Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República da Guiné-Bissau/Republic of Guinea-Bissau Area 36,125 sq km/13,947 sq mi Capital Bissau (and chief port) Language Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a Cape Verdean dialect of Portuguese), African languages Religion animist 58%, Muslim 40%, Christian 5% (mainly Roman Catholic) Time difference GMT +/-0 Major holidays 1, 20 January, 8 February, 8 March, 1 May, 3 August, 12, 24 September, 14 November, 25 December


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Barfatá, Bissorã, Bolama, Gabú, Bubaque, Cacheu, Catio, Farim Physical features flat coastal plain rising to savannah in east Airports one international airport and ten smaller domestic airports; total passengers carried: 20,000 (1998 est) Railways none Roads total road network: 4,400 km/2,734 mi, of which 10.3% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 5.9 per 1,000 people (1999)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Joao Bernardo Vieira from 2005 Head of government Martinho Ndafa Kabi from 2007 Political system military Political executive military Administrative divisions nine regions Political parties African Party for the Independence of Portuguese Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), nationalist socialist; Party for Social Renovation (PRS), left of centre; Guinea-Bissau Resistance–Barfata Movement (PRGB-MB), centrist Death penalty abolished in 1993 Armed forces 9,300; including a gendarmerie of 2,000 (2006 est) Conscription selective conscription Defence spend (% GDP) 3.1 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2.3 (2001 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.6 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Guinean peso GDP (US$) 301 million (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 4.6 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 283 million (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 700 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 2.2% (2006 est) Labour force 85% agriculture, 4.1% industry, 10.9% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 1 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners India, Senegal, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, France Resources bauxite, phosphate, petroleum (largely unexploited) Industries food processing, brewing, cotton processing, fish and timber processing Exports cashew nuts, palm kernels, groundnuts, fish and shrimp, timber. Principal market: India 67.4% (2005) Imports petroleum products, foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, consumer goods. Principal source: Senegal 34.6% (2005) Arable land 8.3% (2006 est) Agricultural products groundnuts, sugar cane, plantains, palm kernels, rice, coconuts, millet, sorghum, maize, cashew nuts; fishing; forest resources


POPULATION

Population 1,633,600 (2006 est) Population growth rate 2.9% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 45 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 36 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 47%, 15–59 48%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups majority originated in Africa, and comprises five main ethnic groups: the Balanta in the central region, the Fulani in the north, the Malinke in the northern central area, and the Mandyako and Pepel near the coast Life expectancy 44 (men); 47 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 203 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 6 Literacy rate 58% (men); 23% (women) (2003 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 1.7 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.5 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 3.8 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 2,700 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 79 (urban); 49 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.8 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 5 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 204 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 45 (2004 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 2 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

10th century Known as Gabu, became a tributary kingdom of the Mali Empire to northeast. 1446 Portuguese arrived, establishing nominal control over coastal areas and capturing slaves to send to Cape Verde. 1546 Gabu kingdom became independent of Mali and survived until 1867. 1879 Portugal, which had formerly administered the area with Cape Verde islands, created the separate colony of Portuguese Guinea. by 1915 The interior had been subjugated by the Portuguese. 1956 African Party for the Independence of Portuguese Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) formed to campaign for independence from Portugal. 1961 PAIGC began to wage guerrilla campaign against Portuguese rule. 1973 Independence declared in area under PAIGC control; heavy losses sustained by Portuguese troops who tried to put down uprising. 1974 Independence separately from Cape Verde accepted by Portugal, with Luiz Cabral (PAIGC) as president. 1981 PAIGC confirmed as only legal party, with João Vieira as secretary general; Cape Verde decided not to form a union. 1984 New constitution made Vieira head of both government and state. 1991 Other parties legalized in response to public pressure. 1994 PAIGC secured clear assembly majority; Vieira narrowly won first multiparty presidential elections. 1999 President Vieira ousted by army. 2000 Kumba Yalla became president. 2003 Yalla overthrown in military coup led by Gen Verissimo Correia Seabra, who assumed interim control pending elections. 2004 PAIGC won parliamentary elections. 2005 Vieira returned from exile to win presidential election. 2007 Martinho Ndafa Kabi appointed prime minister.


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