Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003. Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade, threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies.

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

11 00 N, 10 00 W

total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 sq km

total: 3,399 km
border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

320 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt

arable land: 4.47%
permanent crops: 2.64%
other: 92.89% (2005)

950 sq km (2003)

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season

deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage

the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands

9,690,222 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,171,733/female 2,128,027)
15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,541,140/female 2,542,847)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 134,239/female 172,236) (2006 est.)

total: 17.7 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 17.9 years (2006 est.)

2.63% (2006 est.)

41.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

15.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 141,500 refugees from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 90 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 95.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 84.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 49.5 years
male: 48.34 years
female: 50.7 years (2006 est.)

5.79 children born/woman (2006 est.)

3.2% (2003 est.)

140,000 (2003 est.)

9,000 (2003 est.)

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005)

noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean

Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%

Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%

French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.9%
male: 49.9%
female: 21.9% (1995 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea
local long form: Republique de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
former: French Guinea

republic

Conakry

33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou

2 October 1958 (from France)

Independence Day, 2 October (1958)

23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

18 years of age; universal

unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for over 70% of exports in 2004. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor confidence. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation and caused riots in local markets. Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid; the IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth rose slightly in 2005, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets.

$20.78 billion (2005 est.)

$3.694 billion (2005 est.)

2% (2005 est.)

$2,200 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 23.7%
industry: 36.2%
services: 40.1% (2005 est.)

3 million (1999)

agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2000 est.)

40% (2003 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 32% (1994)

40.3 (1994)

25% (2005 est.)

17.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $305.6 million
expenditures: $590.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

3.2% (1994)

775 million kWh (2003)

720.8 million kWh (2003)

8,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

-$268.4 million (2005 est.)

$612.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products

France 17.7%, Belgium 14.7%, UK 14.7%, Switzerland 12.8%, Ukraine 4.2% (2004)

$680 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

Cote d'Ivoire 15.1%, France 8.7%, Belgium 5.9%, China 5.9%, South Africa 4.6% (2004)

$69.83 million (2005 est.)

$3.46 billion (2003 est.)

$237.5 million (2003)

Guinean franc (GNF)

calendar year

26,200 (2003)

111,500 (2003)

general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001)

6 low-power stations (2001)

.gn

364 (2005)

46,000 (2005)

16 (2005)

total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2005)

total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2005)

total: 837 km
standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

total: 44,348 km
paved: 4,342 km
unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)

1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)

Kamsar

Army (includes Presidential Guard, Republican Guard), Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, General Directorate of National Police

conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone has pressured Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga, occupied since 1998

refugees (country of origin): 127,256 (Liberia) 7,165 (Sierra Leone) 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 82,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire) (2005)