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| Introduction | Guinea |
| Background: | Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana 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. |
| People | Guinea |
| Population: | 9,246,462 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,075,652; female 2,032,936) 15-64 years: 52.4% (male 2,417,440; female 2,428,085) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 127,654; female 164,695) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 17.7 years male: 17.4 years female: 17.9 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.37% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 42.26 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 15.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | 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 (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 91.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 86.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 97.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 49.7 years male: 48.45 years female: 50.99 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.87 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 3.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 140,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 9,000 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis overall degree of risk: very high (2004) |
| Nationality: | noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean |
| Ethnic groups: | Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% |
| Religions: | Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% |
| Languages: | French (official), each ethnic group has its own language |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 35.9% male: 49.9% female: 21.9% (1995 est.) |
| Government | Guinea |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Guinea conventional short form: Guinea local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Conakry |
| Administrative divisions: | 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 |
| Independence: | 2 October 1958 (from France) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 2 October (1958) |
| Constitution: | 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) |
| Legal system: | based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Francois Lonseny FALL (since 23 February 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003 (next to be held NA December 2008); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 95.3%, Mamadou Boye BARRY (UPR) 4.6% |
| Legislative branch: | 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 NA 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 |
| Judicial branch: | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
| Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana CONTE] - the governing party; People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Rafiou Alpha Oumar BARRY FAX: [1] (202) 478-3010 telephone: [1] (202) 986-4300 chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23 FAX: [224] 41 15 22 |
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| Communications | Guinea |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 26,200 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 111,500 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | 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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001) |
| Radios: | 357,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 6 low-power stations (2001) |
| Televisions: | 85,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .gn |
| Internet hosts: | 380 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 4 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 40,000 (2003) |
| Transportation | Guinea |
| Railways: | total: 837 km standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 30,500 km paved: 5,033 km unpaved: 25,467 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2003) |
| Ports and harbors: | Boke, Conakry, Kamsar |
| Merchant marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,344 GRT/5,003 DWT by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Iraq 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 16 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Guinea |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard, National Gendarmerie, General Directorate of National Police |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,108,948 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,064,965 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $58.5 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.7% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Guinea |
| Disputes - international: | domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups in Guinea, domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts skirmishes, deaths, and refugees in border areas; in 2003, Guinea and Sierra Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over the town of Yenga |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 133,175 (Liberia), 13,633 (Sierra Leone), 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 100,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire) (2004) |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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