| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Africa |
| Geographical Location |
12° 00' North Latitude
15° 00' West Longitude |
| Surface Area |
36,120 sq km |
| 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 |
| Natural Resources |
Fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Republic of Guinea-Bissau |
| Capital City |
Bissau |
| Government Type |
Republic, multiparty since mid-1991 |
| Administrative Divisions |
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos |
| Independence Day |
24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
1,416,027 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Guinean |
| Ethnic Groups |
African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% |
| Religion |
Indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% |
| Languages |
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages |
| Population Growth Rate |
1.96% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| 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 |
| Industries |
Agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks |
| Labor Force |
480,000 (1999) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 82% (2000 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish |
| Export Commodities |
Cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber |
| Export Partners |
India 54.9%, US 24.2%, Nigeria 12.7%, Italy 4.1% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products |
| Import Partners |
Senegal 23.4%, Portugal 20.4%, China 8.2%, Netherlands 5.8% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
- |
| Highways |
4,400 km |
| Pipelines |
- |
| Airports |
28 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+245 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.gw |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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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