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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Western
Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea and Senegal |
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 00 N,
15 00 W |
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total:
36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
less than three times the size of Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
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Coastline:
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350 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical;
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season
(June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season
(December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
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Terrain:
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mostly
low coastal plain rising to savanna in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast
corner of the country 300 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish,
timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone,
unexploited deposits of petroleum |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 10.67%
permanent crops: 8.82%
other: 80.51% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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170 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry,
dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry
season; brush fires |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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this
small country is swampy along its western coast and
low-lying further inland |
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Population:
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1,416,027
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.97 years
male: 18.37 years
female: 19.57 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.96%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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37.65
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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16.53
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.54
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 46.61 years
male: 44.77 years
female: 48.52 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.93
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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10% (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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17,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,200
(2001 est.) |
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Major infectious diseases:
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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
(2004) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean |
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Ethnic groups:
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African
99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%,
Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% |
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% |
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Languages:
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Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.4%
male: 58.1%
female: 27.4% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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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 |
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Government type:
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republic,
multiparty since mid-1991 |
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Capital:
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Bissau
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Administrative divisions:
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9 regions
(regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau,
Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note -
Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos |
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Independence:
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24
September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau);
10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 24 September (1973) |
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Constitution:
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16 May
1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February
1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996 |
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Legal system:
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NA |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.008
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.6%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $700 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 62%
industry: 12%
services: 26% (1999 est.) |
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Labor force:
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480,000
(1999) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 82% (2000 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA (1998)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 42.4% (1991) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4% (2002
est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures
of NA |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice,
corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts,
palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish |
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Industries:
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agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2.6%
(1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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55
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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51.15
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2,500
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$54
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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cashew
nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber |
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Exports - partners:
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India
52.1%, US 22.2%, Nigeria 13.2% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$104
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum
products |
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Imports - partners:
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Senegal
44.6%, Portugal 13.8%, China 4.2% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$941.5
million (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$115.4
million (1995) |
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Currency (code):
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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 |
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Currency code:
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XOF; GWP
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Exchange rates:
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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 |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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10,600
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1,300
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay,
open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular
communications
international: country code - 245 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1
(transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002)
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Radios:
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49,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA (1997)
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Televisions:
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NA |
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Internet country code:
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.gw |
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Internet hosts:
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2 (2004)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2002)
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Internet users:
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19,000
(2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
4,400 km
paved: 453 km
unpaved: 3,947 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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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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Ports and harbors:
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Bissau,
Buba, Cacheu, Farim |
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Airports:
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28 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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People's
Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy,
and Air Force), paramilitary force |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for compulsory military service (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 288,770 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 152,760 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$8.9
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.1%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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attempts
to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling,
and political instability from a separatist movement in
Senegal's Casamance region |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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