Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Area: 245,857 square kilometers (slightly smaller than Oregon)

Capital: Conakry

Border Countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone

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

Natural Resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish

Land use: Arable land: 4%; permanent crops: 2%; other: 94% (1998 estimate)

Environment: Current Issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage  Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season

People

Population: 7,775,065  (July 2002 est.); 0-14 years: 42.8% ; 15-64 years: 54.5%; 65 years and over: 2.7%; Infant mortality rate: 127.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); Life expectancy at birth: 46.28 years.

People Groups: Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%

Languages: French (official), each ethnic group has its own language

Literacy: Age 15 and over can read and write - total population: 35.9%; male: 49.9%; female: 21.9%.

Government

Type of Government: Republic

Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France)

Administrative divisions: 33 prefectures and one special zone

National Holiday: Independence Day, 2 October (1958)

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

Chief of State: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Lamine SIDIME (since 8 March 1999)

Flag: Three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Overview: Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. The government made encouraging progress in budget management in 1997-99, and reform progress was praised in the World Bank/IMF October 2000 assessment. However, escalating fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders has caused major economic disruptions. In addition to direct defense costs, the violence has led to a sharp decline in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff, while panic buying has created food shortages and inflation in local markets. Multilateral aid - including Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief - and single digit inflation should permit 5% growth in 2002.

Labor force: 3 million (1999)

Industries: bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

Agriculture: peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Currency: Guinean franc (GNF)

Transportation: Railways: total: 1,086 km; standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge; narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-meter gauge (includes 662 km in common carrier service from Kankan to Conakry); Highways: total: 30,500 km; paved: 5,033 km; unpaved: 25,467 km (1996); Waterways: 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft); Ports & harbors: Boke, Conakry, Kamsar

Religion

Religions: Muslim 85%, indigenous beliefs 7%, Christian 8%.

Guinea is one of Africa’s least evangelized nations.  However, since 1991 there has been a growing freedom to worship and evangelize.  Guinea’s only real financial support comes from the Muslim nation of Saudi Arabia.  A revival of interest in the occult, animism, and Islam hinders the spread of the gospel.