The Guinea Bissau is situated in the coast occidental person of Africa, limited to the north for the Republic of the Senegal and to the south for the Republic of the Guine' Conakry. The country and consisting of a continental part and other to insular composed for arquipislake of the Bijago's.  The continental part is characterized for being a coastal region, of low plains, marshy and badly drained, with wide estuariais openings and a contiguous lace of islands, the one that if follow, for the interior, two zones of transistion badly defined that lead two small plateaus, of Bafata' and the Gabu and to a hill region where if the biggest altitudes of the country registam, about 300 meters.  The tides, assume a decisive importance in the hidrogra'fico system and the proper economy of the Guine'-Bissau. The amplitude of the tides Africa reaches the values highest of all Occidental person. This  feno'meno is observed with special relief in the biggest part of all laughs them, reaching the biggest amplitude, about seven meters, in laughs at Bissau. The penetration of the tides for the interior and the existence of you laugh them play a vital importance in the system of transports of the Guine' for allowing, in many places, the navigation of ships of long course and, for beyond the limits of these, the navigation of motor boats. The climate of the Guine'-Bissau, tropical wet, results of its geographic localization. Two annual stations are distinguished: it dries, that the May goes of November and during which very rare rains, and of rains, that if draw out of middle of May to the ends of October, principles of November.

Capital: Bissau, 233,000 inhabitants in 1995. Other cities: Bafafa', 13,429 inhabitants; Gabu', 7,803 inhabitants (1979).

Population

Having 1.100.000 inhabitants in 1998, the variety of the etnias, it constitutes the characteristic marcante of the guineense population. The etnias most representative, are: Balantas (about 27%); Fulas (about 23%); Mandingas (about 12%); Manjacos (about 11%); Papers (about 10%); Brames or Mancanhas; Beafadas; Bijago's. Religion: The populations of the Guine'-Bissau are, in an appreciable majority (about 55%), animistics. The islamizados ones do not exceed 40% while that the catholics and the believers of other Christian religions constitute a significant minority little (5%). Languages: about 46% of the population of the Guine'-Bissau he is poliglota. The official language is the Portuguese, said for about 11% of the population. Dialecto "Creole", is used by 44% of the population.

Indicating social among others more important the following ones are distinguished:

Population density: 28 inhabitants for km 2. Tax of natality: 40,9> (1997). Tax of mortality: 17,3> (1997). Tax of total fertility: 5,5 (1997). Tax of growth of the population: 2,6% (1990-97). Demographic Projecc,a~o: 10,5 million inhabitants in year 2015. Population with less than 15 years: 45,6% and population with more than 65 years: 2,6% (1997). Feminine population: 49,7% (1997). Urban population: 30,6% (1997).

HEALTH and NUTRITION

Infantile mortality: 120,0> (1997). Mortality materna: 1.600 for 100.000 inhabitants (1995). Hope of life to the nascenc,a: F-47,0 /M - 46,0 years (1997). 0,2 me'dicos and 0,6 beds of hospital for each a thousand inhabitants (1993). 55% of the population have access the drinking waters and 31% have access the basic sanitation (1995). It offers daily average, for inhabitant, of 2.099 calories, 44g of proteins and 47,2g of fats (1996).

EDUCATION

Tax of illiteracy 64.1% (1997). First level of education: tax of rude escolaridade of 48%; 49 pupils for professor; 80% of the children reach 5^(o) year of escolaridade (1997). Tax of rude escolaridade in secondary education: 12% (1997); Tax of escolaridade in superior education: 1,3% (1997). 0,3 scientists and technician in I&D, for each a thousand inhabitants (1990).

COMMUNICATION

1 official periodical of the State exists and 4 private periodicals with different regularities and an average drawing that varies enters the two five a thousand units; 47 receivers of radio exist; 7,7 television sets and 2.1 telephones for a thousand inhabitants (1996). For each 10,000 inhabitants, exist 0,002 hosts of InterNet (1997).

ECONOMY And FINANCES

Per capita PNB: 550 dollars, being per capita PNB PPC of 1.790 dollars international (1997). Tax of annual average growth of the per capita PNB: 2,7% (1990-97). The GIP: 3,888 million dollar, with one tax of annual average growth of 5,0% in 1990-97. Structure of the production: agriculture 22,6%; industry 35.3% and services 42,1%. Structure of the search: public consumption 7,0%; private consumption 74,3%; rude investment 21,8%; rude saving 18,7%; exportations 17,8%. Active population: 3.321 a thousand inhabitants, corresponding to one tax of activity of 48% (1997). Distribution of the job: agriculture 87%; industry 2% and services 11%. Budget of the State: the public revenues represent 17.1% of the PNB and public charges 19.3% (1996). Public charges in health: 1,2% of the GIP (1997); military expenditure 1.5% of the PNB (1996). Annual average tax of inflation: 4,2% (1997). Currency: Franc; 1.234,93 for dollar U.S.A. (January of 1999). Total reserves: 122 million dollar, corresponding the 1,5 months of importation (1997).

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ECONO'MICAS

Degree of opening of the economy: 38,7% (1997). Importation: 811,4 million dollar (1997). Annual growth of the importations: -0,4% (1990-97). Main imported products (1995): products for the company mining (22,2%); products for the public sector (20,1%); petroliferous products (4,0%). Origin of the importations (1995): France (19,5%); Coast of Ivory (16,0%); U.S.A. (7,1%); Belgium and Luxemburg (6,9%); Hong Kong (6,3%). Exportations: 693,8 million dollar (1997). Annual growth of the exportations: -4,1% (1990-97). Main exported products (1995): bauxite (43,4%); aluminum (16,5%); gold (13,3%); coffee (9,1%); diamonds (6,4%). Destination of the exportations (1995): Belgium and Luxemburg (26,7%); U.S.A. (15,1%); Ireland (10,0%); Spain (9,6%); France (4,6%). Liquid current transferences: 131,4 million dollar (1997). Balance of the current scale: -91,1 million dollar, representing -2,3% of the GIP (1997). Liquid entrance of capitals: -23,1 dollar million (1997). Direct investment foreign liquid: 1,0 million of dollar, corresponding 0.1% of the rude investment and 0.03% of the GIP (1997). Evaluation of the risk of the investment: 61,8 (classification ICRG, December of 1998). Public aid to the development (APD): 381,9 million dollar (1997), proceeding from countries of the CAD (32,9%) and from Multilateral Institutions (58,2%). The aid corresponds 45.2% of the rude internal investment and 10.3% of the GIP and is equivalent the 55,2 dollar for inhabitant. Total external debt: 3,520.4 million dollar (1997). The service of the debt is of 160,8 million dollar (1997) and corresponds 21.5% of the exportations of goods and services and 4.4% of the PNB.

The STATE

Republic of the Guine'-Bissau. Constitution: approved in 16 of May of 1984 and magazine in May of 1991. To be able Politician: Parliamentary Democracy; Head of the State, Mlan Bacai Sanha~, that assumed the presidency in 1999 temporarily; Head of Government, Francisco Fadul since 1998. Legislative: National Assembleia of the People with 100 elect members for direct vote for mandates of 4 years.

POLITICAL PARTIES

African party for the Independence of the Guine' and Cabo Verde (PAIGC); Front for the Release and Independence of Guine' (FLING); Resistance of Guine'-Bissau-Movimento de Bafata' (RGB-MB); Civic Forum Guineense - Social Democracia (FCG-SD); It binds the International for Protecc,a~o Ecolo'gica (LIPE); National union for the Democracy and Progresso (UNDP); Party for Converge^ncia Democra'tica (PCD); Party of Renovac,a~o Social (PRS); Union for the Change (ONE); Joined party of the Social Democracia(PUSD)