Guinea-Bissau (continued)
the party decided to retain the binational title despite its formal break with Cape Verde
Suffrage: universal at age 15
Elections: President of Council of State—last held 19 June 1989 (next to be held 19 June 1994); results—Brig. Gen. João Bernardo Vieira was reelected without opposition by the National People's Assembly;
National People's Assembly—last held 15 June 1989 (next to be held 15 June 1994); results—PAIGC is the only party; seats—(150 total) PAIGC 150, appointed by Regional Councils;
Regional Councils—last held 1 June 1989 (next to be held 1 June 1994); results—PAIGC is the only party; seats—(473 total) PAIGC 473, by public plebiscite
Communists: a few Communists, some sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IRC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Alfredo Lopes CABRAL; Chancery (temporary) at the Guinea-Bissauan Permanent Mission to the UN, Suite 604, 211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 661-3977; US—Ambassador William L. JACOBSEN; Embassy at 17 Avenida Domingos Ramos, Bissau (mailing address is C. P. 297, Bissau); telephone [245] 212816, 21817, 213674
Flag: 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; similar to the flag of Cape Verde which has the black star raised above the center of the red band and is framed by two corn stalks and a yellow clam shell
Economy
Overview: Guinea-Bissau ranks among the
poorest countries in the world, with a per
capita GDP below $200. Agriculture and
fishing are the main economic activities,
with cashew nuts, peanuts, and palm
kernels the primary exports. Exploitation of
known mineral deposits is unlikely at
present because of a weak infrastructure
and the high cost of development. The
government's four-year plan (1988-91) has
targeted agricultural development as the
top priority.
GDP: $152 million, per capita $160 (1988); real growth rate 5.6% (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $20 million; expenditures $25 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987)
Exports: $15 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—cashews, fish, peanuts, palm kernels; partners—Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Cape Verde, China
Imports: $49 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—capital equipment, consumer goods, semiprocessed goods, foods, petroleum; partners—Portugal, USSR, EC countries, other Europe, Senegal, US
External debt: $465 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 1.7% (1986 est.)
Electricity: 22,000 kW capacity; 28 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: agricultural processing, beer, soft drinks
Agriculture: accounts for over 50% of GDP, nearly 100% of exports, and 80% of employment; rice is the staple food; other crops include corn, beans, cassava, cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, and cotton; not self-sufficient in food; fishing and forestry potential not fully exploited
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $46 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $519 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $41 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $68 million
Currency: Guinea-Bissauan peso (plural—pesos); 1 Guinea-Bissauan peso (PG) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1—650 pesos (December 1989), NA (1988), 851.65 (1987), 238.98 (1986), 173.61 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Highways: 3,218 km; 2,698 km bituminous,
remainder earth
Inland waterways: scattered stretches are important to coastal commerce
Ports: Bissau
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 37 total, 18 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: poor system of radio relay, open-wire lines, and radiocommunications; 3,000 telephones; stations—1 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Defense Forces
Branches: People's Revolutionary Armed
Force (FARP); Army, Navy, and Air
Force are separate components
Military manpower: males 15-49, 215,552; 122,824 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (1987)
