Guinea (2002) | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (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 | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |
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: 27.6% (male 16,463; female 15,872)
15-64 years: 66% (male 39,827; female 37,547) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,247; female 4,237) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber | bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices, small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, fish |
Airports | 15 (2001) | 6 (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: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (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) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon | twice 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. | Disputed between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. |
Birth rate | 39.49 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 16.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $395.7 million
expenditures: $472.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Conakry | Kingstown |
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; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Coastline | 320 km | 84 km |
Constitution | 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) | 27 October 1979 |
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: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Currency | Guinean franc (GNF) | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
Death rate | 17.24 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $3.6 billion (1999 est.) | $167.2 million (2000) |
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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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 Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York |
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 | joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea |
Economic aid - recipient | $359.2 million (1998) (1998) | $47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998) |
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. | Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11 September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is also a large producer of marijuana and is being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America. |
Electricity - consumption | 716.1 million kWh (2000) | 86 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) | 92.48 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: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,234 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 | pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive |
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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% | black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7% |
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) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999) |
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
Exports | $694.5 million f.o.b. (2000) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products | bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets |
Exports - partners | Belgium, US, Ireland, Russia | France 52.7%, UK 6.9%, Greece 6.4%, Spain 6.4% (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 | three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $15 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $342 million (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 24%
industry: 38% services: 38% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 10%
industry: 26% services: 64% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,970 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.3% (2001 est.) | 0.7% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 11 00 N, 10 00 W | 13 15 N, 61 12 W |
Geography - note | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays |
Highways | total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km unpaved: 25,467 km (1996) |
total: 1,040 km
paved: 320 km unpaved: 720 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 32% (1994) (1994) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation |
Imports | $555.2 million f.o.b. (2000) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels |
Imports - partners | France, US, Belgium, Cote d'Ivoire | France 31.4%, US 10.4%, Singapore 10.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 10%, Spain 9%, Italy 5.5% (2003) |
Independence | 2 October 1958 (from France) | 27 October 1979 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.2% (1994) (1994) | -0.9% (1997 est.) |
Industries | bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries | food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch |
Infant mortality rate | 127.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 15.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6% (2000 est.) | -0.4% (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 | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 4 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 950 sq km (1998 est.) | 10 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
Labor force | 3 million (1999) (1999) | 67,000 (1984 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2000 est.) | agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.) |
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: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95% other: 64.1% (2001) |
Languages | French (official), each ethnic group has its own language | English, French patois |
Legal system | based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law |
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 House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by July 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 46.28 years
male: 43.81 years female: 48.82 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 73.35 years
male: 71.54 years female: 75.21 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 has ever attended school
total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 704 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,967,418 GRT/9,041,023 DWT
by type: bulk 120, cargo 346, chemical tanker 19, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 1, container 51, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 4, multi-functional large load carrier 4, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 45, roll on/roll off 42, short-sea/passenger 9, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: Albania 1, Angola 2, Argentina 1, Australia 3, Bangladesh 3, Barbados 2, Belgium 3, Bulgaria 16, China 114, Colombia 1, Croatia 7, Cyprus 2, Denmark 13, Egypt 5, Estonia 13, France 17, Germany 10, Greece 134, Guyana 8, Hong Kong 15, Iceland 7, India 5, Indonesia 1, Israel 3, Italy 21, Kenya 5, South Korea 4, Latvia 7, Lebanon 9, Liberia 5, Lithuania 3, Malta 4, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 2, Monaco 6, Netherlands 9, Nigeria 8, Norway 32, Pakistan 6, Panama 3, Poland 3, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 2, Romania 2, Russia 21, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Lucia 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 5, Slovenia 7, Spain 1, Sweden 9, Switzerland 8, Syria 6, Taiwan 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 23, Ukraine 8, United Kingdom 11, United States registered in other countries: 25 (2004 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force (Surete National) | Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $137.6 million (FY01) | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.3% (FY01) | NA |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,812,131 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 915,028 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 2 October (1958) | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |
Nationality | noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean |
noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season | hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat |
Natural resources | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish | hydropower, cropland |
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.) |
-7.64 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] | National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 7,775,065 (July 2002 est.) | 117,193 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 40% (1994 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | 2.23% (2002 est.) | 0.31% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Boke, Conakry, Kamsar | Kingstown |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001) | AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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% | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant |
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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 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: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia |
Telephones - main lines in use | 37,000 (1998) | 27,300 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 21,567 (1998) | 10,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 6 lowpowered stations (2001) | 1 (plus three repeaters) (2004) |
Terrain | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior | volcanic, mountainous |
Total fertility rate | 5.32 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 22% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) | - |