elections. A military coup attempt and civil war in 1998 eventually
led to VIEIRA's ouster in 1999. In February 2000, an interim
government turned over power when opposition leader Kumba YALA took
office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections.
YALA was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2003, and Henrique
ROSA was sworn in as President. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to
democracy will be complicated by its crippled economy, devastated in
the civil war.
Geography Guinea-Bissau
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea
and Senegal
Geographic coordinates:
12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries: total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline: 350 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season
(June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to
May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain:
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the
country 300 m
Natural resources:
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone,
unexploited deposits of petroleum
Land use: arable land: 10.67% permanent crops: 8.82% other: 80.51% (2001)
Irrigated land:
170 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry
season; brush fires
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying
further inland
People Guinea-Bissau
Population:
1,416,027 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 41.5% (male 293,280/female 294,483)
15–64 years: 55.5% (male 376,719/female 409,402)
65 years and over: 3% (male 17,865/female 24,278) (2005 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.97 years
male: 18.37 years
female: 19.57 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.96% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
37.65 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
16.53 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
−1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 107.17 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 117.78 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 96.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.61 years
male: 44.77 years
female: 48.52 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
10% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
17,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,200 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean
Ethnic groups:
African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%,
Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.4%
male: 58.1%
female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
Government Guinea-Bissau
Country name:
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
Government type:
republic, multiparty since mid-1991
Capital: