"text":"Guinea is at a turning point after decades of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Guinea held its first free and competitive democratic presidential and legislative elections in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Alpha CONDE was elected to a five-year term as president in 2010, and the National Assembly was seated in January 2014. CONDE's cabinet is the first all-civilian government in Guinea. Previously, Sekou TOURE ruled the country as president from independence to his death in 1984. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after TOURE's death. Gen. CONTE organized and won presidential elections in 1993, 1998, and 2003, though all the polls were rigged. Upon CONTE's death in December 2008, 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 exiled to Burkina Faso. A transitional government led by Gen. Sekouba KONATE paved the way for Guinea's transition to a fledgling democracy."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone"
"text":"Cote d'Ivoire 816 km, Guinea-Bissau 421 km, Liberia 590 km, Mali 1,062 km, Senegal 363 km, Sierra Leone 794 km"
}
},
"Coastline":{
"text":"320 km"
},
"Maritime claims":{
"territorial sea":{
"text":"12 nm"
},
"exclusive economic zone":{
"text":"200 nm"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior"
},
"Elevation extremes":{
"lowest point":{
"text":"Atlantic Ocean 0 m"
},
"highest point":{
"text":"Mont Nimba 1,752 m"
}
},
"Natural resources":{
"text":"bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt"
"text":"hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season"
},
"Environment - current issues":{
"text":"deforestation; inadequate potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"the Niger and its important tributary the Milo River have their sources in the Guinean highlands"
}
},
"People and Society":{
"Nationality":{
"noun":{
"text":"Guinean(s)"
},
"adjective":{
"text":"Guinean"
}
},
"Ethnic groups":{
"text":"Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%"
},
"Languages":{
"text":"French (official)",
"note":{
"text":"each ethnic group has its own language"
}
},
"Religions":{
"text":"Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%"
"text":"president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 October 2015 (next scheduled for 2020); prime minister appointed by the president"
"text":"unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; 76 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote and 38 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)"
},
"elections":{
"text":"last held on 28 September 2013 (next scheduled for 2018)"
"text":"Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into Administrative Chamber and Civil, Penal, and Social Chamber; court consists of the first president, 2 chamber presidents, at least 4 councillors, the solicitor general and NA deputies); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"Supreme Court first president appointed by the national president after consultation with the National Assembly; other members appointed by presidential decree; member tenure NA; Constitutional Court member appointments - 2 by the National Assembly and the president of the republic, 3 experienced judges designated by their peers, 1 experienced lawyer, 1 university professor with expertise in public law designated by peers, and 2 experienced representatives of the Independent National Institution of Human Rights; members serve single 9-year terms"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"includes Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; courts of first instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; High Court of Justice or Cour d'Assises; labor court; military tribunal; justices of the peace; specialized courts"
"text":"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]",
"text":"National Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union of Guinean Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes National Confederation of Guinean Workers or CNTG, Labor Union of Guinean Workers or USTG) ++ Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or SLECG"
"text":"Ambassador Mamady CONDE (since 14 July 2014)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 986-4300"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 986-3800"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador Alexander Mark LASKARIS (since 28 September 2012)"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[224] 655-10-40-00"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[224] 655-10-42-97"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"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",
"note":{
"text":"uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the reverse of those on the flags of neighboring Mali and Senegal"
"Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy":{
"text":"1.388 million Mt (2012 est.)"
}
},
"Communications":{
"Telephones - fixed lines":{
"total subscriptions":{
"text":"0"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"less than 1 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephones - mobile cellular":{
"total":{
"text":"8.7 million"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"76 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephone system":{
"general assessment":{
"text":"inadequate system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system"
},
"domestic":{
"text":"Conakry reasonably well-served; coverage elsewhere remains inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for nationwide links; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership is expanding and exceeds 40 per 100 persons"
"text":"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)"
},
"Radio broadcast stations":{
"text":"AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006)"
},
"Television broadcast stations":{
"text":"6 (2001)"
},
"Internet country code":{
"text":".gn"
},
"Internet users":{
"total":{
"text":"195,100"
},
"percent of population":{
"text":"1.7% (2014 est.)"
}
}
},
"Transportation":{
"Airports":{
"text":"16 (2013)"
},
"Airports - with paved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"4"
},
"over 3,047 m":{
"text":"1"
},
"1,524 to 2,437 m":{
"text":"3 (2013)"
}
},
"Airports - with unpaved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"12"
},
"1,524 to 2,437 m":{
"text":"7"
},
"914 to 1,523 m":{
"text":"3"
},
"under 914 m":{
"text":" ++ 2 (2013)"
}
},
"Railways":{
"total":{
"text":"662 km"
},
"narrow gauge":{
"text":"662 km 1.000-m gauge (20014)"
}
},
"Roadways":{
"total":{
"text":"44,348 km"
},
"paved":{
"text":"4,342 km"
},
"unpaved":{
"text":"40,006 km (2003)"
}
},
"Waterways":{
"text":"1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft in the northern part of the Niger River system) (2011)"
},
"Ports and terminals":{
"major seaport(s)":{
"text":"Conakry, Kamsar"
}
}
},
"Military":{
"Military branches":{
"text":"National Armed Forces: Army, Guinean Navy (Armee de Mer or Marine Guineenne, includes Marines), Guinean Air Force (Force Aerienne de Guinee) (2009)"
},
"Military service age and obligation":{
"text":"18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (2012)"
},
"Manpower available for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"2,359,203"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"2,329,784 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower fit for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"1,493,991"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"1,535,418 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{
"male":{
"text":"118,443"
},
"female":{
"text":"115,901 (2010 est.)"
}
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"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"
},
"Refugees and internally displaced persons":{
"refugees (country of origin)":{
"text":"6,580 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2014)"
}
},
"Trafficking in persons":{
"current situation":{
"text":"Guinea is a source, transit, and, to a lesser extent a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the majority of trafficking victims are Guinean children; Guinean girls are subjected to domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation, while boys are forced to beg or to work as street vendors, shoe shiners, or miners; some Guinean children are forced to mine in Senegal, Mali, and possibly other West African countries; Guinean women and girls are subjected to domestic servitude and sex trafficking in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Western Europe, the US, and the Middle East, while Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese women are forced into prostitution in Guinea"
},
"tier rating":{
"text":"Tier 2 Watch List – Guinea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government conducted six trafficking investigations in 2013 and prosecuted and convicted only one trafficking offender, which was an increase over the previous year; the government failed to provide victims with protective services and did not support NGOs that assisted victims but continued to refer child victims to NGOs on an ad hoc basis; Guinean law does not prohibit all forms of trafficking, excluding, for example, debt bondage (2014)"
