Guinea (2007) | Micronesia, Federated States of (2002) | |
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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 | 4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 44.3% (male 2,226,414/female 2,183,153)
15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,611,833/female 2,610,773) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 138,392/female 177,249) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
Agriculture - products | rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber | black pepper, tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens |
Airports | 16 (2007) | 7 (2001) |
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 (2007) |
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 702 sq km
land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon | four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only) |
Background | Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003. Guinea has maintained its internal stability despite spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia. As those countries have rebuilt, Guinea's own vulnerability to political and economic crisis has increased. In 2006, declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes that sparked urban unrest in many Guinean cities. | In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid. |
Birth rate | 41.53 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | revenues: $256 million
expenditures: $503.9 million (2006 est.) |
revenues: $161 million ($69 million less grants)
expenditures: $160 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
Capital | name: Conakry
geographic coordinates: 9 33 N, 13 42 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Palikir |
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; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage |
Coastline | 320 km | 6,112 km |
Constitution | 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) | 10 May 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: Federated States of Micronesia
conventional short form: none former: Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) abbreviation: FSM |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 15.33 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | $3.226 billion (2006 est.) | $66.5 million |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Phillip CARTER III
embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry telephone: [224] 30-42-08-61 through 68 FAX: [224] 30-42-08-73 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Larry DINGER
embassy: address NA, Kolonia mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 96941 telephone: [691] 320-2187 FAX: [691] 320-2186 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 478-3800 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Jesse Bibiano MAREHALAU
chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383 FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391 consulate(s) general: Honolulu and Tamuning (Guam) |
Disputes - international | conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands, including the hamlet of Yenga, occupied since 1998 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $182.1 million (2005) | under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US pledged $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001 |
Economy - overview | Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country has almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounts for over 70% of exports. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Investor confidence has been sapped by rampant corruption, a lack of electricity and other infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and the political uncertainty due to the failing health of President Lansana CONTE. Guinea is trying to reengage with the IMF and World Bank, which cut off most assistance in 2003, and is working closely with technical advisors from the U.S. Treasury Department, the World Bank and IMF, seeking to return to a fully funded program. Growth rose slightly in 2006, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets, but the standard of living fell. The Guinea franc depreciated sharply as the prices for basic necessities like food and fuel rose beyond the reach of most Guineans. Dissatisfaction with economic conditions prompted nationwide strikes in February and June 2006. | Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remote location and a lack of adequate facilities hinder development. In 1996, the country experienced a 20% reduction in revenues from the Compact of Free Association - the agreement with the US in which Micronesia received $1.3 billion in financial and technical assistance over a 15-year period until 2001. Since these revenues accounted for 57% of consolidated government revenues, reduced Compact funding resulted in a severe depression. Economic activity recovered in 1999-2001. The country's medium-term economic outlook appears fragile due to likely further reductions in external grants made under the US Compact funding. Geographical isolation and a poorly developed infrastructure remain major impediments to long-term growth. |
Electricity - consumption | 832.9 million kWh (2006) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2006) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2006) | - |
Electricity - production | 840 million kWh
note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2006) |
NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 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 | overfishing, climate change, pollution |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% | nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups |
Exchange rates | Guinean francs per US dollar - 5,350 (2006), 3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003), 1,975.8 (2002) | the US dollar is used |
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 Lansana KOUYATE (since 26 February 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003 (next to be held in December 2010); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE 95.3%, Mamadou Bhoye BARRY 4.6% |
chief of state: President Leo A. FALCAM (since 21 July 1999); Vice President Redley KILLION (since 21 July 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Leo A. FALCAM (since 21 July 1999); Vice President Redley KILLION (since 21 July 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from among the four senators-at-large for four-year terms; election last held NA May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2003); note - a proposed constitutional amendment to establish popular elections for president and vice president failed election results: Leo A. FALCAM elected president; percent of Congress vote - NA%; Redley KILLION elected vice president; percent of Congress vote - NA% |
Exports | NA | $22 million (f.o.b.) |
Exports - commodities | bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products | fish, garments, bananas, black pepper |
Exports - partners | Russia 11.7%, Ukraine 9.6%, South Korea 8.9%, Spain 8.1%, France 7.8%, US 7.8%, Germany 5.4%, Ireland 5.1% (2006) | Japan, US, Guam |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia | light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $269 million
note: GDP is supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100 million annually (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 23.2%
industry: 38.2% services: 38.6% (2006 est.) |
agriculture: 50%
industry: 4% services: 46% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.2% (2006 est.) | 2% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 11 00 N, 10 00 W | 6 55 N, 158 15 E |
Geography - note | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands | four major island groups totaling 607 islands |
Highways | - | total: 240 km
paved: 42 km unpaved: 198 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 41% (2006) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA | $149 million f.o.b. |
Imports - commodities | petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs | food, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, beverages |
Imports - partners | China 8.6%, France 8.1%, Netherlands 4.8%, Belgium 4.4% (2006) | US, Australia, Japan |
Independence | 2 October 1958 (from France) | 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron; alumina refining; light manufacturing, and agricultural processing | tourism, construction, fish processing, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls |
Infant mortality rate | total: 88.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 93.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
NA deaths/1,000 live births |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 30% (2006 est.) | 2.5% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IMF, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 950 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme | Supreme Court |
Labor force | 3.7 million (2006 est.) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 76%
industry and services: 24% (2006 est.) |
two-thirds are government employees |
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: 4.47%
permanent crops: 2.64% other: 92.89% (2005) |
arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 45.71% other: 48.58% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language | English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi |
Legal system | based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations | based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws |
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 in 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 Congress (14 seats; members elected by popular vote; four - one elected from each state - to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts delineated by population - to serve two-year terms)
elections: elections for four-year term seats last held 2 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003); elections for two-year term seats last held 6 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 49.65 years
male: 48.5 years female: 50.84 years (2007 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 29.5% male: 42.6% female: 18.1% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89% male: 91% female: 88% (1980 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone | Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia |
Map references | Africa | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: United States 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the US; FSM is totally dependent on the US for its defense |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (2007) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.7% (2006) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 2 October (1958) | Constitution Day, 10 May (1979) |
Nationality | noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean |
noun: Micronesian(s)
adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season | typhoons (June to December) |
Natural resources | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt | forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; Dyama; National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP (the governing party) [Lansana CONTE]; People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Charles Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Mamadou BAH]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Ousmane BAH] | no formal parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | National Confederation of Guinean Workers - Labor Union of Guinean Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance: National Confederation of Guinean Workers [Rabiatou Sarah DIALLO] and Labor Union of Guinean Workers [Dr. Ibrahima FOFANA]; Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or SLECG [Dr. Louis M'Bemba SOUMAH]; National Council of Civil Society Organizations of Guinea CNOSCG [Ben Sekou SYLLA] | - |
Population | 9,947,814 (July 2007 est.) | 135,869 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 47% (2006 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.62% (2007 est.) | NA% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Colonia (Yap), Kolonia (Pohnpei), Lele, Moen |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006) | AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 9,400 (1996) |
Railways | total: 837 km
standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) |
0 km (2003) |
Religions | Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% | Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.781 male(s)/female total population: 1.001 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system
domestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remains inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for nationwide links; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 2 per 100 persons international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 26,300 (2005) | 11,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 189,000 (2005) | newly installed in Pohnpei and Yap |
Television broadcast stations | 6 (2001) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior | islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk |
Total fertility rate | 5.75 children born/woman (2007 est.) | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 16% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005) | none |