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Compare Guinea-Bissau (2006) - Maldives (2006)

Compare Guinea-Bissau (2006) z Maldives (2006)

 Guinea-Bissau (2006)Maldives (2006)
 Guinea-BissauMaldives
Administrative divisions 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale* (Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu
Age structure 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 297,623/female 298,942)


15-64 years: 55.6% (male 384,559/female 417,811)


65 years and over: 3% (male 18,048/female 25,046) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 43.4% (male 80,113/female 75,763)


15-64 years: 53.5% (male 98,040/female 94,029)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,477/female 5,586) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
Airports 28 (2006) 5 (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 (2006)
total: 2


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 25


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2006)
total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Area total: 36,120 sq km


land: 28,000 sq km


water: 8,120 sq km
total: 300 sq km


land: 300 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In August 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president in the second round of presidential polling. Since formally assuming office in October 2005, Vieira has pledged to pursue economic development and national reconciliation. The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government have pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.
Birth rate 37.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 34.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $265 million (excluding foreign grants)


expenditures: $362 million; including capital expenditures of $80 million (2004 est.)
Capital name: Bissau


geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Male


geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 31 E


time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Coastline 350 km 644 km
Constitution 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, NA 1996 adopted 1 January 1998
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: Republic of Maldives


conventional short form: Maldives


local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa


local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Death rate 16.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $941.5 million (2000 est.) $304 million (2004 est.)
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; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC; Guinea-Bissau's representative in Washington is Henrique Adriano DA SILVA, P.O. Box 33813, Washington, DC 20033, telephone: (301)947-3958 chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed LATHEEF


chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 599-6195


FAX: [1] (212) 661-6405
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) $27.9 million $NA (2004)
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, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to 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 2002-05. Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. Over the past decade, real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 5.5% in 2005.
Electricity - consumption 52.08 million kWh (2003) 125.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 56 million kWh (2003) 135 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: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)


note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005)


head of government: Prime Minister Aristides GOMES (since 2 November 2005)


cabinet: NA


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature


election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malan Bacai SANHA 47.6%
chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then the nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 17 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2008)


election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3%
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber fish, clothing
Exports - partners India 72%, Nigeria 17.1%, Ecuador 4% (2005) Japan 22.8%, Thailand 22.7%, Sri Lanka 16.4%, UK 12.6%, Singapore 5.8%, Germany 4.8%, France 4.3% (2005)
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 red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 62%


industry: 12%


services: 26% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 20%


industry: 18%


services: 62% (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.3% (2005 est.) -3.6% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 00 N, 15 00 W 3 15 N, 73 00 E
Geography - note this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.5%


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


highest 10%: NA%
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods
Imports - partners Italy 25.3%, Senegal 18.6%, Portugal 15.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3% (2005) Singapore 24.1%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.3%, Malaysia 7.2%, Sri Lanka 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2005)
Independence 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) 26 July 1965 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.7% (2003 est.) -0.9% (2004 est.)
Industries agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
Infant mortality rate total: 105.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 115.53 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 94.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 54.89 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 54.01 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 55.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4% (2002 est.) 6% (2005 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, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 250 sq km (2003) 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) High Court
Labor force 480,000 (1999) 88,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 82%


industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 22%


industry: 18%


services: 60% (1995)
Land boundaries total: 724 km


border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 8.31%


permanent crops: 6.92%


other: 84.77% (2005)
arable land: 13.33%


permanent crops: 30%


other: 56.67% (2005)
Languages Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Legal system accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 in 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 People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held NA 2010)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50
Life expectancy at birth total population: 46.87 years


male: 45.05 years


female: 48.75 years (2006 est.)
total population: 64.41 years


male: 63.08 years


female: 65.8 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 can read and write


total population: 97.2%


male: 97.1%


female: 97.3% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Map references Africa Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine - total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 67,149 GRT/87,220 DWT


by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2


registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006)
Military branches People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force National Security Service: Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $9.46 million (2005 est.) $45.07 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.1% (2005 est.) 5.5% (2005 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 24 September (1973) Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Nationality noun: Guinean(s)


adjective: Guinean
noun: Maldivian(s)


adjective: Maldivian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
Natural resources fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA]; 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 Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL] political parties were allowed to register in June 2005; the first entrants are: Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA various unregistered political parties
Population 1,442,029 (July 2006 est.) 359,008 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 21% NA%
Population growth rate 2.07% (2006 est.) 2.78% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002) AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% Sunni Muslim
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: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 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: minimal domestic and international facilities


domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service


international: country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 10,600 (2003) 32,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 67,000 (2005) 153,400 (2005)
Television broadcast stations NA (2005) 1 (2006)
Terrain mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east flat, with white sandy beaches
Total fertility rate 4.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) 4.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NEGL% (2003 est.)
Waterways four largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2006) -
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