Guinea
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Conakry
geographic coordinates: 9 31 N, 13 43 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| Currency | Guinean franc (GNF) |
| Internet country code | .gn |
| Ports and terminals | Kamsar |
| 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 |
| Geography |
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone |
| Coordinates | 11 00 N, 10 00 W |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 245,857 sq km
land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Natural resources | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season |
| People |
| Population | 9,690,222 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% |
| Religions | Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% |
| Languages | French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language |
