Wedged between Guinea
and Senegal, Guinea-Bissau was the first Portuguese African colony to gain independence in
1974 after many years of war. It is estimated that over 22% of the population live in
towns, the vast majority in Bissau, the capital city.
Guinea-Bissau depends
mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and
the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood
along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and
staple food. Trade reform and price liberalization are the most successful part of the
country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. Because of high
costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a
near-term prospect. In the political scene, multi-party system was introduced in 1991, and
the first multi-party election was carried out in 1994. In 1998, the country was faced
with public unrest following escalation of conflicts between the government and a
self-proclaimed military junta. The parties to the conflict in Guinea Bissau met in Abuja,
Nigeria on October 21 and November 1st 1998 through the good offices of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which led to the restoration of peace
and stability.
The telecommunication
system in Guinea-Bissau has a telephone network capacity of 22,000 lines. In
1999, the number of connected telephone lines was approximately 8,100, resulting in
a telephone density of 0.70 per hundred people.
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