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Compare French Guiana (2005) - Guinea-Bissau (2008)

Compare French Guiana (2005) z Guinea-Bissau (2008)

 French Guiana (2005)Guinea-Bissau (2008)
 French GuianaGuinea-Bissau
Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France) 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Age structure 0-14 years: 29.3% (male 29,262/female 27,947)


15-64 years: 64.7% (male 67,895/female 58,534)


65 years and over: 6.1% (male 6,038/female 5,830) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 41.2% (male 302,408/female 303,786)


15-64 years: 55.8% (male 394,799/female 427,055)


65 years and over: 3% (male 18,463/female 26,269) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 27 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
total: 24


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 19 (2007)
Area total: 91,000 sq km


land: 89,150 sq km


water: 1,850 sq km
total: 36,120 sq km


land: 28,000 sq km


water: 8,120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Indiana slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Background First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. 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.
Birth rate 20.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 36.81 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $225 million


expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital Cayenne name: Bissau


geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation 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 378 km 350 km
Constitution 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996
Country name conventional long form: Department of Guiana


conventional short form: French Guiana


local long form: none


local short form: Guyane
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
Death rate 4.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 16.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (1988) $941.5 million (2000 est.)
Dependency status overseas department of France -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France) 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC
Disputes - international Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau
Economic aid - recipient NA $79.12 million (2005)
Economy - overview The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers. One of the five 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. 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 lamentably 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 to 3.7% in 2007.
Electricity - consumption 427.9 million kWh (2002) 55.8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 460.1 million kWh (2002) 60 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Environment - current issues NA deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Exchange rates Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)


note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Executive branch chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002)


head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005)


head of government: Prime Minister Martinho N'Dafa CABI (since 9 April 2007)


cabinet: NA


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature


election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%
Exports NA 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
Exports - partners France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) India 76.1%, Nigeria 18.1%, Italy 1.4% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description the flag of France is used 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
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 62%


industry: 12%


services: 26% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate NA% 3.7% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 53 00 W 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Geography - note mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland
Highways total: 817 km (1998) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)
Illicit drugs small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe 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
Imports NA 2,463 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Imports - partners France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) Portugal 18.7%, Senegal 16.3%, Italy 13%, Pakistan 4.5% (2006)
Independence none (overseas department of France) 24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 4.7% (2003 est.)
Industries construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Infant mortality rate total: 12.07 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 103.5 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 113.7 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 93.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.5% (2002 est.) 4% (2002 est.)
International organization participation UPU, WCL, WFTU ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1998 est.) 250 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) 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 over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)
Labor force 58,800 (1997) 480,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980) agriculture: 82%


industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,183 km


border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
total: 724 km


border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Land use arable land: 0.14%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001)
arable land: 8.31%


permanent crops: 6.92%


other: 84.77% (2005)
Languages French Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Legal system French legal system based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2


note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2008)


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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.09 years


male: 73.77 years


female: 80.58 years (2005 est.)
total population: 47.18 years


male: 45.37 years


female: 49.04 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 84%


female: 82% (1982 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 42.4%


male: 58.1%


female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
Location Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Map references South America Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine registered in other countries: 3 -
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France -
Military branches no regular military forces; Gendarmerie People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 3.1% (2005 est.)
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Nationality noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)


adjective: French Guianese
noun: Guinean(s)


adjective: Guinean
Natural hazards high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Natural resources bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Net migration rate 5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; 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 [Iancuba INDJAI]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW]; Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 195,506 (July 2005 est.) 1,472,780 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 2.1% (2005 est.) 2.052% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Degrad des Cannes -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)
Religions Roman Catholic indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female


total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.995 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.924 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.703 male(s)/female


total population: 0.945 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system


international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: small system


domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 7 per 100 in 2005


international: country code - 245
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2001) 10,200 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 138,200 (2002) 95,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) NA (2005)
Terrain low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Total fertility rate 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.) 4.79 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 22% (2001) NA%
Waterways 3,760 km


note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)
rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2007)
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