Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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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; new elections are to take place in June 2009.
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 00 N, 15 00 W
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
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Coastline:
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350 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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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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Terrain:
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mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
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Land use:
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arable land: 8.31%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 84.77% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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250 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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31 cu km (2003)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%)
per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
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Environment - international agreements:
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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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Geography - note:
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this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland
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Population:
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1,533,964 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 40.8% (male 312,253/female 313,609)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 414,924/female 445,639)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 19,191/female 28,348) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 19.3 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 19.8 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.019% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate:
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35.97 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate:
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16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 30% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 99.82 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 109.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 89.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 47.9 years
male: 46.07 years
female: 49.79 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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4.65 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.8% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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16,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,100 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
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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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Nationality:
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noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean
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Ethnic groups:
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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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Religions:
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Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%
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Languages:
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Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.4%
male: 58.1%
female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 5 years
male: 7 years
female: 4 years (2001)
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Education expenditures:
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5.2% of GDP (1999)
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Country name:
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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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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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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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Administrative divisions:
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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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Independence:
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24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
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Constitution:
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16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996
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Legal system:
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based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Raimundo PEREIRA, who as Parliamentary Speaker succeeded President VIERA following VIERA's assassination on 2 March 2009; a presidential election is scheduled for 28 June 2009
head of government: Prime Minister Carlos GOMES Junior (since 25 December 2008)
cabinet: NA
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held 28 June 2009 following the assassination of President VIERA); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature
election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 November 2008 (next to be held 2012)
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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Judicial branch:
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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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Political parties and leaders:
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African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Democratic Alliance or AD [Victor MANDINGA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS [Rafael BARBOSA]; Electoral Union or UE [Joaquim BALDE]; Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG; Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE]; Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; New Democracy Party or PND; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or PP; Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides GOMES]; Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Frnacisco FADUL]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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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Flag description:
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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; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
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Economy - overview:
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One of the five poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks fifth in cashew production. 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. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. Offshore oil prospecting is underway in several sectors but has not yet led to commercially viable crude deposits. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. 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. Government drift and indecision, however, resulted in continued low growth in 2002-06. Higher raw material prices boosted growth to 3.7% in 2007 and 3.9% in 2008.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$857 million (2008 est.)
$830.4 million (2007)
$808.6 million (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$442 million (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.2% (2008 est.)
2.7% (2007 est.)
1.8% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$600 (2008 est.)
$600 (2007 est.)
$600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 62%
industry: 12%
services: 26% (1999 est.)
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Labor force:
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480,000 (1999)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 82%
industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)
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Budget:
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revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.8% (2007 est.)
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Central bank discount rate:
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4.25% (31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
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$142.5 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money:
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$12.04 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit:
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$46.44 million (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$NA
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
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Industries:
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agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
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Industrial production growth rate:
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4.7% (2003 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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60 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
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55.8 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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2,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - imports:
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2,560 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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-$6 million (2007 est.)
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Exports:
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$133 million f.o.b. (2006)
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Exports - commodities:
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cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
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Exports - partners:
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Brazil 56.2%, India 33.6%, Nigeria 8.3% (2007)
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Imports:
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$200 million f.o.b. (2006)
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
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Imports - partners:
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Portugal 21.7%, Senegal 16.8%, France 6%, Pakistan 4.7% (2007)
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Debt - external:
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$941.5 million (2000 est.)
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)
note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par
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Airports:
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9 (2008)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2008)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2008)
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Roadways:
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total: 3,455 km
paved: 965 km
unpaved: 2,490 km (2002)
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Waterways:
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rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2008)
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Ports and terminals:
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Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
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