Guinea

National name: République de Guinée

Geography 

Capital: Conakry
Major Towns: Boké, Labé, Kamsar, Macenta, Kankan
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): 9°31'N, 13°42'W
Time Zone: GMT
Size (Land and Sea): 245,857 sq km
Borders with Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m; Highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
 
Politics 

Head of State: President: Lansana Conté (1984), Prime Minister: Lansana Kouyaté (2007)
Form of Government: Republic
Independancy (from France): October 2 1958
Currency: Guinean franc (GNF)

Industry 

Main industries: Bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron; alumina refining; light manufacturing, and agricultural processing
Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish
Agriculture: rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

Population and People  

Population: 9,947,814 (July 2007 est.)
Population density per sq mi: 105
Growth rate: 2.6%
Birth rate: 41.53 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.75 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 88.6/1000
Religion: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages: French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language
Ethnic groups / Tribes: Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%
Average age: 0-14 years: 44.3% (male 2,226,414/female 2,183,153); 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,611,833/female 2,610,773); 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 138,392/female 177,249) (2007 est.)
Life expectancy: 49.7
Literacy (definition: age 15 and over can read and write): Total population: 29.5%; male: 42.6%; female: 18.1% (2003 est.)

• Formerly known as French Guinea
• Was part of a series of empires, including Ghana Empire, Sosso Kingdom and the Mali Empire
• Guinea possesses over 25 billion metric tons of bauxite--and perhaps up to one-half of the world's reserves
• Great trekking through beautiful highland scenery
• The three great rivers of West Africa (the Gambia, the Senegal and the Niger) all originate in Guinea’s mountains
• Strong music tradition
• The capital, Conakry, is located on the island of Tumbo and is connected to the Kaloum Peninsula by a 300m (984ft) pier
• Capital Conakry has botanical gardens, cathedral, National Museum
• The Palais du Peuple in Conakry is a large, Chinese-built auditorium that is home to two national ballet troupes
• Bossous, a small village on the Liberian border is one of the best places in west Africa to see chimpanzees
• The Kakimbon Caves in the village of Ratoma, now a suburb of Conakry, are the source of many interesting legends and are bestowed with great religious significance by the local Baga people
• Beautiful beaches and islands
• Katikan: open air markets, the Presidential Palace and Great Mosque
• Kindia is famous for its quality of cloth and weaving and has an indigo dyeing centre and a cloth market grace the centre
• Fouta Djalon highlands are renowned for their picturesque hills
• Guinée Forestière, a highland area of rainforest and old pre-Islamic tribes
• Mt Nimba is Guinea's highest peak at 1752m and offers phenomenal views of surrounding peaks into neighbouring countries