N’ko
N'Ko () is a script devised by Solomana Kante in 1949, as a modern writing system for the Mandé languages of West Africa. The term ''N'Ko'', which means ''I say'' in all Mandé languages, is also used for the Mandé literary standard written i ...
: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫,
Fula
Fula may refer to:
*Fula people (or Fulani, Fulɓe)
*Fula language (or Pulaar, Fulfulde, Fulani)
**The Fula variety known as the Pulaar language
**The Fula variety known as the Pular language
**The Fula variety known as Maasina Fulfulde
*Al-Fula ...
: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973.
The current population of Conakry is difficult to ascertain, although the U.S. Department of State's
Bureau of African Affairs
In the United States government, the Bureau of African Affairs (AF) is part of the U.S. Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State on matters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The bureau was established in 1958. It is headed b ...
has estimated it at two million, accounting for one-sixth of the entire population of the country.
History
Conakry was originally settled on the small Tombo Island and later spread to the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula, a stretch of land wide. The city was essentially founded after Britain ceded the island to France in 1887. In 1885 the two island villages of Conakry and Boubinet had fewer than 500 inhabitants. Conakry became the capital of
French Guinea
French Guinea (french: Guinée française) was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the current independent nation of Guinea.
French Guinea was established by France in 1891, ...
in 1904 and prospered as an export port, particularly after a railway (now closed) to
Kankan
Kankan ( Mandingo: Kánkàn; N’ko: ߞߊ߲ߞߊ߲߫) is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population, with a population of 1 980 130 people as of 2020. The city is located in eastern Guinea about east of the ...
opened up the interior of the country for the large-scale export of
groundnut
Groundnut may refer to:
* Seeds that ripen underground, of the following plants, all in the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes:
** '' Best Basketball Player'', Obinna Udunni
** '' Arachis villosulicarpa'', a perennial peanut species
** ''Vigna sub ...
.
In the decades after independence, the population of Conakry boomed, from 50,000 inhabitants in 1958 to 600,000 in 1980, to over two million today. Its small land area and relative isolation from the mainland, while an advantage to its colonial founders, has created an infrastructural burden since independence.
In 1970 conflict between Portuguese forces and the
PAIGC
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Originally formed to peacefully campaign for independence from ...
in neighbouring
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...
(now
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ), ...
) spilled into the Republic of Guinea when a group of 350 Portuguese troops and Guinean loyalists landed near Conakry, attacked the city and freed 26 Portuguese
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
held by the PAIGC before retreating, having failed to overthrow the government or kill the PAIGC leadership.Camp Boiro, a feared concentration camp during the rule of Sekou Toure, was located in Conakry.
According to human rights groups, 157 people died during the 2009 Guinea protest when the military junta opened fire against tens of thousands of protesters in the city on 28 September 2009.
Geography
Originally situated on
Tombo Island
Tombo Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean at the tip of the Guinean Kaloum Peninsula, approximately east of the Iles de Los, Loos Islands.
The island is the site where the capital Conakry was built on. It is the site of the old city of Co ...
, one of the
Îles de Los
Îles de Los are an island group lying off Conakry in Guinea, on the west coast of Africa. Their name is derived from the Portuguese: ''Ilhas dos Ídolos'', "Islands of the Idols". They are located about off the headland limiting the southern ...
, it has since spread up the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula.
Climate
According to
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Conakry features a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Am''). Conakry features a
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
and a
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
. Like most of West Africa, Conakry's dry season is dominated by the harmattan wind between December and April. As a result, almost no rain falls in the city during these months.
Compared to most of West Africa, Conakry's wet season sees an extraordinary amount of rainfall, averaging more than in both July and August. As a result, Conakry's average annual rainfall totals nearly . However, the dry season is still dry, with January and February only receiving of rainfall on average. Sunshine is lower in the wet season than the dry season, with August receiving the least sunshine and March receiving the most.
Population
Government and administration
Conakry is a special city with a single region and prefecture government. The local government of the city was decentralized in 1991 between five municipal ''communes'' headed by a mayor. From the tip in the southwest, these are:
*
Kaloum
Kaloum is an urban sub-prefecture in the Conakry Region of Guinea and one of five in the capital Conakry. Kaloum includes the city centre of Conakry. As of 2014 it had a population of 62,675 people.
When Air Guinée existed, its head offi ...
– the city centre
*
Dixinn
Dixinn is an urban sub-prefecture in the Conakry Region of Guinea and one of five in the capital Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and ...
– including the
University of Conakry
Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry (in French ''L'Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry'', UGANC), is the largest university in Guinea and located in Dixinn Commune, Conakry, Guinea. The name is generally shortened to the University o ...
and many embassies
* Ratoma – known for its nightlife
* Matam
* Matoto – home to
Conakry International Airport
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its po ...
.
The five urban communes make up the
Conakry Region
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its ...
, one of the eight
Regions of Guinea
Guinea is divided into 8 administrative regions. 7 regions other than Conakry Region are further subdivided into 33 prefectures.
See also
* Administrative divisions of Guinea
* Prefectures of Guinea
* Sub-prefectures of Guinea
The sub-prefe ...
, which is headed by a governor. At the second-tier prefecture level, the city is designated as the Conakry Special Zone, though the prefecture and regional government are one and the same. At an estimated two million inhabitants, it is far and away the largest city in Guinea, making up almost a quarter of the nation's population and making it more than four times bigger than its nearest rival,
Kankan
Kankan ( Mandingo: Kánkàn; N’ko: ߞߊ߲ߞߊ߲߫) is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population, with a population of 1 980 130 people as of 2020. The city is located in eastern Guinea about east of the ...
.
Economy
Conakry is Guinea's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic centre. The city's economy revolves largely around the port, which has modern facilities for handling and storing cargo, through which alumina and bananas are shipped. Manufactures include food products and cement, metal manufactures, and fuel products.
Periodic power and water cuts have been a daily burden for Conakry's residents since early 2002. Government and power company officials blame the drought of February 2001 for a failure of the hydro-electric supply to the capital, and a failure of aging machinery for the continuation of the crisis. Critics of the government cite mismanagement, corruption and the withdrawal of the power agency's French partner at the beginning of 2002. , much of the city has no traffic lighting in the overnight hours.
Popular anger at shortages in Conakry was entwined with anti-government protests, strikes, and violence against the rule of President
Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté (30 November 1934 – 22 December 2008
and the successive prime ministers
Cellou Dalein Diallo
Cellou Dalein Diallo (3 February 1952 , Xinhua, 14 December 2004 .) is a
appointed to fill the post after the resignation of Prime Minister
François Lonseny Fall
François Lonseny Fall (born 21 April 1949) is a Guinean diplomat and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Guinea from February 23, 2004 to July 15, 2004, under authoritarian President Lansana Conté. Later, under democraticly elec ...
Conakry International Airport
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its po ...
which has flights to several cities in West Africa and Europe.
Donka Hospital
The Donka Hospital is a publicly owned hospital in Conakry, Guinea. It has inadequate facilities to handle demand, and many Guineans cannot afford its services. More than once in recent years the hospital has had to deal with a major influx of pa ...
Sandervalia National Museum
The Sandervalia National Museum (french: Musée national de Sandervalia) is the national museum of Guinea, situated in the capital, Conakry.
Most of the rooms are empty, but it contains a limited display of traditional objects from different re ...
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic mosques in the city include the
Grand Mosque of Conakry
The Conakry Grand Mosque (french: Grande mosquée de Conakry / Mosquée Fayçal) is a mosque in Conakry, Guinea, located east of the Conakry Botanical Garden and beside the Donka Hospital.
The mosque was built under Ahmed Sékou Touré wit ...
. There are also Christian churches and temples, including the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry ( la, Konakrien(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Conakry, which covers all Guinea. It is of Latin Rite and depends on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. ...
Alliance World Fellowship
The Alliance World Fellowship is the international governing body of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (The Alliance, also C&MA and CMA). The Alliance is an evangelical Protestant denomination within the Higher Life movement of Christianity ...
), and the Assemblies of God.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1279
Gamal Abdel Nasser University
Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry (in French ''L'Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry'', UGANC), is the largest university in Guinea and located in Dixinn Commune, Conakry, Guinea. The name is generally shortened to the University ...
Conakry Botanical Garden
Conakry Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Conakry, Guinea. It is located in the Camayenne part of the city, with the Ambroise Paré Hospital to the south and Conakry Grand Mosque to the north. It is noted for its kapok trees.
See als ...
Maciré Sylla
Maciré Sylla is a singer and dancer. Born in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, but raised in Tayiré, a village in the north of Conakry.
Author and composer, Maciré sings mainly in Soussou and her style is inspired by Mandingo, Afropop, Funk
...
* Dave, Nomi (2019) ''The Revolution's Echoes: Music, Politics & Pleasure in Guinea.'' Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
* Thomas O'Toole, Janice E. Baker. (2005) ''Historical Dictionary of Guinea''. Scarecrow Press.
* Philipps, Joschka (2013) ''Ambivalent Rage: Youth Gangs and Urban Protest in Conakry, Guinea.'' Harmattan Guinée.
* Cohen, Adrienne ( 2019) "Performing Excess: Urban Ceremony and the Semiotics of Precarity in Guinea-Conakry." ''Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute''. 89 (4): 718–738.
* Odile Goerg. "Chieftainships between Past and Present: From City to Suburb and Back in Colonial Conakry, 1890s–1950s". ''Africa Today'', Summer 2006, Vol. 52, No. 4, Pages 2–27
Conakry the Capital history of the city at site of expat artist.
''HISTOIRE DE CONAKRY, 1463 to present'', by Luc MOGENET reprinted at guineeconakry.info (no date)
RUKMINI CALLIMACHI The Associated Press, Thursday, 19 July 2007.
history and structure (at catholic-hierarchy.org)
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), 1999 figures.
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...