GUINEA

officially Republic of Guinea, French Rpublique de Guine, formerly (197984) People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea country of western Africa. It is bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali to the north and east; by Cte d'Ivoire to the southeast; by Liberia and Sierra Leone to the south; and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its area of 94,926 square miles (245,857 square kilometres) supports a largely rural population. The national capital of Conakry is the country's main port. the forest and coastal areas of western Africa between the tropic of Cancer and the equator. Derived from the Berber word aguinaw, or gnawa, meaning black man (hence akal n-iguinamen, or land of the black men), the term was first adopted by the Portuguese and, in forms such as Guinuia, Ginya, Gheneoa, and Ghinea, appears on European maps from the 14th century onward. There is a distinction between Upper and Lower Guinea, which lie westward and southward, respectively, of the line of volcanic peaks that runs northeast from Annobn (formerly Pagalu) Island through So Tom to Mount Cameroon. The Gulf of Guinea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to this coastal area. Sections of the coast of Guinea were known by their chief products, such as the Grain Coast (from Cape Mesurado to Cape Palmas, along present-day coastal Liberia), so called because it was the source of the grains of paradise (Guinea pepper, Xylopia aethiopica); the Ivory Coast (beyond Cape Palmas and now mostly in Cte d'Ivoire), the Gold Coast (east of Cape Three Points, along present-day Ghana), and the Slave Coast (between the Volta River and the Niger River delta, along present-day Togo, Benin, and Nigeria). Cape Bojador (latitude 26 N) was rounded by the Portuguese seaman Gil Eannes (Gilianes) in 1434, and some years later the first cargoes of slaves and gold were brought back to Lisbon. A papal bull gave Portugal exclusive rights over the western coast of Africa, and in 1469 Ferno Gomes was granted a trade monopoly, with the provision that 300 miles (480 km) of new coast be explored annually. The equator was reached in 1471 and the Congo River reached by Diogo Co in 1482. After 1530 other Europeans, including English, Dutch, French, Danish, and Brandenburgers, established trading posts or forts in the area. European penetration of Guinea was hindered by several factors: the hot, humid, and unhealthy climate; the density of the rain forest; the scarcity of harbours along the generally surf-bound coast; and the difficulties of river navigation. officially Republic of Guinea, French Rpublique de Guine, formerly (197984) People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea country of Western Africa, covering an area of 94,926 square miles (245,857 square km). The capital is Conakry. Facing the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea is bordered by Guinea-Bissau and Senegal on the north, Mali on the north and east, Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) on the southeast, and Liberia and Sierra Leone on the south. Pop. (1993 est.) 7,418,000. Additional reading Jean Suret-Canales, La Rpublique de Guine (1970), now dated, is the best single source. Claude Rivire, Guinea: The Mobilization of a People (1977), although also dated, is a sound work. Harold D. Nelson et al., Area Handbook for Guinea, 2nd ed. (1975), is still valuable for background information. 'Ladipo Adamolekun, Skou Tour's Guinea (1976), is an excellent work on the political system under the country's first president. Thomas E. O'Toole, Historical Dictionary of Guinea (Republic of Guinea/Conakry), 2nd ed. (1987), contains an extensive bibliography. Thomas E. O'Toole Administration and social conditions Government For more than 25 years under President Skou Tour, Guinea was a one-party state ruled by the Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG). In April 1984, after Tour's death, a military group abolished the PDG and all associated revolutionary committees and replaced them with the Military Committee for National Recovery (CMRN). A new constitution in 1991 began a transition to civilian rule. Political parties were legalized in 1992, and Guinea's first multiparty elections were held in 1993. The constitution provides for a civilian president and a unicameral legislature, both elected by universal suffrage. Education The government has put a major emphasis on improving the provision of education. In the early 1980s only about one-quarter of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school. Educational facilities at all levels had shown a marked decline in the last decade of the Tour government. Despite improvements, perhaps three-quarters of the population is illiterate in French, and the overall adult literacy rate is below average for western Africa. Primary education is compulsory for six years beginning at age seven. Secondary education is also offered as a six-year program. Instruction is offered in French and in local languages. Private schools, previously banned, were allowed to reopen in 1984. The country's post-secondary institutions, particularly the University of Conakry, function on an irregular basis, with assistance from France and other countries for personnel and materials. Cultural life Until 1984 artistic and literary expressions were limited largely to African themes by the single political party and its leader. As a result Guinean intellectuals exhibit a strong sense of nationalism and a decolonialized state of mind. As greater openness of expression returns, a distinctly Guinean literature is gradually emerging. A truly autonomous free press has yet to emerge as a major force in Guinean life. One French-language newspaper, Horoya, formerly controlled by the PDG, is published. A number of informal newsletters are also published in indigenous languages. A television service was begun in 1977, and transmissions continue on an irregular basis for short periods each day. The telephone network is limited and obsolescent; the few telephones in service are almost all in Conakry and other major urban centres. A program to upgrade the telecommunications system was implemented in the late 1980s. The professional National Guinean Ballet, which emerged after independence, has retained some of the dance and music of the distinct ethnic and regional groups. Creative accomplishments in modern dance and popular music have given Guinean musicians and singers an international reputation. Handicrafts in Guinea, as elsewhere in Africa, declined sharply during the colonial era with competition from manufactured consumer goods. The lack of tourism and creative marketing since independence has limited the amount of change and innovation in local crafts, so that the leatherwork, wood carving, and jewelry produced in Guinea tend to be more genuinely ethnic than elsewhere in western Africa.