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Compare Guinea (2008) - Southern Ocean (2007)

Compare Guinea (2008) z Southern Ocean (2007)

 Guinea (2008)Southern Ocean (2007)
 GuineaSouthern Ocean
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 -
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.)
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Agriculture - products rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber -
Airports 16 (2007) -
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)
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Airports - with unpaved runways total: 11


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
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Area total: 245,857 sq km


land: 245,857 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 20.327 million sq km


note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Oregon slightly more than twice the size of the US
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, though all the polls have been marred by irregularities. 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. Declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006; a third nationwide strike in early 2007 sparked violent protests in many Guinean cities and prompted two weeks of martial law. To appease the unions and end the unrest, CONTE named a new prime minister in March 2007. A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government.
Birth rate 41.53 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Budget revenues: $382 million


expenditures: $817.4 million (2007 est.)
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Capital name: Conakry


geographic coordinates: 9 33 N, 13 42 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Climate generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter
Coastline 320 km 17,968 km
Constitution 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) -
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
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Death rate 15.33 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Debt - external $3.298 billion (31 December 2007 est.) -
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
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Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Mory Karamoko KABA


chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420


FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688
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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 Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west
Economic aid - recipient $182.1 million (2005) -
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 2006-07, 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. Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87% (118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish, compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05 Antarctic summer, 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne (approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000.
Electricity - consumption 832.9 million kWh (2006) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2006) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2006) -
Electricity - production 840 million kWh


note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2006)
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Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench


highest point: sea level 0 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 increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish


note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
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
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)


note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north
Ethnic groups Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% -
Exchange rates Guinean francs per US dollar - 4,122.8 (2007), 5,350 (2006), 3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003) -
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%
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Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) -
Exports - commodities bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products -
Exports - partners Russia 11.6%, Ukraine 9.6%, Spain 9%, South Korea 8.8%, France 7.7%, US 7.7%, Germany 5.4%, Ireland 5.1% (2006) -
Fiscal year calendar year -
Flag description three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 22%


industry: 40.5%


services: 37.6% (2007 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate 1.5% (2007 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 11 00 N, 10 00 W 60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
Geography - note the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.9%


highest 10%: 41% (2006)
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Imports 8,481 bbl/day (2004) -
Imports - commodities petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs -
Imports - partners China 8.6%, France 8%, Netherlands 4.8%, Belgium 4.4% (2006) -
Independence 2 October 1958 (from France) -
Industrial production growth rate 7.6% (2007 est.) -
Industries bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron; alumina refining; light manufacturing, and agricultural processing -
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.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) 20% (2007 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, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO -
Irrigated land 950 sq km (2003) -
Judicial branch Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme -
Labor force 3.7 million (2006 est.) -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 76%


industry and services: 24% (2006 est.)
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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
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Land use arable land: 4.47%


permanent crops: 2.64%


other: 92.89% (2005)
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Languages French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language -
Legal system based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations -
Legislative branch unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by a mixed system of direct popular vote and proportional party lists


elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2008)


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


note: legislative elections were due in 2007 but have been postponed
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Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.65 years


male: 48.5 years


female: 50.84 years (2007 est.)
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Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 29.5%


male: 42.6%


female: 18.1% (2003 est.)
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Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica
Map references Africa Antarctic Region
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (2007) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2006) -
National holiday Independence Day, 2 October (1958) -
Nationality noun: Guinean(s)


adjective: Guinean
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Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Natural resources bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Political parties and leaders 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 [Cellou Dalein DIALLO]; 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] -
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.) -
Population below poverty line 47% (2006 est.) -
Population growth rate 2.62% (2007 est.) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006) -
Railways total: 837 km


standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
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Religions Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% -
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.)
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Suffrage 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)
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Telephones - main lines in use 26,300 (2005) -
Telephones - mobile cellular 189,000 (2005) -
Television broadcast stations 6 (2001) -
Terrain generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 m over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 m (the global mean is 133 m); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million sq km in March to about 18.8 million sq km in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Total fertility rate 5.75 children born/woman (2007 est.) -
Transportation - note - Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal
Unemployment rate NA% -
Waterways 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005) -
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