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Compare Guinea-Bissau (2001) - Mauritania (2004)

Compare Guinea-Bissau (2001) z Mauritania (2004)

 Guinea-Bissau (2001)Mauritania (2004)
 Guinea-BissauMauritania
Administrative divisions 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos 12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza
Age structure 0-14 years:
42.09% (male 276,312; female 277,536)

15-64 years:
55.05% (male 344,493; female 379,889)

65 years and over:
2.86% (male 16,850; female 20,742) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 45.9% (male 689,371; female 686,486)


15-64 years: 51.9% (male 767,551; female 788,520)


65 years and over: 2.2% (male 27,106; female 39,529) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep
Airports 29 (2000 est.) 24 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
3

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
26

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
21 (2000 est.)
total: 16


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 6


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total:
36,120 sq km

land:
28,000 sq km

water:
8,120 sq km
total: 1,030,700 sq km


land: 1,030,400 sq km


water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Background In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998, created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war and the military's predilection for governmental meddling. Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. Mauritania remains, in reality, a one-party state. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions between its black population and the dominant Moor (Arab-Berber) populace.
Birth rate 39.29 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 41.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$NA

expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
revenues: $421 million


expenditures: $378 million, including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)
Capital Bissau Nouakchott
Climate tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline 350 km 754 km
Constitution 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Guinea-Bissau

conventional short form:
Guinea-Bissau

local long form:
Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form:
Guine-Bissau

former:
Portuguese Guinea
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania


conventional short form: Mauritania


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah


local short form: Muritaniyah
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States; previously the Guinea-Bissau peso (GWP) was used ouguiya (MRO)
Death rate 15.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.74 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $964 million (1998 est.) $2.5 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON


embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott


mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott


telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663


FAX: [222] 25-25-92
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Mario LOPES DA ROSA

chancery:
Suite 519, 1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:
[1] (202) 347-3950

FAX:
[1] (202) 347-3954
chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould KERIM


chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
Disputes - international none Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years
Economic aid - recipient $115.4 million (1995) $220 million (2000)
Economy - overview One of the 20 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2000. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However, unexploited offshore oil reserves could provide much-needed revenue in the long run. Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. Substantial oil production and exports probably will not begin until 2005. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
Electricity - consumption 51.2 million kWh (1999) 146.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 55 million kWh (1999) 157.4 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m


highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands

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 African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos per US dollar - 26,373 (1996)

note:
as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc as the national currency; since 1 January 1999, the CFA franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro
ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2003), 271.739 (2002), 255.629 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Koumba YALLA (since 18 February 2000)

head of government:
Prime Minister Faustino IMBALI (since 20 March 2001)

cabinet:
NA

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 November 1999 and 16 January 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature

election results:
Koumba YALLA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Koumba YALLA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%
chief of state: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)


head of government: Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'BARECK (since 6 July 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held NA 2009); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected for a third term with 60.8% of the vote
Exports $80 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities cashew nuts 70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber (1996) iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners India 59%, Singapore 12%, Italy 10% (1998) Japan 12.5%, France 12.1%, Spain 11.4%, Italy 10.4%, Belgium 7.8%, Germany 7.4%, Russia 5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.2%, Netherlands 4% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5.195 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
54%

industry:
15%

services:
31% (1997 est.)
agriculture: 25%


industry: 29%


services: 46% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.6% (2000 est.) 4.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 00 N, 15 00 W 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Geography - note - most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country
Highways total:
4,400 km

paved:
453 km

unpaved:
3,947 km (1996)
total: 7,720 km


paved: 830 km


unpaved: 6,890 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
0.5%

highest 10%:
42.4% (1991)
lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
Imports $55.2 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products (1996) machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners Portugal 26%, France 8%, Senegal 8%, Netherlands 7% (1998) France 16.8%, Spain 7.7%, China 6.3%, Belgium 5.1%, Germany 4.9%, Japan 4.3%, UK 4.1%, US 4% (2003)
Independence 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) 28 November 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 2.6% (1997 est.) 2% (2000 est.)
Industries agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Infant mortality rate 110.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 72.35 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 75.22 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 69.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2000 est.) 7% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 17 sq km (1993 est.) 490 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices who are appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Labor force 480,000 786,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 78% agriculture 50%, industry 10%, services 40% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total:
724 km

border countries:
Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
total: 5,074 km


border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Land use arable land:
11%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
38%

forests and woodland:
38%

other:
12% (1993 est.)
arable land: 0.48%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.51% (2001)
Languages Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof
Legal system NA a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law
Legislative branch unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years)

elections:
last held 28 November 1999 (next to be held by NA 2003)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRS 37, RGB 27, PAIGC 25, 11 remaining seats went to 5 of the remaining 10 parties that fielded candidates
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats, a part of the seats up for election every two years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2004); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26 October 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRDS 54, RFD 1, UNDD 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PRDS 79%, RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%, UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%; seats by party - PRDS 64, UDP 3, RDU 3, AC 4, RFD 3, UFP 3, and FP 1
Life expectancy at birth total population:
49.42 years

male:
47.12 years

female:
51.78 years (2001 est.)
total population: 52.32 years


male: 50.15 years


female: 54.56 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
53.9%

male:
67.1%

female:
40.7% (1997 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 41.7%


male: 51.8%


female: 31.9% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Map references Africa Africa
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 or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) none
Military branches People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force Army, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard (BSSP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $8 million (FY96) $40.8 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.8% (FY96) 3.7% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
305,071 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 686,629 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
173,703 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 332,633 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 24 September (1973) Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Nationality noun:
Guinean (s)

adjective:
Guinean
noun: Mauritanian(s)


adjective: Mauritanian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Natural resources fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Net migration rate -1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Francisco BENANTE]; Front for the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Francois MENDY]; Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Helder Vaz LOPES]; Guinean Civic Forum or FCG [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; International League for Ecological Protection or LIPE [Alhaje Bubacar DJALO, president]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Abubacer BALDE, secretary general]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Koumba YALLA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA] Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE]; Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for Renewal and Concorde or PMRC [Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality and Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Popular Social and Democratic Union or UPSD [Mohamed Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force Union or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]


note: the Action for Change party was banned in January 2002 although its members were permitted to keep their seats in the National Assembly; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991, however, politics continue to be tribally based
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Arab nationalists; Ba'athists; General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]
Population 1,315,822 (July 2001 est.) 2,998,563 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 50% (1991 est.) 50% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.23% (2001 est.) 2.91% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios 49,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km 717 km


standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% Muslim 100%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.81 male(s)/female

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
small system

domestic:
combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications

international:
NA
general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations (improvements being made)


domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals


international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
Telephones - main lines in use 8,000 (1997) 31,500 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 300,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Total fertility rate 5.2 children born/woman (2001 est.) 6.01 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 21% (1999 est.)
Waterways several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping some ferry traffic on Senegal River (2004)
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