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Compare Guinea-Bissau (2005) - Montserrat (2006)

Compare Guinea-Bissau (2005) z Montserrat (2006)

 Guinea-Bissau (2005)Montserrat (2006)
 Guinea-BissauMontserrat
Administrative divisions 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter
Age structure 0-14 years: 41.5% (male 293,280/female 294,483)


15-64 years: 55.5% (male 376,719/female 409,402)


65 years and over: 3% (male 17,865/female 24,278) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 23.3% (male 1,125/female 1,079)


15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,957/female 3,245)


65 years and over: 10.9% (male 532/female 501) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products
Airports 28 (2004 est.) 2 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 25


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)
-
Area total: 36,120 sq km


land: 28,000 sq km


water: 8,120 sq km
total: 102 sq km


land: 102 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable upheaval. The founding government consisted of a single party system and command economy. In 1980, a military coup established Joao VIEIRA as president and a path to a market economy and multiparty system was implemented. A number of coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him and in 1994 he was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military coup attempt and civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in 1999. In February 2000, an interim government turned over power when opposition leader Kumba YALA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. YALA was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2003, and Henrique ROSA was sworn in as President. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by its crippled economy, devastated in the civil war. English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possesion of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.
Birth rate 37.65 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 17.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $31.4 million


expenditures: $31.6 million; including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.)
Capital Bissau name: Plymouth


geographic coordinates: 16 44 N, 62 14 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat
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 tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 350 km 40 km
Constitution 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996 effective 19 December 1989
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: none


conventional short form: Montserrat
Death rate 16.53 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $941.5 million (2000 est.) $8.9 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
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; US embassy Dakar is responsible for covering Guinea-Bissau: telephone - [221] 823-4296; FAX - [221] 822-5903 none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Henrique Adriano DA SILVA


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


telephone: [1] (202) 347-3950


FAX: [1] (202) 347-3954
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international attempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist movement in Senegal's Casamance region none
Economic aid - recipient $115.4 million (1995) Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)
Economy - overview One of the 10 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 1999-2002. 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. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, have resulted in continued low growth in 2004. Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.
Electricity - consumption 51.15 million kWh (2002) 1.86 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 55 million kWh (2002) 2 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
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
-
Ethnic groups African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% black, white
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)


note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)


note: fixed rate since 1976
Executive branch chief of state: President Henrique ROSA (interim; since 28 September 2003); note - a September 2003 coup overthrew the elected government of Kumba YALA; General Verissimo Correia SEABRA served as interim president from 14 to 28 September 2003


head of government: Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior (since 9 May 2004)


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 May 2005); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature


election results: Kumba YALA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Kumba YALA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%


note: a bloodless coup led to the dissolution of the elected government of Kumba YALA in September 2003; General Verissimo Correia SEABRA served as interim president from 14 September 2003 until stepping aside on 28 September 2003 with the establishment of a caretaker government
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004)


head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006)


cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister
Exports NA NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle
Exports - partners India 52.1%, US 22.2%, Nigeria 13.2% (2004) US, Antigua and Barbuda (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
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 blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 62%


industry: 12%


services: 26% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 5.4%


industry: 13.6%


services: 81% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $700 (2004 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 2.6% (2004 est.) -1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 00 N, 15 00 W 16 45 N, 62 12 W
Geography - note this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
Highways total: 4,400 km


paved: 453 km


unpaved: 3,947 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.5%


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


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports NA NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials
Imports - partners Senegal 44.6%, Portugal 13.8%, China 4.2% (2004) US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2004)
Independence 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 2.6% (1997 est.) NA%
Industries agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
Infant mortality rate total: 107.17 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 117.78 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 96.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.35 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4% (2002 est.) 2.6% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Caricom, CDB, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU
Irrigated land 170 sq km (1998 est.) NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices 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) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)
Labor force 480,000 (1999) 4,521


note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 82% (2000 est.) -
Land boundaries total: 724 km


border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 10.67%


permanent crops: 8.82%


other: 80.51% (2001)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 80% (2005)
Languages Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages English
Legal system NA English common law and statutory 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 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%, PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1
unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)


note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members


elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1


note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council
Life expectancy at birth total population: 46.61 years


male: 44.77 years


female: 48.52 years (2005 est.)
total population: 78.85 years


male: 76.67 years


female: 81.14 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 42.4%


male: 58.1%


female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 97% (1970 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $8.9 million (2004) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.1% (2004) -
National holiday Independence Day, 24 September (1973) Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality noun: Guinean(s)


adjective: Guinean
noun: Montserratian(s)


adjective: Montserratian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Natural resources fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum NEGL
Net migration rate -1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; 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 [Kumba YALA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Platform or UP [coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL] Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 1,416,027 (July 2005 est.) 9,439


note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate 1.96% (2005 est.) 1.05% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 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: country code - 245
general assessment: modern and fully digitalized


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-664
Telephones - main lines in use 10,600 (2003) NA
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,300 (2003) 70 (1994)
Television broadcast stations NA (1997) 1 (1997)
Terrain mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Total fertility rate 4.93 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.77 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA (1998) 6% (1998 est.)
Waterways 4 largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2004) -
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