democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the
military government) was elected president in disputed balloting.
Security clampdowns continue, although not as severe as in earlier
decades. Reelected in 1998, the president faced growing criticism in
1999 for his jailing of a major opposition leader and widespread
economic malaise. Unrest in Sierra Leone also continued to threaten
Guinea's stability.

@Guinea:Geography

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
land: 245,857 sq km
water: 0 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: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 59%
other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 930 sq km (1993 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

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

@Guinea:People

Population: 7,466,200 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.38% (male 1,614,789; female 1,623,691)
15-64 years: 53.95% (male 1,966,929; female 2,060,877)
65 years and over: 2.68% (male 82,376; female 117,538) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.95% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 40.08 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: