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Republic of Guinea

History

Government Observers

Country Fact

Guinea has long been an important site within the Afro-European trade network, which dates back to the fifteenth century. While the coastal areas of Guinea were significantly influenced by the economic and social transactions that accompanied this trade, the interior portions of Guinea were far more influenced by their interactions with the Fulani, who by the sixteenth century had established their domination over the Fouta Djallon. It was not until the closing decades of the nineteenth century that the French gained considerable control over the Guinean hinterland, culminating in the declaration of formal colonization in 1895. In 1958, under the leadership of Ahmed Sekou Toure, Guinea became the only Francophone African colony to vote against membership in the proposed community of self-governing French overseas territories and instead opted for immediate and unqualified independence.

Toure's defiant stance against neo-colonial control caused him to reject financial assistance from the French and he soon turned to the Soviet Union and China for aid. In the last years of his presidential rule, he was forced to turn to the West for assistance, a trend that has intensified under Guinea's second and current president Colonel Lansana Conte.

Although Guinea's mineral wealth makes it potentially one of Africa's richest countries, its people are among the poorest in West Africa. Increased fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders has caused severe economic disruptions and the redirection of government expenditures from pro-active development programs to defense. If this situation is not brought under effective control it threatens to impede the reform progress that Guinea has made in recent years.

President: His Excellency Sékouba KONATÉ

Minister of Mining, Geology, & Environment: Mahmoud THIAM

Centre De Promotion Et De Développement Minier (CPDM)

A/s de Morciré Sylla, Directeur général

B.P. 295

Conakry, Guinée

Telephone: +224 41 1544

Fax: +224 41 4913

Chairman's Statement:

Diamonds found in Guinea are of good quality. Certain crystals have beautiful octahedral or dodecahedral forms and their purity varies, as do their colors, which range from white to whitish-yellow.

Population: 10,324,025

Capital: Conakry

Major languages: French (official language), Indigenous languages

Major religions: Islam, Christianity, Indigenous Belief Systems

Life expectancy: 46 years (men), 47 years (women)

Monetary unit: 1 Guinean franc = 100 centimes

Main exports: Bauxite, alumina, gold, diamond, coffee, fish, agricultural products

Average annual income: US $490

Internet domain: .gn

International dialing code: +224