Guinea has had a history of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls were marred by irregularities. History repeated itself in December 2008 when following President CONTE's death, Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seizing power and suspending the constitution. His unwillingness to yield to domestic and international pressure to step down led to heightened political tensions that culminated in September 2009 when presidential guards opened fire on an opposition rally killing more than 150 people, and in early December 2009 when CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and evacuated to Morocco and subsequently to Burkina Faso. A transitional government led by General Sekouba KONATE held democratic elections in 2010 and Alpha CONDE was elected president in the country's first free and fair elections since independence. CONDE in July 2011 survived an attack on his residence allegedly perpetrated by the military. In October 2012, he announced a cabinet reshuffle that removed three members of the military from their positions, making the current administration Guinea's first all-civilian government.

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

slightly smaller than Oregon

generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season

deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage

the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands

Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%

Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%

10,884,958 (July 2012 est.)

36.6 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

10.19 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

CONAKRY (capital) 1.597 million (2009)

610 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

5.04 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2005)

0.31 beds/1,000 population (2005)

urban: 34% of population

rural: 11% of population

total: 19% of population

urban: 66% of population

rural: 89% of population

total: 81% of population

33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou

2 October 1958 (from France)

Independence Day, 2 October (1958)

7 May 2010 (Loi Fundamentale)

civil law system based on the French model

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

the legislature was dissolved by junta leader Moussa Dadis CAMARA in December 2008 and in February 2010, the Transition Government appointed a 155 member National Transition Council (CNT) that has since acted in the legislature's place

Constitutional Court; Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

National Party for Hope and Development or PEDN [Lansana KOUYATE]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union for the Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean Marie DORE]; Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Cellou Dalein DIALLO]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]

National Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union of Guinean Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes National Confederation of Guinean Workers or CNTG and Labor Union of Guinean Workers or USTG); Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or SLECG

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; red represents the people's sacrifice for liberation and work; yellow stands for the sun, for the riches of the earth, and for justice; green symbolizes the country's vegetation and unity

Guinea is a poor country that possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources. The country has almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and significant iron ore, gold, and diamond reserves. However, Guinea has been unable to profit from this potential, as rampant corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, and political uncertainty have drained investor confidence. In the time since a 2008 coup following the death of long-term President Lansana CONTE, international donors, including the G-8, the IMF, and the World Bank, have significantly curtailed their development programs. Throughout 2009, policies of the ruling military junta severely weakened the economy. The junta leaders spent and printed money at an accelerating rate, driving inflation and debt to perilously high levels. In early 2010, the junta collapsed and was replaced by a Transition Government, which ceded power in December 2010 to the country's first-ever democratically elected president, Alpha CONDE. International assistance and investment are expected to return to Guinea, but the levels will depend upon the ability of the new government to combat corruption, reform its banking system, improve its business environment, and build infrastructure. IMF and World Bank programs will be especially critical as Guinea attempts to gain debt relief. International investors have expressed keen interest in Guinea's vast iron ore reserves, which could further propel the country's growth. The government put forward a new mining code in September 2011 that includes provisions to combat corruption, protect the environment, and review all existing mining contracts. Longer range plans to deploy broadband Internet throughout the country could spur economic growth as well.

$12.25 billion (2012 est.)

$11.69 billion (2011 est.)

$11.25 billion (2010 est.)

$5.744 billion (2012 est.)

4.778 million (2012 est.)

20.1% of GDP (2012 est.)

21.5% of GDP (2012 est.)

-6.5% of GDP (2012 est.)

NA% (31 December 2010 est.)

22.25% (31 December 2005)

27% (31 December 2012 est.)

28% (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.657 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.38 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.915 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.731 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.515 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.533 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (manioc), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

-$1.754 billion (2012 est.)

-$1.215 billion (2011 est.)

$1.785 billion (2012 est.)

$1.433 billion (2011 est.)

bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products

Chile 24.6%, Spain 9.2%, Russia 7.5%, India 5.2%, Germany 5.2%, Ireland 5.1%, US 5%, Ukraine 4.4% (2011)

$2.708 billion (2012 est.)

$2.106 billion (2011 est.)

petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

China 13.2%, Netherlands 8.1%, US 5.4% (2011)

$535.5 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$806.8 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.652 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$2.997 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Guinean francs (GNF) per US dollar -

955 million kWh (2009 est.)

888.2 million kWh (2009 est.)

393,000 kW (2009 est.)

68.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

31.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

8,671 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

8,970 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

1.392 million Mt (2010 est.)

government maintains marginal control over broadcast media; single state-run TV station; state-run radio broadcast station also operates several stations in rural areas; a steadily increasing number of privately-owned radio stations, nearly all in Conakry, and about a dozen community radio stations; foreign TV programming available via satellite and cable subscription services (2011)

1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft in the northern part of the Niger system) (2011)

National Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Armee de Mer or Marine Guineenne, includes Marines), Guinean Air Force (Force Aerienne de Guinee) (2009)

18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (2009)

conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands, including the hamlet of Yenga, occupied since 1998