Guinea

Since winning independence from France in 1958, the Republic of Guinea has been ruled by only two presidents. The first of these, Sekou Toure, served until his death in 1984. General Lansana Conte succeeded to the presidency after Toure's death led to a military coup. He was returned to office in 1993 in Guinea's first democratic election. Guinea's population of 9,690,000 has expanded partially in response to the influx of 141,000 refugees from the politically tumultuous Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. In response to situations in these countries, a panic over food shortages led to riots in local markets in Guinea. Despite natural resources that include half of the world's bauxite reserves, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, and salt, Guinea is essentially an underdeveloped nation.

Less than 35 percent of Guineans live in urban areas. Eighty percent of the population is engaged in the agricultural sector, mostly at the subsistence level. The mining industry is essential to the Guinean economy, providing 70 percent of export revenues. In 2003, most World Bank and International Monetary Funds were suspended. With a per capita income of $2,200, Guinea is ranked 175 of 232 nations in world incomes. Forty percent of Guineans live in poverty, and over a fourth of the population is undernourished. Income disparity results in the most affluent 10 percent of the population holding almost a third of the nation's wealth. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Reports rank Guinea 156 of 232 countries on overall quality of life issues.

Major social indicators reveal the vulnerability of the Guinean population. Life expectancy is low at 49.5 years. Infant mortality, on the other hand, is high at 90 deaths per 1,000 live births. The population is at risk from an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 3.2 percent that has killed 9,000 people since 2003. Only six percent of rural resident and 13 percent of all residents have access to improved sanitation. A little over half the population has sustained access to safe drinking water, but less than 40 percent of rural residents do so. Guineans experience a very high risk of contracting food and waterborne diseases that include bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever. Other threats come from schistosomiasis, a water contact disease, meningococcal meningitis, a respiratory disease, and Lassa fever—a disease caused by contact with infected aerosolized dust or soil. In some locations, high risks for contracting malaria and yellow fever also exist. With a fertility rate of 5.9 children per woman and a literacy rate of only 21.9 percent, life is particularly difficult for females.

Bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean, Guinea has a coastline of 320 kilometers. The sources of the Niger River and its tributary the Milo are located within the Guinean highlands. Guinea shares land borders with the Ivory Coast, Guinea–Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. The terrain of Guinea is mostly flat coastal plain with a hilly to mountainous interior. Elevations range from sea level to 1,752 meters at Mont Nimba. The climate is hot and humid, with a monsoonal-type rainy season from June to November that is accompanied by southwesterly winds. From December to May, the dry season ushers in hot, dry, northeasterly harmattan winds that reduce visibility.

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