| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea
local long form: Republique de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
former: French Guinea |
| Capital: |
Conakry |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
11 00 N, 10 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Oregon |
| Land
Boundaries: |
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 |
| Coastline: |
320 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds |
| Terrain: |
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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 Cellou Dalein DIALLO (since 4 December 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 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 of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Mamadou BA]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
9,467,866 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,123,207/female 2,079,475)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 2,478,820/female 2,486,300)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 131,130/female 168,934) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 17.67 years
male: 17.42 years
female: 17.93 years (2005 est.) |
| 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| 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) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
6 low-power stations (2001) |
| Internet country
code: |
.gn |
| Internet hosts: |
380 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
40,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| 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) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Boke, Conakry, Kamsar |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
16 (2004 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.) |
| Heliports: |
|
