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Republic of Guinea-Bissau

Republica da Guine-Bissau

former: Portuguese Guinea


 
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© 1996-2006
Bob Starkgraf

INTRODUCTION

Background:
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.
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GEOGRAPHY

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Geographic coordinates:
12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 36,120 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline:
350 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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
Terrain:
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Natural resources:
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 10.67%
permanent crops: 1.78%
other: 87.55% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
170 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Environment - current issues:
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
Geography - note:
this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland
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PEOPLE

Population:
1,345,479 (July 2002 est.)
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.)
Population growth rate:
2.23% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
38.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate:
15.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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.)
Infant mortality rate:
108.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.8 years
female: 52.2 years (2002 est.)
male: 47.47 years
Total fertility rate:
5.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.5% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,300 (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Guinean (s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups:
African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 34%
male: 50%
female: 18% (2000 est.)
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