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___ Guinea

"Restaurant Obama" at Boulbinet fishing port in Conakry.
"Restaurant Obama" at Boulbinet fishing port in Conakry.
Image: Kris Fricke
 
Guinea Flag
Flag of Guinea
Location map of Guinea. Where in Africa is Guinea?
Location map of Guinea
 
A virtual guide to Guinea, a developing country in the tropical southwestern part of West Africa at the Atlantic Ocean. Bordered in north by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali, and by Côte d'Ivoire to the east and southeast, by Liberia and Sierra Leone to the south.

Until independence in 1958 the country was known as French Guinea, a French colony and part of French West Africa. The French language is a legacy of that time.

Guinea's climate is hot and humid and its landscape offers four main geographic regions: the Basse Coté, the coastal lowlands of Maritime Guinea, the hilly Fouta Djallon, a highland region of Central-Guinea, the headwaters of the Niger, the Gambia River, the Pongo and the Senegal River. Highest elevation in Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire is Mount Nimba (or Mount Richard-Molard) at 1,752 m, a mountain range in the Guinea Highlands. To the northeast of the country is the dry Sahelian Haute-Guinea, and in the southeast the Guinée forestière (Forested Guinea) with its tropical rain forests.

Guinea covers an area of 245,857 km² (94,926 sq mi), this is about the size of the United Kingdom, or slightly smaller than the US state of Michigan.

The country has a population of 10.6 million people (in 2015). Located at the coast is Conakry, the capital, largest city and chief port (pop. 2 million), spoken languages are French (official), and eight national languages. More than twenty different ethnic groups live in the country. Guinea is a predominantly Islamic country, about 90% of Guinea's population are (Sunni) Muslims.


Republic of Guinea | République de Guinee


Country Profile



Background:
Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls were marred by irregularities. History repeated itself in December 2008 when following President CONTE's death, Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seizing power and suspending the constitution as well as political and union activity. Guinea has maintained some semblance of internal stability despite spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia. As those countries have rebuilt, however, Guinea's own vulnerability to political and economic crisis has increased. Declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006, and a third nationwide strike in early 2007.

Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second largest bauxite producer. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)

related countries: France

 


Official Name:
République de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
int'l long form: Republic of Guinea
int'l short form: Guinea
former: French Guinea

ISO Country Code: gn, GIN
Actual Time: Wed-Mar-27  17:47
Local Time = UTC +0h

Country Calling Code: +224

Capital City: Conakry (pop. 1.5 million).

Other Cities:
Guéckédou (pop. 350 000), Boké (pop. 300 000), Kindia (pop. 280 000), N'Zérékoré (pop. 300 000), Macenta (pop. 280 000), Mamou, Kankan (270 000), Labe (250 000).

Government:
Type: Military regime.
Independence: 2 October 1958. Anniversary of the Second Republic, 3 April 1984.

In December 2008 following President CONTE's death, Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup to seiz power. He suspended the constitution as well as political and union activity.


Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone.
Area: 245,860 sq. km. (95,000 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Generally flat along the coast and mountainous in the interior. The country's four geographic regions include a narrow coastal belt; pastoral highlands (the source of West Africa's major rivers); the northern savanna; and the southeastern rain forest.

Climate: Tropical. Generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with a northeasterly Harmattan, a dry and dusty West African trade wind..

People:
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Guinean(s)
Population: 10.6 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Fulani 40.3%; Malinke 25.8%; Susu 11.0%; Kissi 6.5%; Kpelle 4.8%, other ethnic groups 11.6%.
Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian, traditional beliefs.
Languages: French (official); Eight national languages, Soussou (Susu, in coastal Guinea), Peulh (Fulani, in Northrn Guinea), Maninka (Upper Guinea), Kissi (Kissidougou Region), Toma and Guerze (Kpelle) in rain forest Guinea; plus various ethnic groups with their own language.
Literacy: 28% to 35%.

Natural resources:
Bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, water power, uranium, fisheries.

Agriculture products: Rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber.

Industries: Bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries.

Exports - commodities: bauxite, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products

Exports - partners:
India 22.5%, Spain 8.2%, Ireland 7.3%, Germany 6.2%, Belgium 5.5%, Ukraine 5.3%, France 4.1% (2015)

Imports - commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

Imports - partners: China 20.4%, Netherlands 5.4%, India 4.4% (2015)

Currency: Guinea Franc (GNF)
Palais du Peuple (Palace of the People) in Conakry, capital city of Guinea
Palais du Peuple (Palace of the People) is a multi-purpose venue in Conakry.
Image: uruguay-panama

Political system
Guinea is a country scarred by decades of autocratic rule, but since 2010 it is a presidential representative democratic republic with the problem of ethnic tensions.
Government: Chief of State is the President, Head of Government is the Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the President.
Legislature: Guinea's parliament is the unicameral People's National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire)
Judicial branch: highest court is the Supreme Court.


Official Sites of Guinea

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Gouvernement du Guinée
Government of Guinea (in French).

Assemblée Nationale de Guinée
The National Assembly is Guinea's legislative body. Until now this page is the closest to an official website of Guinea's parliament (in French).

Ministre des Affaires Etrangères et des Guinéens de l'Étranger
Facebook page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guinea.


Diplomatic Missions
Ambassade de la République de Guinée à Paris
Embassy of Guinea in Paris, France.

Embassy of the Republic of Guinea in Washington, D.C.
Official website of the embassy.
Address: 2112 Leroy Place, NW, Washington DC 20008
Telephone: (202) 986-4300

Embassy of the United States Conakry, Guinea
Site of the US Embassy in Conakry.


Maps

Map of Guinea
Political Map of Guinea.
Administrative Map of Guinea
Map showing the administrative divisions of Guinea.
Google Earth Google Earth Guinea
Searchable map and satellite view of Guinea.
Google Earth Google Earth Conakry
Searchable map and satellite view of Guinea's capital city.

Political Map of Africa
The 54 countries of Africa.
Map of Africa
A Relief Map of Africa.



News


Guinea news in French
Agence Guinéenne de Presse
The Guinean Press Agency.

Conakry Live
Guinea news online.
Guinéenews
Dernières nouvelles de la Guinée.
Guineeinfos
And more Guinea news.
Focus Guinee
Daily news from Guinea.

Guinea news in English
allAfrica.com: Guinea
Guinea Latest News.
 

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Young artists at the School for acrobats in Conakry
School for acrobats in Conakry. Several years ago local activists with two UNICEF consultant and embassy staff created an acrobatic school. The school recruits from street children and now has 125 children of various ages.
Image: Julien Harneis

Arts & Culture


Guinée culture
Site about Guinean culture.

Music
afromix.org: Guinea
Artists and Bands of Guinea.

Aafropop.org
Music in Guinea.


Master Drummer Famoudou Konate

Malinke Rhythms and Songs - Mamady Keita & Famoudou Konate solo.

Native indigenous peoples 
WebFuuta
Home of the Fuuta-Jaloo and Fuutanke of Guinea.
Mandé peoples
Wikipedia page about the Mande Nation (West Africa).
WebPulaaku
Home of the Fulbhe and Haal-Pular nation (West Africa).
 
 

Business & Economy

Guinea is a poor, developing country despite the fact that it possesses the world's largest reserves of bauxite and the largest unexploited high-grade iron ore reserves, plus gold and diamonds. The country's hydro potential is huge and it could be a major exporter of electricity. An Ebola virus epidemic has stalled economic growth in 2014-15 and restrained several projects, such as offshore oil exploration and the Simandou iron ore project in southern Guinea's Nzérékoré Region.

Ministry of Mines and Geology Guinea
Official website of Guinea's Ministry of Mines and Geology.

Private Investment Promotion Agency (APIP)
Information about investment in Guinea.


__Transportation


Air Guinee
Air Guinee was the national airline of Guinea. The company was founded in 1960, the airline's main haub was Conakry International Airport, it served the West African countries of Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Kinshasa/Congo, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The airline ceased operations in 2002.

 
Soumba waterfalls at Dubreka near Conakry, Guinea
Cascades de la Soumba at Dubreka near Conakry.
Image: Martin Baran

Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Destination Guinea - Country Guides


Tourisme de Guinée
Wikipedia page about tourism in Guinea (in French).


Guinea: The Switzerland of Africa is a Land of Contrasts
A journey from the Gulf of Guinea on Africa's Atlantic Coast to historic Mali Ville in the northern highlands.









Nimba mountain range
Nimba mountain range, the southern extent of the Guinean Highlands, a highland region that stretches from northern Guinea to northern Côte d'Ivoire. UNESCO declared Mount Nimba official website a World Heritage Site.
Image: John Etherton 
 
 

Education


UTAD - Université privé de Guinée
Private university in Conakry.
Université Kofi Annan de Guinée
Private university for law, economics and management, since 2006 there is a faculty of medical and paramedical sciences.
Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry: UGANC
The University of Conakry is the largest university in Guinea.

INHEA: Guinea Higher Education Profile
Profile of higher education practice in Guinea by International Network for Higher Education in Africa.
 
 
Malinke fisher women on the River Niger in Upper Guinea
Malinke fisher women on the River Niger in Upper Guinea.
Image: Julien Harneis

Environment & Nature


Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem Project
Site about the project, an ecosystem-based effort to assist countries adjacent to the Guinea Current Ecosystem to achieve environmental and resource sustainability.

Savanna at Mount Nimba
Savanna at Mount Nimba. Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve official website is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: Yakoo1986
 
 

History


West Africa's Tangled War
A human catastrophe in Guinea, the refugee crisis in Guinea part of a complicated regional conflict (BBC News).
Guinee Histoire
Guinea's History by webGuinée (in French).
History of Guinea
Wikipedia page about Guinea's history.
 
 

Sources and additional Information on Guinea


Amnesty International: Guinea

BBC Country profile: Guinea

Ethnologue report for Guinea--Languages of Guinea

FAO: Guinea

GlobalEDGE: Guinea

The Heritage Foundation: Guinea

Human Rights Watch: Guinea

OEC: Guinea

Reporters Without Borders: Guinea

USAfrica Research Information Guinea

Wikipedia: Guinea

The World Factbook -- Guinea
 
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Major Cities in West Africa
Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Freetown, Lagos, Lomé, Monrovia,
Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Porto-Novo, Praia, Sao Tome City, Yamoussoukro

Other Countries of Western Africa
Benin | Burkina Faso | Cape Verde | Côte d'Ivoire | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia | Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Togo
 
 
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