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Central Intelligence Agency
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| page last updated on January 29, 2013 |
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(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)
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Click flag or map to enlarge 
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| Introduction ::Guinea-Bissau |
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Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was elected in an emergency election held in June 2009, but he passed away abruptly died in January 2012 from an existing illness. A military coup on 12 April 2012 prevented Guinea-Bissau's second-round presidential election - to determine SANHA's successor - from taking place.
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| Geography ::Guinea-Bissau |
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
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12 00 N, 15 00 W
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total: 36,125 sq km
country comparison to the world: 138
land:
28,120 sq km
water:
8,005 sq km
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slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
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total: 724 km
border countries:
Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
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350 km
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
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tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
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mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m
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fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
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arable land: 8.31%
permanent crops:
6.92%
other:
84.77% (2005)
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250 sq km (2003)
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31 cu km (2003)
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total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%)
per capita:
113 cu m/yr (2000)
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hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
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deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland
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| People and Society ::Guinea-Bissau |
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noun: Guinean(s)
adjective:
Guinean
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African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
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Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
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Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%
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1,628,603 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
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0-14 years: 40.2% (male 326,670/ female 327,958)
15-64 years:
56.6% (male 446,820/ female 475,107)
65 years and over:
3.2% (male 20,386/ female 31,662) (2012 est.)
population pyramid: 
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total: 19.6 years
male:
19.1 years
female:
20.1 years (2012 est.)
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1.971% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
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34.72 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
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15.01 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
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urban population: 30% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:
3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
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BISSAU (capital) 302,000 (2009)
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.64 male(s)/female
total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
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790 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 6
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total: 94.4 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 5
male:
104.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
84.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
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total population: 49.11 years
country comparison to the world: 221
male:
47.16 years
female:
51.11 years (2012 est.)
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4.44 children born/woman (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
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8.1% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 54
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0.045 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
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0.96 beds/1,000 population (2009)
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improved:
urban: 49% of population
rural: 9% of population
total: 21% of population
unimproved:
urban: 51% of population
rural: 91% of population
total: 79% of population
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2.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
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22,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
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1,200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
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degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
animal contact disease:
rabies (2009)
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17.2% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 44
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NA
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
54.2%
male:
68.2%
female:
40.6% (2010 est.)
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total: 9 years (2006)
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| Government ::Guinea-Bissau |
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conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
conventional short form:
Guinea-Bissau
local long form:
Republica da Guine-Bissau
local short form:
Guine-Bissau
former:
Portuguese Guinea
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republic
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name: Bissau
geographic coordinates:
11 51 N, 15 35 W
time difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
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24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)
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Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
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16 May 1984; amended several times
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mixed legal system of civil law (influenced by the early French Civil Code) and customary law
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accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt
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18 years of age; universal
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chief of state: [Transitional] President Manuel Serifo NHAMADJO (since 11 May 2012)
note:
in the aftermath of the April 2012 coup that deposed the government, an agreement was reached between ECOWAS mediators and the military junta to name NHAMADJO as transitional president with a one year term
head of government:
[Transitional] Prime Minister Rui Duarte BARROS (since 16 May 2012)
cabinet:
NA
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 18 March 2012 with a runoff between the two leading candidates scheduled for 22 April 2012; prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature
election results:
with no candidate receiving a minimum 50% of the vote in the first round, a runoff between the two leading candidates was scheduled for 22 April 2012; percent of vote (first round) - Carlos GOMES Junior 49.0%, Kumba YALA 23.4%, others 27.6%
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unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held on 16 November 2008 (no legislative elections currently scheduled)
election results:
percent of vote by party - PAIGC 49.8%, PRS 25.3%, PRID 7.5%, PND 2.4%, AD 1.4%, other parties 13.6%; seats by party - PAIGC 67, PRS 28, PRID 3, PND 1, AD 1
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Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less than $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)
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African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Rui Dia de SOUSA]; Democratic Alliance or AD [Victor MANDINGA]; New Democracy Party or PND; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Sory DJALO]; Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides GOMES]
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NA
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ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU (suspended), CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC
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the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau
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two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; yellow symbolizes the sun; green denotes hope; red represents blood shed during the struggle for independence; the black star stands for African unity
note:
uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the flag design was heavily influenced by the Ghanaian flag
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name: "Esta e a Nossa Patria Bem Amada" (This Is Our Beloved Country)
lyrics/music:
Amilcar Lopes CABRAL/XIAO He
note:
adopted 1974; a delegation from Portuguese Guinea visited China in 1963 and heard music by XIAO He; Amilcar Lopes CABRA, the leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement, asked the composer to create a piece that would inspire his people to struggle for independence
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One of the poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau's legal economy depends mainly on farming and fishing, but trafficking in narcotics is probably the most lucrative trade. The combination of limited economic prospects, a weak and faction-ridden government, and favorable geography have made this West African country a way station for drugs bound for Europe. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years; low rainfall hindered cereals and other crops in 2011. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. The government is successfully implementing a three-year $33 million extended credit arrangement with the IMF that runs through 2012. In December 2010 the World Bank and IMF announced support for $1.2 billion worth of debt relief. Guinea-Bissau made progress with debt relief in 2011 when members of the Paris Club opted to write-off much of the country's obligations.
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$1.902 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
$1.956 billion (2011 est.)
$1.858 billion (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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$884 million (2012 est.)
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-2.8% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
5.3% (2011 est.)
3.5% (2010 est.)
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$1,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 213
$1,200 (2011 est.)
$1,100 (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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agriculture: 56.3%
industry:
13.1%
services:
30.7% (2012 est.)
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632,700 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 154
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agriculture: 82%
industry and services:
18% (2000 est.)
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NA%
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NA%
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lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%:
28% (2002)
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revenues: $134.6 million
expenditures:
$169.4 million (2012 est.)
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15.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
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-3.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
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6.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
5% (2011 est.)
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4.25% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 74
4.75% (31 December 2008)
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15% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
15% (31 December 2011 est.)
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$323.8 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$308.7 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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$414.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
$364.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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$150.8 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
$122.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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$NA
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rice, corn, beans, cassava (manioc), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
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4.7% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
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-$151.4 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
-$95.9 million (2011 est.)
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$125 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
$244.6 million (2011 est.)
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fish, shrimp; cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
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India 75.9%, Nigeria 14% (2011)
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$254.1 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
$327.6 million (2011 est.)
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foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
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Portugal 27.8%, Senegal 15.4%, China 4.6% (2011)
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$1.095 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
$941.5 million (31 December 2000 est.)
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -
514.1 (2012 est.)
471.87 (2011 est.)
495.28 (2010 est.)
472.19 (2009)
447.81 (2008)
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calendar year
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65 million kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
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60.45 million kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
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0 kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
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0 kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
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21,000 kW (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
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100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
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0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
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0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
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0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
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0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
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2,922 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
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2,578 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
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0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
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461,700 Mt (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
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| Communications ::Guinea-Bissau |
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5,000 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 210
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869,100 (2011)
country comparison to the world: 157
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general assessment: small system including a combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and mobile-cellular communications
domestic:
fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 50 per 100 persons
international:
country code - 245
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1 state-owned TV station and a second station, Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP) Africa, is operated by Portuguese public broadcaster (RTP); 1 state-owned radio station, several private radio stations, and some community radio stations; multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)
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.gw
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90 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 212
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37,100 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 177
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| Transportation ::Guinea-Bissau |
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8 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 160
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total: 2
over 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2012)
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total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
2
under 914 m:
3 (2012)
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total: 3,455 km
country comparison to the world: 161
paved:
965 km
unpaved:
2,490 km (2002)
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(rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior) (2012)
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Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
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People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional); Presidential Guard (2012)
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18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service (Air Force service is voluntary); 16 years of age or younger, with parental consent, for voluntary service (2012)
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males age 16-49: 370,790
females age 16-49:
372,171 (2010 est.)
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males age 16-49: 205,460
females age 16-49:
212,277 (2010 est.)
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male: 17,639
female:
17,865 (2010 est.)
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3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
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| Transnational Issues ::Guinea-Bissau |
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in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau
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refugees (country of origin): 7,658 (Senegal) (2011)
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current situation: Guinea-Bissau is a country of origin and destination for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the scope of the problem of trafficking women or men for forced labor or forced prostitution is unknown; boys reportedly were transported to southern Senegal for forced manual and agricultural labor; girls may be subjected to forced domestic service and child prostitution in Senegal and Guinea; both boys and girls are forced to work as street vendors in cities in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal
tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - the government of Guinea-Bissau does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government acknowledged human trafficking is a problem and enacted a comprehensive anti-trafficking law in June 2011, followed by a national plan of action for implementing the law; the government facilitated the repatriation of 120 trafficking victims from Senegal and gave a small amount of funding to NGO shelters that provided victim care but did not pursue criminal action against trafficking offenders during the year (2012)
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increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug smuggling
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