Guinea
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| République de Guinée Republic of Guinea |
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| Motto "Travail, Justice, Solidarité" (French) "Work, Justice, Solidarity" |
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| Anthem Liberté (French) "Freedom" |
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Conakry |
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| Official languages | French | |||||
| Government | Republic | |||||
| - | President | Lansana Conté | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Lansana Kouyate | ||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | from France | 2 October 1958 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 245,857 km² (78th) 94,926 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | negligible | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | July 2005 estimate | 9,402,000 (83rd) | ||||
| - | 1996 census | 7,156,406 | ||||
| - | Density | 38 /km² (164th) 98 /sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $18.879 billion (111th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $2,035 (142nd) | ||||
| HDI (2004) |  0.445 (low) (160th) |
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| Currency | Guinean franc (GNF) |
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| Time zone | GMT | |||||
| Internet TLD | .gn | |||||
| Calling code | +224 | |||||
Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (French: République de Guinée), is a nation in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea. Guinea's territory has a curved shape, with its base at the Atlantic ocean, inland to the east, and turning south. The base borders Guinea-Bissau and Senegal to the north, and Mali to the north and north-east; the inland part borders Côte d'Ivoire to the south-east, Liberia to the south, and Sierra Leone to the west of the southern tip. It encompasses the water source of the Niger, Senegal, and Gambia rivers. The name Guinea is used for the region of most of Africa's west coast south of the Sahara desert and north of the Gulf of Guinea. Guinea is sometimes called Guinea-Conakry per its capital, to differentiate it from the neighboring Guinea-Bissau (whose capital is Bissau).
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[edit] History
The land that today's Guinea occupies has been part of a series of empires, beginning with the "Ghana Empire" which came into being c. 900. This was followed by the Sosso kingdom in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The Mali Empire came to power in the area after the Battle of Kirina in 1235, and prospered until internal problems weakened it, and its states seized power in the fifteenth century. One chief state was the Songhai state which became the Songhai Empire. It exceeded its predecessors in territory and wealth, but it too fell prey to internal wrangling and civil war and was eventually toppled at the Battle of Tondibi in 1591.
Then the area fragmented until an Islamic state was founded in the eighteenth century, bringing some stability to the region. Another important event was the arrival of Fulani Muslims in the highland region of Fuuta Jalloo in the early eighteenth century.
Europeans first came to the area during the Portuguese Discoveries, that started the slave trade, beginning in the fifteenth century.
Present-day Guinea was created as a colony by France in 1890 with Noël Balley as the first governor. The capital Conakry was founded on Tombo Island in 1890. In 1895 the country was incorporated into French West Africa.
On 28 September 1958, under the direction of Charles de Gaulle France held a referendum on a new constitution and the creation of the Fifth Republic. The colonies (Algeria was officially a part of France and not a colony) were given the choice between immediate independence and the new constitution. All colonies except Guinea voted for a new constitution. Thus Guinea became the first French African colony to gain independence, at the cost of the immediate ending of all French assistance.
After independence Guinea was governed by dictator Ahmed Sékou Touré. Touré pursued broadly socialist economic policies and suppressed opposition and free expression with little regard for human rights. After his death in 1984, Lansana Conté took power and immediately changed the economic policies but kept the close grip on power. The first elections were held in 1993 but their results and those of subsequent elections were disputed. Conté faces regular criticism for the condition of the country's economy and for his heavy-handed approach to political opponents.
As of 2005, Guinea still faces very real problems, and according to the International Crisis Group is in danger of becoming a failed state. In , then Prime Minister François Fall resigned while visiting France with his family, where he sought exile, citing corruption and increasing interference from the President, limiting his effectiveness as PM. Fall's successor, Cellou Dalein Diallo, was removed in April of 2006, and Conté failed to appoint a new one until the end of January 2007 after devastating nationwide strikes and mass demonstrations. During 2006, there had already been two nationwide strikes by government workers, during which some 10 students were shot dead by the military; strikes were suspended when Conté agreed to more favorable wages to civil servants and a reduction of the cost of certain basic amenities (rice and oil).
However, by the beginning of 2007, dissatisfied with the government's efforts to put into practice the terms of previous agreements, trade unions called new strikes, protesting of rising costs of living, government corruption, and economic mismanagement. After more than 2 weeks, these strikes drew some of the largest demonstrations seen during Conté's tenure, and resulted in some 60 deaths. Unions demanded (among other things) that the aging, ailing President (now in his 70s and said to be diabetic and suffering from leukemia) name a consensus Prime Minister (the post had been vacant since the removal of Cellou Diallo) and relinquish to him certain presidential responsibilities. Conté reluctantly agreed to appoint a new prime minister and lower fuel and rice prices, and the strikes were subsequently suspended.
But on the 13 February, upon the nomination of Eugene Camara to the post of Prime Minister, viewed as a close ally of Conté, violent demonstrations immediately broke out throughout the country. Strikes resumed, citing a failure to nominate a "consensus" prime minister as per the January 27th agreement.[1] A state of martial law was declared after violent clashes with demonstrators, bringing the death toll since January to well over 100, and there were widespread reports of pillaging and rapes committed by men in military uniform. Government buildings and property owned by government officials throughout the country were looted and destroyed by angry mobs. Many feared Guinea to be on the verge of civil war as protesters from all parts of Guinea called for Conté's unequivocal resignation.
But after many diplomatic interventions from ECOWAS, neighboring heads of state, the EU, the UN, etc., General Conté finally agreed to choose a new Prime Minister from a list of five candidates furnished by labor union and civic leaders. On February 26, Lansana Kouyaté, former Guinean ambassador to the UN, was nominated to the post. Strikes were called off, and the nomination was widely hailed by Guineans as a popular triumph over a despotic power.[2]
[edit] Politics
Guinea has had only two presidents since independence was declared on October 2, 1958. Under the first, Ahmed Sékou Touré, the country went into political and economic isolation as a consequence of the withdrawal of French assistance. This lasted until economic necessity called for an opening of the economy in 1978.[3] Retired general Lansana Conté took control of the country in 1984 in a coup d'état after the death of Sékou Touré. Conté was elected to rule as President in 1993, then again in 1998 and 2003 while promising to reform the country. But the validity of these elections is contested, since Conté has guarded his position and has not tolerated potential adversaries.
As of January 10, 2007, a third strike had ensued, one which included workers in the mines and others across the country. Though the government conceded better wages and other main points, the strike continued, as the people were after more than mere promises. On or about January 18, 2007, at least three people were shot by government/military personnel, fueling the revolution. With President Conté's failing health, it begins to look like end times for his regime. Conté's recent pardon of two wealthy Guineans who had been jailed on charges of corruption also fueled this revolt.[citations needed]
During the second week of the strike, during which dozens of people were killed or injured in demonstrations in every region of the country, President Conté met several times with labour leaders, and during one meeting threatened to have them killed. On Monday, January 22, 2007, red beret troops under the command of President Conté's son Ousmane ransacked the strike headquarters, beat up the union leaders (including the recently widowed secretary-general of the CNTG, Hadja Rabiatou Serah Diallo.), arrested and held them for 5 hours. On the same day over tens of thousands of people marched in the streets of Conakry and at least 17 people were killed and 100 injured by police.[citations needed]
[edit] Government
[edit] Administrative divisions
Guinea is divided into seven administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures. The national capital, Conakry, ranks as a special zone. The regions are Boké, Faranah, Kankan, Kindia, Labé, Mamou, Nzérékoré and Conakry.
[edit] Geography
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At 94,919 square miles (245,857 km²), Guinea is roughly the size of the United Kingdom and slightly smaller than the US states of Michigan or Oregon. There are 200 miles (320 km) of coastline. The total land border is 2,112 miles (3,399 km). The countries bordering Guinea include Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone. The country is divided into four main regions: the Basse-Cote lowlands in the east along the coast, populated mainly by the Susu ethnic group; the cooler, mountainous Fouta Djalon that run roughly north-south through the middle of the country, populated by Peuls, the Sahelian Haute-Guinea to the northeast, populated by Malinkes, and the forested jungle regions in the southeast, with several ethnic groups. Guinea's mountains are the source for the Niger, the Gambia, and Senegal Rivers, as well as the numerous rivers flowing to the sea on the west side of the range in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast.
The highest point in Guinea is Mont Nimba at 5,748 feet (1,752 m). Although the Guinean and Ivorian sides of the Nimba Massif are a UNESCO Strict Nature Reserve, the portion of the so-called Guinean Backbone continues into Liberia, where it has been mined for decades; the damage is quite evident on Google Earth at 7.32.17N and 8.29.50W.
[edit] Economy
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. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1999.
Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation and caused riots in local markets.
Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid. The IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth rose slightly in 2004, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets.
In September 2006, the government signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with an American micro-cap exploration company to explore for offshore petroleum resources. Further exploration of the virgin exploration acreage is in its very early planning stages. No exploration activity has been carried out since late 2003.
In November 2006, Transparency International, a German NGO ranked Guinea as the most perceived corrupt nation in Africa and one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking only before Myanmar, Iraq and Haiti. In an anticorruption conference in Guatemala, Guinean minister of justice Réné Alsény Gomez declared that Guinea has engaged in judicial actions against misuse of public funds. Former Central Bank governor Fodé Soumah has been indicted on charges of corruption on November 16, 2006. At the Guatemala conference, Transparency International president Huguette Labelle has applauded the measures.
[edit] Transportation
The railway which used to operate from Conakry to Bamako in Mali has been abandoned. As of 2006, all travel is now by plane or automobile. Most vehicles in Guinea are some 20 years old, and cabs are mostly any 4-door vehicle which the owner has designated as for hire. Locals, nearly entirely without vehicles of their own, rely upon these taxis (which charge per seat) and small buses to take them around town and across the country. Horses and donkeys are also found pulling carts, though this is primarily used to transport construction materials.
Development of iron ore deposits at Simandou in the south east of the country in 2007 are likely to see the construction of a new heavy duty standard gauge railway and deepwater port.
[edit] Demographics
- Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%
- Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
[edit] Healthcare
Guinea has been reorganizing its health system since the Bamako Initiative of 1987 formally promoted community-based methods of increasing accessibility of drugs and health care services to the population, in part by implementing user fees.[4] The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through community-based healthcare reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services.
A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.[5]
[edit] Culture
Like other West African countries, Guinea has a rich musical tradition. The group Bembeya Jazz became popular in the 1960s after Guinean independence. The Vancouver-based guitarist Alpha Yaya Diallo hails from Guinea and incorporates its traditional rhythms and melodies into his original compositions, for which he has won two Juno Awards.
[edit] Languages
Fula · Maninka · Susu · French · Arabic · Wolof · Insula
[edit] Sports
Guinea's main sport is football (soccer) and although the national team has never made the World Cup Finals, it has appeared at eight African Nations Cup finals; it was a runner-up in 1976 and reached the quarter-finals in 2004 and 2006. The current national coach is Spaniard Quique Setien, a former player for Casablanca, Perines, Atletico de Madrid, Logrones, and Racing de Santander. Swimming is popular near the capital, Conakry, and hiking is possible in the Fouta Djallon region.
[edit] Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Guinea
- Foreign relations of Guinea
- List of Guinea-related topics
- Military of Guinea
- National Park of Upper Niger
- National Scout Association of Guinea
[edit] Notables
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- Shekou Thomas: prominent and rich Guinean during the 1800s and early 1900s.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Guinea: Conté Declares 'State of Siege'. All africa news. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.
- ^ Lansana Kouyaté à la primature: Conakry et la Guinée profonde en effervescence !. Aminata. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
- ^ 1997 Readers digest 'A guide to places of the world' Berkley square House, London ISBN 0-276-42213-9
- ^ User fees for health: a background. Retrieved on December 28, 2006.
- ^ Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea. Retrieved on December 28, 2006.
[edit] External links
| Find more information on Guinea by searching Wikipedia's sister projects | |
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Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary |
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Textbooks from Wikibooks |
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Quotations from Wikiquote |
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Source texts from Wikisource |
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Images and media from Commons |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Learning resources from Wikiversity |
- Language
- Wolof Language Educational site on Wolof, a language of Senegal and Guinea
- Government
- News online
- (French) Guinéenews - Formerly Boubah.com Latest news about Guinea - Updated breaking news about the Republic of Guinea.
- (French) Aminata.com Online news source concerning Guinea
- Overviews
- Music
- Cora Connection West African music resources
- DrumConnection Representing Traditional Guinean teachings through Drumming, Dance and Song
- Literature
- Directories
- Open Directory Project - Guinea directory category
- Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Guinea directory category
- The Index on Africa - Guinea directory category
- University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Guinea directory category
- Yahoo! - Guinea directory category
- Tourism
- Guinea travel guide from Wikitravel
- Niger Currents: Exploring life and technology along the Niger River
Categories: Articles lacking sources from March 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Cleanup from December 2006 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles to be expanded since January 2007 | All articles to be expanded | Templates for deletion | Guinea | African Union member states | Economic Community of West African States | French-speaking countries | La Francophonie | Least Developed Countries
