Chapter XXIV: Front Matter (24)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1%

Languages:
French (official) 99%, Creole patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 90%
female: 90% (1982 est.)

Government Guadeloupe

Country name:
conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe

Dependency status:
overseas department of France

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Basse-Terre

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas department of France)

Independence:
none (overseas department of France)

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
French legal system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 6 August 2002)
election results: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and
Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT
(since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Lucette
MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the
unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be
held by NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next
to be held NA 2004)
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September
2004); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS
1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National
Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held
NA 2007); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 2, PS
1, different right parties 1
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6,
right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of
vote by party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG
5.29%, diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25,
PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 2

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe,
French Guiana, and Martinique

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique
LARIFLA]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Rally
for the Republic or RPR (may have become UMP) [Lucette
MICHAUX-CHEVRY]; Socialist Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Union for
French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG;
General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of
Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or
MPGI

International organization participation:
FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas department of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Guadeloupe

Economy - overview:
The Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light
industry, and services. It also depends on France for large
subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists
from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the
islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by
other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export
earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops
are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still
dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry
features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel
are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young.
Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1997 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA%

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15%
industry: 17%
services: 68% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%

Labor force:
125,900 (1997)

Labor force - by occupation:
NA

Unemployment rate:
27.8% (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105
million (1996)

Industries:
construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
1.155 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
1.074 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs,
goats

Exports:
$140 million f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities:
bananas, sugar, rum

Exports - partners:
France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999)

Imports:
$1.7 billion c.i.f. (1997)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods,
construction materials

Imports - partners:
France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2%
(1999)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies

Currency:
euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)

Currency code:
EUR; FRF

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guadeloupe

Telephones - main lines in use:
171,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and
Martinique

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
113,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
118,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
4,000 (2000)

Transportation Guadeloupe

Railways:
NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines

Highways:
total: 2,467 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1998)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
convenience: France 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
9 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Guadeloupe

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Guadeloupe

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Guam

Introduction Guam

Background:
Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese
in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military
installation on the island is one of the most strategically
important US bases in the Pacific.

Geography Guam

Location:
Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of
the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

Geographic coordinates:
13 28 N, 144 47 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 549 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 549 sq km

Area - comparative:
three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
125.5 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast
trade winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season from July
to December; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:
volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat
coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep
coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in
center, mountains in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m

Natural resources:
fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan)

Land use:
arable land: 10.91%
permanent crops: 10.91%
other: 78.18% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but
potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)

Environment - current issues:
extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of
the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species

Geography - note:
largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago;
strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean

People Guam

Population:
163,941 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.1% (male 30,334; female 27,264)
15-64 years: 58.4% (male 50,258; female 45,538)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 5,269; female 5,278) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.2 years
male: 25.6 years
female: 24.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.89% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
23.19 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
4.29 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 6.62 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.27 years
male: 75.96 years
female: 80.9 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.62 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Guamanian(s)
adjective: Guamanian

Ethnic groups:
Chamorro 37%, Filipino 26%, white 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
and other 27%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)

Languages:
English, Chamorro, Japanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1990 est.)

Government Guam

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Guam
conventional short form: Guam
local long form: Guahan

Dependency status:
organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations
between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of
Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Hagatna (Agana)

Administrative divisions:
none (territory of the US)

Independence:
none (territory of the US)

National holiday:
Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521)

Constitution:
Organic Act of 1 August 1950

Legal system:
modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US
presidential elections

Executive branch:
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20
January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January
2001)
election results: Felix P. P. CAMACHO elected governor; percent of
vote - Felix P. P. CAMACHO (Republican Party) 55.4%, Robert A.
UNDERWOOD (Democratic Party) 44.6%
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same
ticket for a four-year term; governor and lieutenant governor
elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term;
election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006)
head of government: Governor Felix P. P. CAMACHO (since 6 January
2003) and Lieutenant Governor Kaleo MOYLAN (since 6 January 2003)
cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor with
the consent of the Guam legislature

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November
2004)
note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of
Representatives; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held
NA November 2004); results - Madeleine BORDALLO (Democratic Party)
was elected as delegate; percent of vote by party - Democratic Party
64.6%, Republican Party 35.4%; seats by party - Democratic Party 1
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Democratic Party 9, Republican Party 6

Judicial branch:
Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president);
Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by
the governor)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party (controls the legislature) [speaker, Vicente (Ben)
PANGELINAN]; Republican Party (party of Governor CAMACHO) [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of the US)

Flag description:
territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four
sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse
containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree
with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the
national flag

Economy Guam

Economy - overview:
The economy depends on US military spending, tourism, and the
export of fish and handicrafts. Total US grants, wage payments, and
procurement outlays amounted to $1 billion in 1998. Over the past 20
years, the tourist industry has grown rapidly, creating a
construction boom for new hotels and the expansion of older ones.
More than 1 million tourists visit Guam each year. The industry has
recently suffered setbacks because of the continuing Japanese
slowdown; the Japanese normally make up almost 90% of the tourists.
Most food and industrial goods are imported. Guam faces the problem
of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of
military downsizing.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA%

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
23% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0% (1999 est.)

Labor force:
60,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
federal and territorial government 26%, private 74% (trade 24%,
other services 40%, industry 10%) (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $340 million
expenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries:
US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services,
concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
830 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
771.9 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
20,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef

Exports:
$75.7 million f.o.b. (1999 est.)

Exports - commodities:
mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction
materials, fish, food and beverage products

Exports - partners:
Japan 81.7%, South Korea 6.1%, Canada 2.4% (2002)

Imports:
$203 million f.o.b. (1999 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:
Singapore 40.5%, South Korea 21.7%, Japan 21.6%, Hong Kong 4.9%
(2002)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury
($143 million in 1997) into which Guamanians pay no income or excise
taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam
Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes
paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam

Currency:
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Guam

Telephones - main lines in use:
84,134 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
55,000 (1998)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system, integrated with US facilities
for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers
domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service
and local access to the Internet
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific
Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific
communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the
US and Asia)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2003)

Radios:
221,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
5 (1997)

Televisions:
106,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gu

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
20 (2000)

Internet users:
5,000 (2000)

Transportation Guam

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 885 km
paved: 675 km
unpaved: 210 km
note: there are also 685 km of roads classified non-public,
including roads located on federal government installations

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Apra Harbor

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
5 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Guam

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Guam

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Guatemala

Introduction Guatemala

Background:
Guatemala was freed of Spanish colonial rule in 1821. During the
second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of
military and civilian governments as well as a 36-year guerrilla
war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally
ending the conflict, which had led to the death of more than 100,000
people and had created some 1 million refugees.

Geography Guatemala

Location:
Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El
Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean
Sea) between Honduras and Belize

Geographic coordinates:
15 30 N, 90 15 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 108,890 sq km
water: 460 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Tennessee

Land boundaries:
total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256
km, Mexico 962 km

Coastline:
400 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone
plateau (Peten)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 12.54%
permanent crops: 5.03%
other: 82.43% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
1,250 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent
earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and
other tropical storms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

Geography - note:
no natural harbors on west coast

People Guatemala

Population:
13,909,384 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 3,052,658; female 2,908,428)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 3,779,688; female 3,706,315)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 215,653; female 246,642) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.3 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 18.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.66% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
35.05 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
6.78 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-1.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 37.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 37.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 38.72 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.23 years
male: 64.31 years
female: 66.21 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.67 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
67,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,200 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan

Ethnic groups:
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish or assimilated Amerindian - in
local Spanish called Ladino), approximately 55%, Amerindian or
predominantly Amerindian, approximately 43%, whites and others 2%

Religions:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

Languages:
Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized
Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam,
Garifuna, and Xinca)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.6%
male: 78%
female: 63.3% (2003 est.)

Government Guatemala

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
conventional short form: Guatemala
local short form: Guatemala
local long form: Republica de Guatemala

Government type:
constitutional democratic republic

Capital:
Guatemala

Administrative divisions:
22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta
Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso,
Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten,
Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa
Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May
1993 by former President SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following
ouster of president; amended November 1993

Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the armed forces
may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera (since
14 January 2000); Vice President Juan Francisco REYES Lopez (since
14 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera
(since 14 January 2000); Vice President Juan Francisco REYES Lopez
(since 14 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 7 November 1999; runoff held 26 December 1999
(next to be held NA November 2003)
election results: Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera elected
president; percent of vote - Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera (FRG)
68%, Oscar BERGER Perdomo (PAN) 32%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica
(140 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 9 November 2003 (next to be held NA November
2007)
note: for the 9 November 2003 election, the number of congressional
seats increased to 140 from 113
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
GANA 49, FRG 42, UNE 33, PAN 16

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (thirteen
members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of
the Court each year from among their number; the president of the
Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the
country, who are named to five-year terms); Constitutional Court or
Corte de Constitutcionalidad (five judges are elected for concurrent
five-year terms by Congress, each serving one year as president of
the Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress, one elected by
the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed by the President, one
elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala,
and one by Colegio de Abogados)

Political parties and leaders:
Authentic Integral Development or DIA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democratic
Union or UD [Rodolfo PAIZ Andrade]; Grand National Alliance or GANA
[leader NA]; Green Party or LOV [Rodolfo ROSALES Garcis-Salaz];
Guatemalan Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo];
Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Secretary General
Alba ESTELA Maldonado]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain
RIOS Montt]; Movement for Guatemalan Unity or MGU [Jacobo ARBENZ
Villanueva]; Movement for Principals and Values or MPV [Francisco
BIANCHI]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Secretary General
Leonel LOPEZ Rodas]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvarado COLOM
Caballeros]; New Nation Alliance or ANN, formed by an alliance of
DIA, URNG, and several splinter groups most of whom subsequently
defected [led by three co-equal partners - Nineth Varenca MONTENEGRO
Cottom, Rodolfo BAUER Paiz, and Jorge Antonio BALSELLS TUT]; Patriot
Party or PP [retired General Otto PEREZ Molina]; Progressive
Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina]; Reform Movement
or MR [Secretary General Alfredo SKINNER-KLEE]; Unionista Party
[leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI;
Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of
Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or
CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM

International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio Fernando ARENALES Forno
chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908
telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John Randle HAMILTON
embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City
mailing address: APO AA 34024
telephone: [502] 331-1541/55
FAX: [502] 334-8477

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and
light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the
coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird)
and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE
1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed
on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed
by a wreath

Economy Guatemala

Economy - overview:
The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP,
two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar,
and bananas are the main products. Former President ARZU (1996-2000)
worked to implement a program of economic liberalization and
political modernization. President PORTILLO has continued the
liberalization program but with more sporadic results. The 1996
signing of the peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war,
removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, but numerous
corruption scandals associated with the PORTILLO administration have
dampened investor confidence. The distribution of income remains
highly unequal, with perhaps 75% of the population below the poverty
line. Ongoing challenges include increasing the government revenues,
negotiating further assistance from international donors, upgrading
both government and private financial operations, and narrowing the
trade deficit. A free trade agreement between the US and Central
American countries promises greater access to US and neighboring
markets.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $53.2 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,900 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 20%
services: 57% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
75% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 46% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
55.8 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.1% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
4.2 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 50%, industry 15%, services 35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
7.5% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.3 billion
expenditures: $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $750
million (2002 est.)

Industries:
sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum,
metals, rubber, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
4.1% (1999)

Electricity - production:
6.237 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 51.9%
hydro: 35.2%
other: 12.9% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
5.559 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
336 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
95 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
21,080 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
61,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
263 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.543 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep,
pigs, chickens

Exports:
$2.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat,
apparel, petroleum, electricity

Exports - partners:
US 58.7%, El Salvador 9.3%, Nicaragua 3.1% (2002)

Imports:
$5.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials,
grain, fertilizers, electricity

Imports - partners:
US 33.2%, Mexico 9.9%, South Korea 8.2%, El Salvador 5.7%, China 4%
(2002)

Debt - external:
$4.9 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$250 million (2000 est.)

Currency:
quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed

Currency code:
GTQ; USD

Exchange rates:
quetzales per US dollar - 7.82 (2002), 7.86 (2001), 7.76 (2000),
7.39 (1999), 6.39 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guatemala

Telephones - main lines in use:
665,061 (June 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
663,296 (September 2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of
Guatemala
domestic: NA
international: connected to Central American Microwave System;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)

Radios:
835,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
1.323 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.gt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)

Internet users:
200,000 (2002)

Transportation Guatemala

Railways:
total: 886 km
narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 14,118 km
paved: 4,871 km (including 74 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,247 km (1999)

Waterways:
990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable
during highwater season

Pipelines:
oil 480 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Champerico, Puerto Barrios, Puerto Quetzal, San Jose, Santo Tomas
de Castilla

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
466 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 455
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 115
under 914 m: 330 (2002)

Military Guatemala

Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 3,320,077 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,167,270 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 151,294 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$120 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.6% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Guatemala

Disputes - international:
Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in Belize border region;
OAS brokered Differendum in 2002 creating small adjustment to land
boundary, large Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint
ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK
financial package, but agreement was not brought to popular
referendum leaving Guatemalan claim to southern half of Belize intact

Illicit drugs:
major transit country for cocaine and heroin; minor producer of
illicit opium poppy and cannabis for mostly domestic consumption;
proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs
(cocaine and heroin shipments); money laundering is a serious
problem; corruption is a major problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Guernsey

Introduction Guernsey

Background:
The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the
last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway
in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil
occupied by German troops in World War II.

Geography Guernsey

Location:
Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:
49 28 N, 2 35 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 78 sq km
note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other
smaller islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 78 sq km

Area - comparative:
about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
50 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM

Climate:
temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are
overcast

Terrain:
mostly level with low hills in southwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m

Natural resources:
cropland

Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA%

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port

People Guernsey

Population:
64,818 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 5,216; female 5,061)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 21,433; female 21,835)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 4,705; female 6,568) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.2 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 41.1 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.34% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
9.43 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
9.84 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
3.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.04 years
male: 77.04 years
female: 83.14 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups:
UK and Norman-French descent

Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational,
Methodist

Languages:
English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Guernsey

Country name:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey

Dependency status:
British crown dependency

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Saint Peter Port

Administrative divisions:
none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale,
Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint
Martin, Saint Andrew

Independence:
none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:
Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system:
English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal
Court

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor
appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt.
Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff de Vic Graham CAREY
(since NA 1999)
cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of
the States

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10
Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies
elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her
Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller
(Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and
Registrar General); note - Alderney and Sark have their own
parliaments
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents

Judicial branch:
Royal Court

Political parties and leaders:
none; all independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
none

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:
white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England)
extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of
William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross

Economy Guernsey

Economy - overview:
Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. -
account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island
economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes
and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties
make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration
of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which
Guernsey operates.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10%
services: 87% (2000)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.99% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
31,322 (2000)

Unemployment rate:
0.5% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries:
tourism, banking

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 0%
other: 0%
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Agriculture - products:
tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit;
Guernsey cattle

Exports:
$NA

Exports - commodities:
tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other
vegetables

Exports - partners:
UK (regarded as internal trade)

Imports:
$NA

Imports - commodities:
coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment

Imports - partners:
UK (regarded as internal trade)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

Currency:
British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound

Currency code:
GBP

Exchange rates:
Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001),
0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Guernsey
pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guernsey

Telephones - main lines in use:
44,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
12,000 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.gg

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Guernsey

Railways:
5 km

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
2 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Guernsey

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Guernsey

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Guinea

Introduction Guinea

Background:
Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold democratic
elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the military
government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was
reelected in 1998. Unrest in Sierra Leone has spilled over into
Guinea, threatening stability and creating a humanitarian emergency.

Geography Guinea

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates:
11 00 N, 10 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 3,399 km
border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km,
Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

Coastline:
320 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to
November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May)
with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain:
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish

Land use:
arable land: 3.6%
permanent crops: 2.44%
other: 93.96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
950 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry
season

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water;
desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing,
overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to
environmental damage

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources
in the Guinean highlands

People Guinea

Population:
9,030,220 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,027,970; female 1,986,300)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 2,358,566; female 2,372,384)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 124,382; female 160,618) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.7 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 17.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.37% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
42.5 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is
host to approximately 150,000 Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees
(2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 93.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 87.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 98.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.54 years
male: 48.28 years
female: 50.83 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.54% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
55,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups:
Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%

Religions:
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%

Languages:
French (official), each ethnic group has its own language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.9%
male: 49.9%
female: 21.9% (1995 est.)

Government Guinea

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea
local short form: Guinee
former: French Guinea
local long form: Republique de Guinee

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Conakry

Administrative divisions:
33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa,
Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah,
Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia,
Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola,
Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele,
Tougue, Yomou

Independence:
2 October 1958 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 October (1958)

Constitution:
23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Legal system:
based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal
codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military
government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Lamine SIDIME (since 8 March 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected
president; election last held 14 December 1998 (next to be held NA
December 2003); the prime minister is appointed by the president
election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote
- Lansana CONTE (PUP) 56.1%, Mamadou Boye BA (UPR) 24.6%, Alpha
CONDE (RPG) 16.6%,

Legislative branch:
unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%,
other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El
Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or
UNP [Paul Louis FABER]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana
CONTE] - the governing party; People's Party of Guinea or PPG
[Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE];
Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Siradiou DIALLO]; Union for
Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general];
Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rafiou Alpha Oumar BARRY
FAX: [1] (202) 478-3010
telephone: [1] (202) 986-4300
chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY
embassy: Rue Ka 038, Conakry
mailing address: B. P. 603, Conakry
telephone: [224] 41 15 20, 41 15 21, 41 15 23
FAX: [224] 41 15 22

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Guinea

Economy - overview:
Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural
resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country
possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the
second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for
about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in government
fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if
the country is to move out of poverty. The government made
encouraging progress in budget management in 1997-99, and reform
progress was praised in the World Bank/IMF October 2000 assessment.
However, fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders has
caused major economic disruptions. In addition to direct defense
costs, the violence has led to a sharp decline in investor
confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff,
while panic buying has created food shortages and inflation in local
markets. Multilateral aid - including Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) debt relief - and single digit inflation permitted
moderate 3.7% growth in 2002. Growth should strengthen in 2003
because of a slowly improving security situation and increased
investor confidence.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $18.69 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 37%
services: 38% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
40% (1994 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 32% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.3 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
3 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $395.7 million
expenditures: $472.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
million (2000 est.)

Industries:
bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and
agricultural processing industries

Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (1994)

Electricity - production:
790.6 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 45.5%
hydro: 54.5%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
735.2 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
8,600 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas,
sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

Exports:
$835 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural
products

Exports - partners:
South Korea 17.8%, Spain 10.1%, Cameroon 9.7%, Belgium 9.6%, US
9.2%, Ireland 8.6%, France 7.1%, Russia 6.8%, Germany 5% (2002)

Imports:
$670 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment,
textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
France 18.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, Italy 8.9%, US 8.2%, Belgium 7.6%,
China 5.6%, UK 5.2% (2002)

Debt - external:
$3.4 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$359.2 million (1998)

Currency:
Guinean franc (GNF)

Currency code:
GNF

Exchange rates:
Guinean francs per US dollar - NA (2002), 1,950.56 (2001), 1,746.87
(2000), 1,387.4 (1999), 1,236.83 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:
37,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
21,567 (1998)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small
radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay
system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave
3 (2001)

Radios:
357,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 low-power stations (2001)

Televisions:
85,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2001)

Internet users:
15,000 (2002)

Transportation Guinea

Railways:
total: 1,115 km
standard gauge: 311 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 804 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km
unpaved: 25,467 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft)

Ports and harbors:
Boke, Conakry, Kamsar

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
15 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Guinea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard, Presidential Guard,
paramilitary National Gendarmerie, National Police Force (Surete
National)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,056,520 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,038,428 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$154 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.3% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Guinea

Disputes - international:
domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups in Guinea, Liberia,
and Sierra Leone have created skirmishes, deaths, and refugees in
border areas

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Guinea-Bissau

Introduction Guinea-Bissau

Background:
In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the country's
first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held.
An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998 created
hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. A military junta ousted
the president in May 1999. An interim government turned over power
in February 2000 when opposition leader Kumba YALA took office
following two rounds of transparent presidential elections.
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
water: 8,120 sq km
land: 28,000 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:
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 10.67%
permanent crops: 1.78%
other: 87.55% (1998 est.)

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:
1,360,827 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.9% (male 284,150; female 285,370)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 358,891; female 392,703)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 17,285; female 22,428) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.8 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 19.4 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.02% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
38.41 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
16.62 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 110.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 99.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 120.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.97 years
male: 45.09 years
female: 48.91 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
17,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,200 (2001 est.)

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 short form: Guine-Bissau
local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
former: Portuguese Guinea

Government type:
republic, multiparty since mid-1991

Capital:
Bissau

Administrative divisions:
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau,
Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have
been renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Independence:
24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10
September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Constitution:
16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993,
9 June 1993, and 1996

Legal system:
NA

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal