Guernsey (2004) | Guinea (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale, Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew | 33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, 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 |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 5,161; female 5,013)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 21,497; female 21,897) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 4,812; female 6,651) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,027,970; female 1,986,300)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 2,358,566; female 2,372,384) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 124,382; female 160,618) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle | rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber |
Airports | 2 (2003 est.) | 15 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about one-half the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Oregon |
Background | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998. Unrest in Sierra Leone has spilled over into Guinea, threatening stability and creating a humanitarian emergency. |
Birth rate | 9.16 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 42.5 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $395.7 million
expenditures: $472.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Saint Peter Port | Conakry |
Climate | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast | generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds |
Coastline | 50 km | 320 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound | Guinean franc (GNF) |
Death rate | 9.87 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | $3.4 billion (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY
embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23 FAX: [224] 41 15 22 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission: Ambassador Rafiou Alpha Oumar BARRY
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 478-3010 |
Disputes - international | none | domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created skirmishes, deaths, and refugees in border areas |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $359.2 million (1998) |
Economy - overview | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates. | Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. The government made encouraging progress in budget management in 1997-99, and reform progress was praised in the World Bank/IMF October 2000 assessment. However, fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders has caused major economic disruptions. In addition to direct defense costs, the violence has led to a sharp decline in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff, while panic buying has created food shortages and inflation in local markets. Multilateral aid - including Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief - and single digit inflation permitted moderate 3.7% growth in 2002. Growth should strengthen in 2003 because of a slowly improving security situation and increased investor confidence. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 735.2 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 790.6 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 45.5%
hydro: 54.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries | Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% |
Exchange rates | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound | Guinean francs per US dollar - NA (2002), 1,950.56 (2001), 1,746.87 (2000), 1,387.4 (1999), 1,236.83 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000)
head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA |
chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Lamine SIDIME (since 8 March 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 14 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 56.1%, Mamadou Boye BA (UPR) 24.6%, Alpha CONDE (RPG) 16.6%, |
Exports | NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables | bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products |
Exports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | South Korea 17.8%, Spain 10.1%, Cameroon 9.7%, Belgium 9.6%, US 9.2%, Ireland 8.6%, France 7.1%, Russia 6.8%, Germany 5% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross | three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $18.69 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
agriculture: 25%
industry: 37% services: 38% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.7% (1999 est.) | 3.7% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 28 N, 2 35 W | 11 00 N, 10 00 W |
Geography - note | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands |
Highways | total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km unpaved: 25,467 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 32% (1994) |
Imports | NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment | petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | France 18.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, Italy 8.9%, US 8.2%, Belgium 7.6%, China 5.6%, UK 5.2% (2002) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 2 October 1958 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 3.2% (1994) |
Industries | tourism, banking | bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 93.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 98.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 87.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (2000 est.) | 6% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 4 (2001) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 950 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Royal Court | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | 31,320 (2000) | 3 million (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 3,399 km
border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km |
Land use | arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA other: NA (2001) |
arable land: 3.6%
permanent crops: 2.44% other: 93.96% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | French (official), each ethnic group has its own language |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 4 years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents |
unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.17 years
male: 77.17 years female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 49.54 years
male: 48.28 years female: 50.83 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.9% male: 49.9% female: 21.9% (1995 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force (Surete National) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $154 million (FY02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 3.3% (FY02) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 2,056,520 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,038,428 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Independence Day, 2 October (1958) |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean |
Natural hazards | NA | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season |
Natural resources | cropland | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish |
Net migration rate | 3.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -3.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or UNP [Paul Louis FABER]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana CONTE] - the governing party; People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 65,031 (July 2004 est.) | 9,030,220 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 40% (1994 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.31% (2004 est.) | 2.37% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson | Boke, Conakry, Kamsar |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001) |
Railways | - | total: 1,115 km
standard gauge: 311 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 804 km 1.000-m gauge (2002) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist | Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 55,000 (2001) | 37,000 (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 31,500 (2001) | 21,567 (1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 6 low-power stations (2001) |
Terrain | mostly level with low hills in southwest | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior |
Total fertility rate | 1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 5.9 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.5% (1999 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | - | 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) |