International Security Bulletin

Guinea

Republic of Guinea

Capital: Conakry

The Guinea Bulletin

Weekly Brief: March 30, 2015

History

Guinea has had a history of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls were marred by irregularities. History repeated itself in December 2008 when following President CONTE's death, Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seizing power and suspending the constitution. His unwillingness to yield to domestic and international pressure to step down led to heightened political tensions that culminated in September 2009 when presidential guards opened fire on an opposition rally killing more than 150 people, and in early December 2009 when CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and evacuated to Morocco and subsequently to Burkina Faso. A transitional government led by Gen. Sekouba KONATE held democratic elections in 2010 and Alpha CONDE was elected president in the country's first free and fair elections since independence. CONDE in July 2011 survived an attack on his residence allegedly perpetrated by the military. In October 2012, he announced a cabinet reshuffle that removed three members of the military from their positions, making the current administration Guinea's first all-civilian government.

Geography

Metric Units

Total Area	245,857 sq km
Land Boundaries	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
Terrain	generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Minimum Elevation	0 m
Maximum Elevation	1,752 m
Climate	generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Natural Resources	bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt
Arable Land	11.59%
Permanent Crops	2.81%

Economy

Gross Domestic Product	$12.25 billion
GDP (per capita)	$1,100
GDP Growth	4.8%
Unemployment Rate	No data%
Population in Poverty	47%
GINI Index	39.4

Budget & Debt

Expenditures	$1.61 billion
Revenue	$1.24 billion
Current Account Balance	$-1.75 billion
External Debt	$2.65 billion

Trade

Exports	$1.79 billion
Export Items	bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products
Export Partners	Chile 24.6%, Spain 9.2%, Russia 7.5%, India 5.2%, Germany 5.2%, Ireland 5.1%, US 5%, Ukraine 4.4% (2011)
Imports	$2.71 billion
Import Items	petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Import Partners	China 13.2%, Netherlands 8.1%, US 5.4% (2011)

People

Population	11,176,026
Population Growth	2.64%
Ethnic Groups	Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%
Religion	Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Life Expectancy	59.11 years
Infant Mortality	1 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal Mortality	4.3 deaths/100,000 live births

Energy

Electricity Production	955 million kWh
Electricity Consumption	888.2 million kWh
From Fossil Fuels	68.7%
From Nuclear	0%
From Hydroelectric	31.3%
From Renewable Sources	0%