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 Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE;
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]; Party for Democratic
Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress
or PRP; Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW]; 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
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
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
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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
Flag description:
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
Economy
Guinea-Bissau
Economy - overview:
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 sixth 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$826.4 million (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$343 million (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 62% industry: 12% services: 26% (1999 est.)
Labor force:
480,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 82% industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)
Budget:
revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$142.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$12.04 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$46.44 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Industries:
agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
60 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
55.8 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
2,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
2,560 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural