Adjacent Words

Guinea definitions

	Tweet

Flags of the World

Flag of Guinea

CIA World Factbook, 2008

Background
Guinea has had only two presidents 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 have been marred by irregularities. Guinea has maintained its internal stability despite spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia. As those countries have rebuilt, Guinea's own vulnerability to political and economic crisis has increased. Declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006; a third nationwide strike in early 2007 sparked violent protests in many Guinean cities and prompted two weeks of martial law. To appease the unions and end the unrest, CONTE named a new prime minister in March 2007.

Location
total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative
total: 3,399 km border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

Coastline
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources
arable land: 4.47% permanent crops: 2.64% other: 92.89% (2005)

Irrigated land
Total: 1.51 cu km/yr (8%/2%/90%) Per capita: 161 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards
party to: 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: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note
0-14 years: 44.3% (male 2,226,414/female 2,183,153) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,611,833/female 2,610,773) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 138,392/female 177,249) (2007 est.)

Median age
total: 17.7 years male: 17.5 years female: 17.9 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.781 male(s)/female total population: 1.001 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
total: 88.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 93.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 49.65 years male: 48.5 years female: 50.84 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate
degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2007)

Nationality
noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 29.5% male: 42.6% female: 18.1% (2003 est.)

Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea

Government type
name: Conakry geographic coordinates: 9 33 N, 13 42 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions
chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Lansana KOUYATE (since 26 February 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003 (next to be held in December 2010); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE 95.3%, Mamadou Bhoye BARRY 4.6%

Legislative branch
elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9 note: legislative elections were due in 2007 but have been postponed

Judicial branch
chief of mission: Ambassador Mory Karamoko KABA chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Phillip CARTER III embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry telephone: [224] 30-42-08-61 through 68 FAX: [224] 30-42-08-73

Flag description
agriculture: 22% industry: 40.5% services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force
agriculture: 76% industry and services: 24% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate
lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 41% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index
revenues: $382 million expenditures: $817.4 million (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products
note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2006)

Electricity - consumption
general assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system domestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remains inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for nationwide links; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 2 per 100 persons international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations
total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Railways
total: 837 km standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
total: 44,348 km paved: 4,342 km unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)

Waterways
males age 18-49: 1,852,534 females age 18-49: 1,827,560 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 1,034,006 females age 18-49: 1,032,885 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP
refugees (country of origin): 54,810 (Liberia), 5,423 (Sierra Leone), 3,900 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 19,000 (cross-border incursions from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone) (2006)

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GUIN'EA, n. gin'ny. Formerly, a gold coin in Great Britain of the value of twenty one shillings sterling, equal to $4.66 2/3rds, American money.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings
2: (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Italian descent [syn: wop, dago, ginzo, Guinea, greaseball]
3: a republic in western Africa on the Atlantic; formerly a French colony; achieved independence from France in 1958 [syn: Guinea, Republic of Guinea, French Guinea]
4: a west African bird having dark plumage mottled with white; native to Africa but raised for food in many parts of the world [syn: guinea fowl, guinea, Numida meleagris]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Guinea, Africa, supposed source of the gold from which it was made Date: 1664 1. an English gold coin issued from 1663 to 1813 and fixed in 1717 at 21 shillings 2. a unit of value equal to one pound and one shilling

Merriam Webster's

or French Guinée geographical name 1. region W Africa bordering on the Atlantic from Gambia (on N) to Angola (on S) 2. (or formerly French Guinea) republic W Africa bordering on the Atlantic; formerly a territory of French West Africa capital Conakry area 94,925 square miles (245,856 square kilometers), population 7,300,000 • Guinean adjective or noun

Britannica Concise

Country, W Africa. Area: 94,926 sq mi (245,857 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 7,405,000 (incl. 700,000 refuges from Liberia and Sierra Leone). Capital: Conakry. The Fulani people are in the majority, followed by the Malinke and many other groups. Language: French (official). Religion: Islam. Currency: Guinean franc. Facing the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea has four topographical regions. Lower Guinea comprises the coast and coastal plain, which are sandy and interspersed with lagoons and mangrove swamps. To the east the Fouta Djallon highlands rise sharply from the coastal plain to elevations above 3,000 ft (900 m); W Africa's three major rivers--the Niger, Sé né gal, and Gambia--originate there. Upper Guinea comprises the Niger Plains. The Forest Region, an isolated forested highland in the southeast, rises to 5,748 ft (1,752 m) at Mt. Nimba, the country's highest peak. Most of the country has a humid tropical climate, while more than two-fifths is covered by tropical rain forest. Export crops include rice, bananas, and coffee. Guinea is the world's second-largest producer of bauxite. Its developing, mixed economy is based on agriculture, mining, and trade. It is a multiparty republic with one legislative house; the head of state and government is the president, assisted by the prime minister. In c.AD 900, successive migrations of the Susu swept down from the desert and pushed the original inhabitants, the Baga, to the Atlantic coast. Small kingdoms of the Susu rose in importance in the 13th cent. and later extended their rule to the coast. In the mid-15th cent. the Portuguese visited the coast and developed a slave trade. In the 16th cent. the Fulani established domination over the Fouta Djallon region; they ruled into the 19th cent. In the early 19th cent. the French arrived, and in 1849 proclaimed the coastal region a French protectorate. In 1895 French Guinea became part of the federation of French West Africa. In 1946 it was made an overseas territory of France, and in 1958 achieved independence. Following a military coup in 1984, Guinea began implementing Westernized government systems. A new constitution was adopted in 1991, and the first multiparty elections were held in 1993. During the 1990s, Guinea accommodated several hundred thousand war refugees from neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Brit. hist. the sum of 21 old shillings (£1.05), used esp. in determining professional fees. 2 hist. a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings, first coined for the African trade. Phrases and idioms: guinea-fowl any African fowl of the family Numididae, esp. Numida meleagris, with slate-coloured white-spotted plumage. guinea-pig 1 a domesticated S. American cavy, Cavia porcellus, kept as a pet or for research in biology etc. 2 a person or thing used as a subject for experiment. Etymology: Guinea in W. Africa

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Peach Peach, n. [OE. peche, peshe, OF. pesche, F. p[^e]che, fr. LL. persia, L. Persicum (sc. malum) a Persian apple, a peach. Cf. Persian, and Parsee.] (Bot.) A well-known high-flavored juicy fruit, containing one or two seeds in a hard almond-like endocarp or stone; also, the tree which bears it (Prunus, or Amygdalus Persica). In the wild stock the fruit is hard and inedible. Guinea, or Sierra Leone, peach, the large edible berry of the Sarcocephalus esculentus, a rubiaceous climbing shrub of west tropical Africa. Palm peach, the fruit of a Venezuelan palm tree (Bactris speciosa). Peach color, the pale red color of the peach blossom. Peach-tree borer (Zo["o]l.), the larva of a clearwing moth ([AE]geria, or Sannina, exitiosa) of the family [AE]geriid[ae], which is very destructive to peach trees by boring in the wood, usually near the ground; also, the moth itself. See Illust. under Borer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Guinea Guin"ea (g[i^]n"[-e]), n. 1. A district on the west coast of Africa (formerly noted for its export of gold and slaves) after which the Guinea fowl, Guinea grass, Guinea peach, etc., are named. 2. A gold coin of England current for twenty-one shillings sterling, or about five dollars, but not coined since the issue of sovereigns in 1817. The guinea, so called from the Guinea gold out of which it was first struck, was proclaimed in 1663, and to go for twenty shillings; but it never went for less than twenty-one shillings. --Pinkerton. Guinea corn. (Bot.) See Durra. Guinea Current (Geog.), a current in the Atlantic Ocean setting southwardly into the Bay of Benin on the coast of Guinea. Guinea dropper one who cheats by dropping counterfeit guineas. [Obs.] --Gay. Guinea fowl, Guinea hen (Zo["o]l.), an African gallinaceous bird, of the genus Numida, allied to the pheasants. The common domesticated species (N. meleagris), has a colored fleshy horn on each aide of the head, and is of a dark gray color, variegated with small white spots. The crested Guinea fowl (N. cristata) is a finer species. Guinea grains (Bot.), grains of Paradise, or amomum. See Amomum. Guinea grass (Bot.), a tall strong forage grass (Panicum jumentorum) introduced. from Africa into the West Indies and Southern United States. Guinea-hen flower (Bot.), a liliaceous flower (Fritillaria Meleagris) with petals spotted like the feathers of the Guinea hen. Guinea peach. See under Peach. Guinea pepper (Bot.), the pods of the Xylopia aromatica, a tree of the order Anonace[ae], found in tropical West Africa. They are also sold under the name of Piper [AE]thiopicum. Guinea pig. [Prob. a mistake for Guiana pig.] (a) (Zo["o]l.) A small Brazilian rodent (Cavia cobaya), about seven inches in length and usually of a white color, with spots of orange and black.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(guineas) A guinea is an old British unit of money that was worth £1.05. Guineas are still sometimes used, for example in auctions. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Twenty-one shillings.

Moby Thesaurus

bawbee, coin, crown, dollar, double eagle, doubloon, ducat, eagle, farthing, five-dollar gold piece, fiver, florin, fourpence, fourpenny, gold piece, groat, half crown, half dollar, half eagle, halfpenny, hard money, mag, meg, mite, moidore, monkey, napoleon, new pence, np, p, pence, penny, piece, piece of money, piece of silver, pony, pound, pound sovereign, quid, roll of coins, rouleau, shilling, sixpence, sovereign, specie, ten-dollar gold piece, tenner, threepence, threepenny bit, thrippence, tuppence, twenty-dollar gold piece, twopence