d 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:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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, salt

Land use:

arable land: 4.47%
permanent crops: 2.64%
other: 92.89% (2005)

Irrigated land:

950 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

226 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.51 cu km/yr (8%/2%/90%)
per capita: 161 cu m/yr (2000)

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; poor mining practices have led to
environmental damage

Environment - international agreements:

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

Geography - note:

the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in
the Guinean highlands

People
Guinea

Population:

9,806,509 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.9% (male 2,126,575/female 2,080,048)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,628,675/female 2,633,876)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 148,159/female 189,176) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.4 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 18.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.492% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

37.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)