the world. The agricultural sector
     contributes about 40% to GDP and employs more than 80% of the work
     force, while industry accounts for 27% of GDP. Guinea possesses over
     25% of the world's bauxite reserves. The mining sector accounted for
     85% of exports in 1991. Long-run improvements in literacy, financial
     institutions, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to
     move out of poverty. Except in the bauxite industry, foreign
     investment remains minimal.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.1 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     3.2% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
     $500 (1993 est.)




Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     16.6% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $449 million
expenditures:
     $708 million, including capital expenditures of $361 million (1990
     est.)
Exports:
     $622 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     bauxite, alumina, diamonds, gold, coffee, pineapples, bananas, palm
     kernels
partners:
     US 23%, Belgium 12%, Ireland 12%, Spain 12%
Imports:
     $768 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment,
     foodstuffs, textiles, and other grain
partners:
     France 26%, Cote d'Ivoire 12%, Hong Kong 6%, Germany 6%
External debt:
     2.5 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%; accounts for 27% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     113,000 kW
production:
     300 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     40 kWh (1989)
Industries:
     bauxite mining, alumina, gold, diamond mining, light manufacturing and
     agricultural processing industries
Agriculture:
     accounts for 40% of GDP (includes fishing and forestry); mostly
     subsistence farming; principal products - rice, coffee, pineapples,
     palm kernels, cassava, bananas, sweet potatoes, timber; livestock -
     cattle, sheep and goats; not self-sufficient in food grains
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $227 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
     $1.465 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $120 million; Communist
     countries (1970-89), $446 million
Currency:
     1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
     Guinean francs (FG) per US$1 - 810.94 (1 July 1993), 922.9 (30
     September 1992), 675 (1990), 618 (1989), 515 (1988), 440 (1987), 383
     (1986)




Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     1,045 km; 806 km 1.000-meter gauge, 239 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways:
total:
     30,100 km
paved:
     1,145 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone 12,955 km (of which barely 4,500 are currently
     all-weather roads); unimproved earth 16,000 km (1987)
Inland waterways:
     1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft
Ports:
     Conakry, Kamsar
Airports:
total:
     15
usable:
     15
with permanent-surface runways:
     4
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     10
Telecommunications:
     poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiocommunication
     stations, and new radio relay system; 15,000 telephones; broadcast
     stations - 3 AM 1 FM, 1 TV; 65,000 TV sets; 200,000 radio receivers; 1
     Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy (acts primarily as a coast guard), Air Force, Presidential
     Guard, Republican Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National
     Police Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,440,297; fit for military service 726,543
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $29 million, 1.2% of GDP (1988)