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Compare Spratly Islands (2005) - Guinea-Bissau (2002)

Compare Spratly Islands (2005) z Guinea-Bissau (2002)

 Spratly Islands (2005)Guinea-Bissau (2002)
 Spratly IslandsGuinea-Bissau
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: 41.9% (male 281,394; female 282,641)


15-64 years: 55.2% (male 353,755; female 388,968)


65 years and over: 2.9% (male 17,130; female 21,591) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products - rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Airports 3 (2004 est.) 28 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 25


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area total: less than 5 sq km


land: less than 5 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea
total: 36,120 sq km


land: 28,000 sq km


water: 8,120 sq km
Area - comparative NA slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Background The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal claim. 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 Kumba YALA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by its crippled economy devastated in the civil war.
Birth rate - 38.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget - revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital - Bissau
Climate tropical tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Coastline 926 km 350 km
Constitution - 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Spratly Islands
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
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
Death rate - 15.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external - $931 million (1999 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; for the time being, US embassy Dakar is responsible for covering Guinea-Bissau: telephone - [221] 823-4296; FAX - [221] 822-5903
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
Disputes - international all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratlys Senegalese separatists disrupt legal border trade with smuggling, cattle rustling, and other illegal activities
Economic aid - recipient - $115.4 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored; there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed. 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 1999-2001. 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.
Electricity - consumption - 55.8 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production - 60 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Environment - current issues NA deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
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%
Exchange rates - Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997)


note: as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the XOF franc as the national currency; since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Executive branch - chief of state: President Kumba YALA (since 18 February 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Mario PIRES (since 17 November 2002)


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: Kumba YALA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Kumba YALA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%
Exports - $80 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities - cashew nuts 70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
Exports - partners - India 51.4%, Italy 2.7%, South Korea 2.0%, Belgium 2.0% (2000)
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
GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 54%


industry: 15%


services: 31% (1997 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 7.2% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 38 N, 111 55 E 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Geography - note strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland
Highways - total: 4,400 km


paved: 453 km


unpaved: 3,947 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 42% (1991) (1991)
Imports - $55.2 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities - foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Imports - partners - Portugal 30%, Senegal 14.6%, Thailand 8.5%, China 5.7% (2000)
Independence - 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
Industrial production growth rate - 2.6% (1997 est.)
Industries - agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Infant mortality rate - 108.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation - ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 2 (2002)
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) 170 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)
Labor force - 480,000
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 82% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 724 km


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


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2001)
arable land: 10.67%


permanent crops: 1.78%


other: 87.55% (1998 est.)
Languages - Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Legal system - NA
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 20 April 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
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 49.8 years


male: 47.47 years


female: 52.2 years (2002 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 34%


male: 50%


female: 18% (2000 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Map references Southeast Asia Africa
Maritime claims NA exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military - note Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam -
Military branches - People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $5.6 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.8% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 313,573 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 178,404 (2002 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Nationality - noun: Guinean (s)


adjective: Guinean
Natural hazards typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Natural resources fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Net migration rate - -1.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 [Kumba YALA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population no indigenous inhabitants


note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (2004)
1,345,479 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line - NA%
Population growth rate - 2.23% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors none; offshore anchorage only Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Radio broadcast stations - AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002)
Radios - 49,000 (1997)
Railways - 0 km
Religions - indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
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: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 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


international: NA
Telephones - main lines in use - 10,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations - NA (1997)
Terrain flat mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Total fertility rate - 5.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate - NA%
Waterways - several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping
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