Compare Guinea-Bissau (2008) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

Compare Guinea-Bissau (2008) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

	Guinea-Bissau (2008)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

Administrative divisions	9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 41.2% (male 302,408/female 303,786) 15-64 years: 55.8% (male 394,799/female 427,055) 65 years and over: 3% (male 18,463/female 26,269) (2007 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish	-
Airports	27 (2007)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 19 (2007)	-
Area	total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative	slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut	land area is about 0.3 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 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	36.81 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	-
Capital	name: Bissau geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 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 marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	350 km	698 km
Constitution	16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996	-
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: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Death rate	16.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Debt - external	$941.5 million (2000 est.)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$79.12 million (2005)	-
Economy - overview	One of the five 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. Offshore oil prospecting is underway in several sectors but has not yet led to commercially viable crude deposits. 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, resulted in continued low growth in 2002-06. Higher raw material prices boosted growth to 3.7% in 2007.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.
Electricity - consumption	55.8 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	60 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
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 Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands 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%	-
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro	-
Executive branch	chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Martinho N'Dafa CABI (since 9 April 2007) 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%, Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	-
Exports - commodities	cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber	-
Exports - partners	India 76.1%, Nigeria 18.1%, Italy 1.4% (2006)	-
Fiscal 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	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 62% industry: 12% services: 26% (1999 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	3.7% (2007 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	12 00 N, 15 00 W	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
Geography - note	this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)	-
Illicit drugs	increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine enroute to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug smuggling	-
Imports	2,463 bbl/day (2004)	-
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products	-
Imports - partners	Portugal 18.7%, Senegal 16.3%, Italy 13%, Pakistan 4.5% (2006)	-
Independence	24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)	-
Industrial production growth rate	4.7% (2003 est.)	-
Industries	agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 103.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 113.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 93.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4% (2002 est.)	-
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	-
Irrigated land	250 sq km (2003)	0 sq km
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)	-
Labor force	480,000 (1999)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 82% industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)	-
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: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Languages	Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages	-
Legal system	based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) 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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 47.18 years male: 45.37 years female: 49.04 years (2007 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.4% male: 58.1% female: 27.4% (2003 est.)	-
Location	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Africa	Political Map of the World
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; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary force	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	3.1% (2005 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 24 September (1973)	-
Nationality	noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean	-
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires	NA
Natural resources	fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG; Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE]; Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW]; Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	1,472,780 (July 2007 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	2.052% (2007 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.995 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.924 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.703 male(s)/female total population: 0.945 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 7 per 100 in 2005 international: country code - 245	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	10,200 (2005)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	95,000 (2005)	-
Television broadcast stations	NA (2005)	1 (1997)
Terrain	mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	4.79 children born/woman (2007 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	NA%	-
Waterways	rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2007)	-

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