Guinea (2002) | Comoros (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 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 | 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.8% (male 1,660,795; female 1,669,850)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 2,067,991; female 2,165,625) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 86,968; female 123,836) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 42.8% (male 140,083; female 139,245)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 174,216; female 179,050) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,136; female 10,171) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber | vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) |
Airports | 15 (2001) | 4 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002) |
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 10 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 1 (2002) |
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Area | total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 2,170 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon | slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president was sworn in on 26 May 2002. |
Birth rate | 39.49 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 38 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $395.7 million
expenditures: $472.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $27.6 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | Conakry | Moroni |
Climate | generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds | tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) |
Coastline | 320 km | 340 km |
Constitution | 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) | 23 December 2001
note: a Transitional National Unity Government (GUNT) was formed on 20 January 2002 following the passing of the new constitution; the GUNT governed until the presidential elections on 14 April 2002 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea |
conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores |
Currency | Guinean franc (GNF) | Comoran franc (KMF) |
Death rate | 17.24 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $3.6 billion (1999 est.) | $232 million (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Rafiou Alpha Oumar BARRY
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmoud M. ABOUD (ambassador to the US and Canada and permanent representative to the UN)
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Union of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010 and 223-2711 FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712 and 715-0699 |
Disputes - international | major border incursions from Revolutionary United Front combatants from Sierra Leone, dissident Guinean forces, Liberian Army, and mercenaries between September 2000 and March 2001 killed over 1,500 Guinean civilians and military personnel; the borders remain mostly sealed | claims French-administered Mayotte |
Economic aid - recipient | $359.2 million (1998) (1998) | $10 million (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | 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, escalating 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 should permit 5% growth in 2002. | One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, to privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, to improve health services, to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and to reduce the high population growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. |
Electricity - consumption | 716.1 million kWh (2000) | 19.78 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 770 million kWh (2000) | 21.27 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 46%
hydro: 54% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage | soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation |
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 |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% | Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava |
Exchange rates | Guinean francs per US dollar - 1,974.4 (December 2001), 1,950.6 (2001), 1,746.9 (2000), 1,387.4 (1999), 1,236.8 (1998), 1,095.3 (1997) | Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 435.9 (2003), 522.741 (2002), 549.779 (2001), 533.982 (2000), 461.775 (1999)
note: prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January 1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro |
Executive branch | 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 (UNR-PRP) 24.6%, Alpha CONDE (RPG) 16.6%, |
chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and the head of government
head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and the head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; note - AZALI has not appointed a Prime Minister since he was sworn into office in May 2002 election results: President AZALI Assoumani elected president with 75% of the vote |
Exports | $694.5 million f.o.b. (2000) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products | vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra |
Exports - partners | Belgium, US, Ireland, Russia | France 46.9%, Germany 18.8%, US 12.5% (2003) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia | four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $15 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $441 million (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 24%
industry: 38% services: 38% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,970 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.3% (2001 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 11 00 N, 10 00 W | 12 10 S, 44 15 E |
Geography - note | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands | important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel |
Highways | total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km unpaved: 25,467 km (1996) |
total: 880 km
paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 32% (1994) (1994) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $555.2 million f.o.b. (2000) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs | rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment |
Imports - partners | France, US, Belgium, Cote d'Ivoire | France 31.6%, Japan 13.7%, South Africa 10.3%, Kenya 5.1%, UAE 5.1%, Thailand 4.3% (2003) |
Independence | 2 October 1958 (from France) | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.2% (1994) (1994) | -2% (1999 est.) |
Industries | bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries | tourism, perfume distillation |
Infant mortality rate | 127.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 77.22 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 85.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6% (2000 est.) | 3.5% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 4 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 950 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel | Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic) |
Labor force | 3 million (1999) (1999) | 144,500 (1996 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2000 est.) | agriculture 80% |
Land boundaries | 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 |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 3.6%
permanent crops: 2.44% other: 93.96% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 35.87%
permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2001) |
Languages | French (official), each ethnic group has its own language | Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) |
Legal system | based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code |
Legislative branch | 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 |
unicameral Assembly of the Union (30 seats; half the deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the other half by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years); note - elections for the former legislature, the Federal Assembly (dissolved in 1999) were held on 1 and 8 December 1996; the next elections for the Assembly of the Union were scheduled to be held on 18 and 25 April 2004 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 46.28 years
male: 43.81 years female: 48.82 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 61.57 years
male: 59.29 years female: 63.91 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.9% male: 49.9% female: 21.9% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone | Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique |
Map references | Africa | Africa |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 62 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT
by type: bulk 9, cargo 31, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 2, specialized tanker 4 foreign-owned: Bahamas 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Greece 7, Honduras 1, India 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 7, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 3, Pakistan 4, Panama 2, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Syria 4, Turkey 21, United Kingdom 1, United States 1, Yemen 2 (2004 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force (Surete National) | Comoran Security Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $137.6 million (FY01) | $6 million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.3% (FY01) | 3% (2003) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,812,131 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 154,843 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 915,028 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 91,825 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 2 October (1958) | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
Nationality | noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean |
noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season | cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano |
Natural resources | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: as a result of civil war in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees (2002 est.) |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party of Guinea or PDG-AST [Marcel CROS]; 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 Renewal and Progress or PRP; 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; note - Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP and Union for the New Republic or UNR merged into UPR [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for the New Republic or UNR [Mamadou Boye BA]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE] | Forces pour l'Action Republicaine or FAR [Col. Abdourazak ABDULHAMID]; Forum pour la Redressement National or FRN (alliance of 12 parties); Front Democratique or FD [Moustoifa Said CHEIKH]; Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed RACHID]; Movement des Citoyens pour la Republique or MCR [Mahamoud MRADABI]; Mouvement Populaire Anjouanais or MPA (Anjouan separatist movement) [leader NA]; Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Movement pour le Socialisme et la Democratie or MSD (splinter group of FD) [Abdou SOEFOU]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 7,775,065 (July 2002 est.) | 651,901 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 40% (1994 est.) | 60% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.23% (2002 est.) | 2.94% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Boke, Conakry, Kamsar | Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) |
Radios | 357,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total: 1,086 km
standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-m gauge (includes 662 km in common carrier service from Kankan to Conakry, of which 36 km are usable and the rest are deteriorating (2000 est.) |
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Religions | Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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) |
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion |
Telephones - main lines in use | 37,000 (1998) | 13,200 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 21,567 (1998) | 2,000 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 6 lowpowered stations (2001) | NA |
Terrain | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior | volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills |
Total fertility rate | 5.32 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 5.15 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 20% (1996 est.) |
Waterways | 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) | - |