Guinea

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

total:

1.51 cu km/yr (8%/2%/90%)

per capita:

161 cu m/yr (2000)

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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.78 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

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

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease:

Lassa fever (2009)

noun:

Guinean(s)

adjective:

Guinean

conventional long form:

Republic of Guinea

conventional short form:

Guinea

local long form:

Republique de Guinee

local short form:

Guinee

former:

French Guinea

name:

Conakry

geographic coordinates:

9 33 N, 13 42 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 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

chief of state:

Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA, President of the National Council for Democracy and Development, who led a military coup following the death of President Lansana CONTE on 22 December 2008

head of government:

Prime Minister Kabine KOMARA (since 30 December 2008)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits);
• candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president;
• election last held 21 December 2003 (ad hoc election scheduled for 31 January 2010);
• the prime minister is appointed by the president

election results:

Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE 95.3%, Mamadou Bhoye BARRY 4.6%

• Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance;
• Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel;
• Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

• National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY];
• Party for Unity and Progress or PUP (the governing party) [Sekou KONATE];
• People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Charles Pascal TOLNO];
• Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE];
• Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Cellou Dalein DIALLO];
• Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE];
• Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general];
• Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Ousmane BAH]

• National Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union of Guinean Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes National Confederation of Guinean Workers or CNTG [Rabiatou Sarah DIALLO] and Labor Union of Guinean Workers or USTG [Dr. Ibrahima FOFANA]);
• National Council of Civil Society Organizations of Guinea or CNOSCG [Ben Sekou SYLLA];
• Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or SLECG [Dr. Louis M'Bemba SOUMAH]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mory Karamoko KABA

chancery:

2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 986-4300

FAX:

[1] (202) 483-8688

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Elizabeth RASPOLIC

embassy:

Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle

mailing address:

B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry

telephone:

[224] 65-10-40-00

FAX:

[224] 65-10-42-97

agriculture:

76%

industry and services:

24% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.9%

highest 10%:

41% (2006)

• rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes;
• cattle, sheep, goats;
• timber

• bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron;
• alumina refining;
• light manufacturing, and agricultural processing

general assessment:

inadequate system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system

domestic:

• Conakry reasonably well served;
• coverage elsewhere remains inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for nationwide links;
• fixed-line density less than 1 per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular subscribership is expanding and is roughly 25 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

total:

1,185 km

country comparison to the world: 86

standard gauge:

238 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

947 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

total:

44,348 km

country comparison to the world: 82

paved:

4,342 km

unpaved:

40,006 km (2003)

males age 16-49:

2,230,049

females age 16-49:

2,193,236 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,396,278

females age 16-49:

1,435,387 (2009 est.)

male:

110,281

female:

107,879 (2009 est.)

• conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in domestic instability;
• Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands, including the hamlet of Yenga, occupied since 1998

refugees (country of origin):

• 21,856 (Liberia);
• 5,259 (Sierra Leone);
• 3,900 (Cote d'Ivoire)

IDPs:

19,000 (cross-border incursions from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone) (2007)

current situation:

• Guinea is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation;
• the majority of victims are children, and internal trafficking is more prevalent than transnational trafficking;
• within the country, girls are trafficked primarily for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for forced agricultural labor, and as forced beggars, street vendors, shoe shiners, and laborers in gold and diamond mines;
• some Guinean men are also trafficked for agricultural labor within Guinea;
• transnationally, girls are trafficked into Guinea for domestic servitude and likely also for sexual exploitation

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking over 2006;
• Guinea demonstrated minimal law enforcement efforts for a second year in a row, while protection efforts diminished over efforts in 2006;
• the government did not report any trafficking convictions in 2007;
• due to a lack of resources, the government does not provide shelter services for trafficking victims;
• the government took no measures to reduce the demand for commercial sexual exploitation (2008)