Guinea. Republic of Guinea
A country in West Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Area — 246,000 km². Capital — Conakry (1.5 million). Administrative division - 8 districts, 33 prefectures, 38 urban communes, and 303 rural communities. Conakry has a special status as the capital administrative district. Population - approximately 9.3 million (2004). The most numerous ethnic groups: Fulbe (40%), Malinke (30%), Susu (15%), Kisi (6%), Kpelle (5%). About 30% of the population lives in cities. The official language is French. Eight national languages are also widely spoken.
The predominant religion is Sunni Islam (practiced by up to 85% of the population), about 8% are Christians; traditional beliefs are also preserved. The currency is the Guinean franc.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on October 4, 1958).
National holiday - October 2 - Independence Day (1958).
Guinea is a presidential republic. The constitution of 1991 is in effect. The head of state is the president, elected by universal suffrage for a term of 7 years.
In 2003, Lansana Conté was re-elected for a third term. The highest legislative body is a multi-party unicameral
National Assembly (parliament), elected (114 deputies) by universal direct voting in June 2002 for a term of 5 years.
The government, according to the constitution, is headed by the president, who appoints the prime minister (since October 9, 2004, S. D. Diallo). The position of prime minister is not provided for by the main law.
The activity of political parties has been officially permitted since April 1992. The leading party in the country is the pro-presidential Party of Unity and Progress (85 parliamentary mandates). Among the opposition, the most active are 5 parties united in the "Republican Front for Democratic Change." A total of 44 political parties are registered in the country.
The leading trade union association is the Confederation of Workers of Guinea.
The word "Guinea" is of Berber origin and means the community of black Sudanese. The search for gold attracted the first Europeans to the shores of Guinea. In the mid-15th century, Portuguese navigators were the first to attempt to describe the Guinean coast, which was named the Coast of Rain, and later - the Land of Southern Rivers. In the 1830s, the French became interested in Guinea, and they began to export gold, ivory, mahogany, and "black wood" (as colonizers referred to African slaves). By the end of the 19th century, the once quite strong feudal state on the Futa Jallon plateau lost its independence. In 1904, Guinea was included in the colonial federation of French West Africa.
In a referendum held by France on September 28, 1958, the Guinean people rejected the French constitution and expressed their desire for independence. Under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Guinea (DPG) and its leader A. Sekou Touré, nationalization of foreign banks and companies was carried out, a monopoly on foreign trade was established, and a national monetary system was created. By the mid-1970s, a mechanism for strict centralized management of the economic, political, and social aspects of life in the country gradually took shape. The state bodies and the ruling DPG merged into a single power system. A. Sekou Touré's regime effectively turned into a dictatorship. After his death on April 3, 1984, a bloodless military coup took place in the country. Power passed to the Military Committee for National Rebirth (MCNR) headed by Colonel (now General) L. Conté, who became the president of Guinea.
In December 1991, a new constitution of the Republic of Guinea was adopted in a nationwide referendum, providing for a presidential form of government, the creation of a unicameral parliament, and the separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers.
The Republic of Guinea is a member of the UN, AU, OIC, and several regional economic organizations: ECOWAS, the Organization for the Development of the Gambia River Basin, the Mano River Union, and others.
The basis of Guinea's economy is the mining industry (approximately 42% of GDP and 96% of exports). Guinea is the second-largest exporter of raw materials for the aluminum industry in the world - 16 million tons of bauxite and 620 thousand tons of alumina per year. It holds 2/3 of the world's bauxite reserves (20 billion tons). With the assistance of the USSR, a bauxite mining complex was built in the Kindia region (3 million tons per year) with a settlement, a railway, and loading facilities at the port of Conakry. In 1992, the complex was transformed from a national state enterprise into a joint-stock company by presidential decree.
Since 2001, it has been managed by the Russian company "Russian Aluminum," which is implementing an investment project for the development of the Dian-Dian bauxite deposit. Bauxite mining is also carried out by joint ventures in the Fria and Boké regions with the participation of American, French, Canadian, and other companies. Since the second half of the 1980s, industrial gold mining has begun (the explored reserves in the northeastern part of the country are estimated at 500 tons). The annual gold production is about 15 tons. The country has diamond reserves (about 100 million carats). Diamond mining is mainly done by artisanal methods (about 500 thousand carats per year). Explored reserves of high-quality iron ore amount to about 12 billion tons. Guinea has deposits of nickel (73 million tons), titanium (100 thousand tons), chromium, copper, uranium, graphite, corundum, and others. The country has significant hydropower potential (13 thousand MW).
There are 6,825 km of national highways in the country, including 2,000 km of paved roads. There are 2,000 large and small bridges, and 29 ferry crossings. The vehicle fleet consists of 120 thousand units. The railway sector includes a transnational line (662 km) Conakry - Kankan (currently not operational and requires reconstruction), as well as branches that ensure the delivery of bauxite and alumina to the sea ports of Conakry and Kamsar. An international airport operates in Conakry, along with 15 local airports.
About 70% of the self-employed population is engaged in agriculture. The main agricultural crops are rice (about 800 thousand tons), legumes, corn, peanuts, cassava, citrus fruits, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, coffee, cotton, rubber, and oil palm. Emphasis is placed on encouraging individual peasant farms and on quickly recouping projects with foreign investment to achieve self-sufficiency in food products.
Over 100 thousand tons of rice are imported annually, for which up to 25% of export revenues are spent. Livestock farming is not very productive, but it mainly meets the population's needs for meat products. The country has 2.3 million head of cattle and 1.5 million small cattle, and 54 thousand pigs. It produces 42 thousand tons of meat and 62 million liters of milk. Up to 200 thousand tons of fish are caught annually in coastal waters, mainly by foreign vessels. The domestic market receives 20-30 thousand tons, which meets only about 25% of needs. There are more than 6 million hectares of fertile land (currently only 30% of agricultural land is cultivated), and 130 thousand km² are occupied by tropical forests (about 50 thousand m³ of timber is harvested).
The currency and financial situation is unstable. In 2004, revenues amounted to 410 million, while expenses reached 708 million dollars. There remains a high degree of dependence on external sources of financing, which cover the budget deficit and provide 85% of investment programs. The state external debt amounts to 3.6 billion dollars. The main part of exports (726 million dollars) consists of bauxite and alumina (49%), gold (15%), diamonds (10%), coffee (3%), fish (3%), and fruits (pineapples, mangoes, citrus fruits, etc.). The commodity structure of imports (646 million dollars) includes machinery and equipment (36%), consumer goods and food (34%), raw materials and semi-finished products (17%), and petroleum products (13%). The largest trading partner is France.
Communication is underdeveloped. The country has 26 thousand telephone lines, including 1,175 in Conakry, with 4 international exits. Since 1996, there has been an Internet connection. Since 1999, a telecommunications system has been in operation, with the number of mobile network subscribers reaching 111.5 thousand in 2004.
Healthcare is characterized by weak infrastructure development, lack of funding (4 dollars per person per year), and qualified personnel (15 people per 100 thousand residents). The average life expectancy is 49.7 years. There are 140 thousand people living with AIDS.
According to the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) classification (2004), Guinea ranks 160th out of 177 countries. Over 40% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Among the adult population, about 60% are illiterate. The school enrollment rate is 57%. There are several higher educational institutions: universities in Conakry and Kankan, a mining and geological institute in Boké, a pedagogical institute in Manéa, and an agricultural institute in Farana.
The country publishes more than 10 periodicals of various orientations in French. The largest are "Horoya," "Independant," "Democrat," and others. There is a government Guinean press agency. Radio broadcasting covers almost the entire territory of the country. The only television center is located in Conakry.