Guinea-Bussau

=Guinea-Bissau=



History
In the 15th century, Guinea-Bussau was part was part of a empire centered in Mali. At this time the Portuguese began exploring the region. They first established themselves on Cape Verede, 350 miles from Guinea Bussau. They then they claimed the surrounding area as Portuguese Guinea. Then in the 1600's they established trading posts, and started exprorting slaves. When slave trade was no more in the 1800's it became an important commercial center. Portuguese did not conquer inland territory until the 20th century. With the help of the Muslims, the Portuguese had conquered all of the area by 1936. Guinea-Bissau's gained independence in September 1973. Guinea-Bissau's first president, Luís Cabral, was overthrown in 1980, and the union between Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau dissolved. Guinea-Bissau was a one-party state until 1994. In 1990 a committee was formed to recommend changes in the constitution and electoral process so a multiparty system could be established gradually. The nation's first free elections were held in 1994. Vieira won the election. In June 1998 General Ansumane Mane started coup against Vieira which quickly escalated into civil war between forces loyal to Vieira and rebel army troops. Months of war destroyed most of the country's public infrastructure. A peace agreement was signed in November 1998. Vieira remained president and elections were scheduled. When Vieira's presidential guard refused to disarm, Mane's forces resumed the war and the capital was again subjected to heavy fighting and civilian panic. In a month nearly all of Guinea-Bissau's troops and citizens were for the rebels. The presidential guard surrendered in May 1999, and Vieira was eventually allowed to leave the country to accept asylum in Portugal. Mane refused to take power and insisted that it remain with civilian authorities. Parliament chose Malam Bacai Sanha to serve as interim president, and peacekeeping forces withdrew in June 1999. A multiparty presidential election was held in November 1999, followed by a runoff in January 2000. Voter turnout was extremely high, which showed that Guinea-Bissauans were looking for relief from a year of war. They elected Kumba Yallah president with 72 percent of the vote. General Mane tried to overthrow Yallah in November 2000 but was killed when the coup attempt failed. In 2005, former president Vieira returned from exile to run for the presidency as an independent candidate. Vieira placed second in the election's preliminary round to Sanha, the PAIGC candidate. Vieira won 52 percent of the ballot in the July 2005 runoff to defeat Sanha. In March 2009, Vieira was assassinated by soldiers who blamed him for a bomb attack that killed the head of the armed forces General Tagme Na Waie hours earlier.

Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal.

Area
36,125 sq km Land: 28,120 sq km Water: 8,005 sq km

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.

Ethnic Groups
African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Government
Republic

Suffrage
18 years of age; universal.

GDP per Capita
$600 (2008 est.) Country comparison to the world: 224 $600 (2007 est.) $600 (2006 est.)

Agricluture Products
Rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish.

Imports
Foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products.

Religions
Muslim 50% Indigenous beliefs 40% Christian 10%

Terrain
Mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in East.

Natural Resources
Fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum.

Land use
Arable land: 8.31% Permanent crops: 6.92% Other: 84.77% (2005)

Natural Hazards
Hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires.

Environmental issues
Deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing.

Languages
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages.

Capital
Bissau



Leader
President Raimundo Pereira

Military Expenditures
3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Industries
Agricultural products processing Beer Soft drinks

Exchange Rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)//note:// since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par

Eductation
5.2% of GDP (1999)

=Population\Growth= Rate1,533,964 (July 2009 est.) 2.019% (2009 est.)

Net Migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Infant Rates
Total: 99.82 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 109.89 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 89.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life Expectancy
Total population: 47.9 years

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 42.4% Male: 58.1% Female: 27.4% (2003 est.)

Internet Access
Hosts: <span class="category_data" style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">82 (2008) Users: 37,000 (2006)

Event:
The president Vieria was shot in March 2009

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