What is the capital of Guinea?

The capital of Guinea is Conakry.

What is the population of Guinea?

Guinea has a population of about 15.10 million, the #75 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.

Guinea covers 245,857 km², ranking #80 by area, with about 61 people per square kilometre.

Which countries border Guinea?

Guinea shares a land or maritime border with Mali, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone.

What is the largest city in Guinea?

Conakry is the largest city in Guinea, with a metropolitan population of about 1.49 million.

What is the highest mountain in Guinea?

The highest summit recorded for Guinea in YearMaps is Mount Richard-Molard at 1,752 m (5,748 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Guinea Map — Cities, Rivers & History

Interactive Map of Guinea

5.2

Centred on Conakry at 9.5335° N, 13.6822° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About Guinea

Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country located in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Ivory Coast to the southeast, and Sierra Leone and Liberia to the south. It is sometimes referred to as Guinea-Conakry, after its capital Conakry, to distinguish it from other territories in the eponymous region, such as Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. At the census held on 1 July 2025, Guinea had a population of over 17.5 million and an area of 245,857 square kilometres (94,926 sq mi).

Formerly French Guinea, it achieved independence in 1958. Guinea has a history of military coups d'état. After decades of authoritarian rule, it held its first democratic election in 2010. As it continued to hold multi-party elections, the country still faces ethnic conflicts, corruption, and abuses by the military and police. In 2011, the United States government claimed that torture by security forces and abuse of women and children (including female genital mutilation) were ongoing human rights issues. In 2021, a military faction overthrew president Alpha Condé and suspended the constitution.

Guinea is a member of United Nations, ECOWAS, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, La Francophonie, and African Union. Its membership in the African Union was suspended in 2021 because of the 2021 coup, but it was reinstated in January 2026. Muslims represent 90% of the population. The country is divided into four geographic regions: Maritime Guinea on the Atlantic coast, the Fouta Djallon or Middle Guinea highlands, the Upper Guinea savannah region in the northeast, and the Guinée forestière region of tropical forests. More than 24 indigenous languages are spoken, and the largest are Susu, Pular, and Maninka, which dominate respectively in Maritime Guinea, Fouta Djallon, and Upper Guinea, while Forest Guinea is ethnolinguistically diverse. Despite that, French only is the language of communication in schools, government administration, and the media. Guinea's economy is mostly dependent on agriculture and mineral production. It is the world's second-largest producer of bauxite and has deposits of diamonds and gold. As of the most recent survey in 2018, 66.2% of the population is affected by multidimensional poverty, and an additional 16.4% are vulnerable to it.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Guinea (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Geography and Climate of Guinea

Guinea's deep Muslim heritage arrived via the neighboring Almoravid Empire in the 11th century. Following Almoravid decline, Guinea existed on the fringe of several African kingdoms, all competing for regional dominance. In the 13th century, the Mali Empire took control of Guinea and encouraged its already growing Muslim faith. After the fall of the West African empires, various smaller kingdoms controlled Guinea. In the 18th century, Fulani Muslims established an Islamic state in central Guinea that provided one of the earliest examples of a written constitution and alternating leadership. European traders first arrived in the 16th century, and the French secured colonial rule in the 19th century. In 1958, Guinea achieved independence from France. Sekou TOURE became Guinea’s first post-independence president; he established a dictatorial regime and ruled until his death in 1984, after which General Lansana CONTE staged a coup and seized the government. He too established an authoritarian regime and manipulated presidential elections until his death in 2008, when Captain Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seized power, and suspended the constitution. In 2009, CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and was exiled to Burkina Faso. In 2010 and 2013 respectively, the country held its first free and fair presidential and legislative elections. Alpha CONDE won the 2010 and 2015 presidential elections, and his first cabinet was the first all-civilian government in Guinean history. CONDE won a third term in 2020 after a constitutional change to term limits. In 2021, Col Mamady DOUMBOUYA led another successful military coup, establishing the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development (CNRD), suspending the constitution, and dissolving the government and the legislature. DOUMBOUYA was sworn in as transition president and appointed Mohamed BEAVOGUI as transition prime minister. The National Transition Council (CNT), which acts as the legislative body for the transition, was formed in 2022 and consists of appointed members representing a broad swath of Guinean society.

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone.
Climate: Generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds.
Terrain: Generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior.
Highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m.
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m.
Coastline: 320 km.
Land borders: Total: 4,046 km; border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 816 km; Guinea-Bissau 421 km; Liberia 590 km; Mali 1062 km; Senegal 363 km; Sierra Leone 794 km.
Major rivers: Niger river source (shared with Mali, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km; Gambie (Gambia) river source (shared with Senegal and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
Natural resources: Bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt.
Land use: Agricultural land: 73.2% (2023 est.); arable land: 24.4% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 5.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 43.5% (2023 est.); forest: 20.3% (2023 est.); other: 6.5% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards: Hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season.
Geographic note: The Niger and its important tributary, the Milo River, have their sources in the Guinean highlands.
Languages: French (official), Pular, Maninka, Susu, other native languages.
Religions: Muslim 85.2%, Christian 13.4%, animist 0.2%, none 1.2% (2018 est.)
Ethnic groups: Fulani (Peuhl) 33.4%, Malinke 29.4%, Susu 21.2%, Guerze 7.8%, Kissi 6.2%, Toma 1.6%, other/foreign 0.4% (2018 est.)
Economy: Growing but primarily agrarian West African economy; major mining sector; improving fiscal and debt balances prior to COVID-19; economy increasingly vulnerable to climate change; slow infrastructure improvements; gender wealth and human capital gaps.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Guinea in Numbers

Population: 15.10 million
GDP: US$28.3 billion
GDP per person: US$1,877
Life expectancy: 60.9 years
Population growth: 2.31% a year
Population density: 60 per km²
Urban population: 38.5%
Surface area: 245,857 km²
Forest cover: 20.0%
Arable land: 24.7%
Access to electricity: 53.8%
Internet users: 33.3%

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Guinea in Depth

History

The land that is now Guinea either bordered or was situated within a series of historic African empires before the French arrived in the 1890s and claimed the terrain as part of colonial French West Africa. Guinea declared independence from France on 2 October 1958. From independence until the presidential election of 2010, Guinea was governed by multiple autocratic rulers.

What is now Guinea sat on the fringes of various West African empires. The earliest, the Ghana Empire, grew on trade and ultimately fell after repeated incursions of the Almoravids. It was in this period that Islam first arrived in the region by way of North African traders.

Geography

Guinea shares a border with Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Ivory Coast to the east, Sierra Leone to the southwest and Liberia to the south. The nation forms a crescent as it curves from its southeast region to the north and west, to its northwest border with Guinea-Bissau and southwestern coast on the Atlantic Ocean. The sources of the Niger River, the Gambia River, and the Senegal River are all found in the Guinea Highlands. At 245,857 km2 (94,926 sq mi), Guinea is roughly the size of the United Kingdom. There are 320 km (200 mi) of coastline and a total land border of 3,400 km (2,100 mi). It lies mostly between latitudes 7° and 13°N, and longitudes 7° and 15°W, with a smaller area that is west of 15°W.

Economy

As of the most recent survey in 2018, 66.2% of the population is affected by multidimensional poverty and an additional 16.4% vulnerable to it.

The agriculture sector at some point employed approximately 75% of the country. The rice is cultivated in the flooded zones between streams and rivers. The local production of rice is not sufficient to feed the country, so rice is imported from Asia. Guinea is one of the emerging regional producers of apples and pears. There are plantations of grapes, pomegranates, and more recent years have seen the development of strawberry plantations, based on the vertical hydroponic system.

Guinea has 25% or more of the world's known bauxite reserves. It has diamonds, gold, and other metals. The gold production of Guinea in 2015 was 17 metric tonnes.

Demographics

At the Census of 1 July 2025, the population of Guinea was calculated to be 17.5 million. Conakry, the capital and most populous city, is a hub of economy, commerce, education, and culture. In 2014, the total fertility rate (TFR) of Guinea was estimated at 4.93 children born per woman.

The following table excludes those communes which are within the Conakry Special Zone.

Note that Manéah, which was in the 2014 list (in 4th place) is no longer included as it is now part of Conakry; its place is effectively taken by adjacent Coyah.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Guinea (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Guinea: Key Facts

Key facts about Guinea
Currency	Guinean franc
Official languages	French, languages of Guinea
Head of state	Mamadi Doumbouya
Head of government	Bah Oury
Form of government	republic
Calling code	+224
Internet domain	.gn
Highest point	Mount Richard-Molard
Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean
Established	2 October 1958

Facts from Wikidata Q1006 (CC0).

History of Guinea: Empires and States

The atlas records 6 polities whose mapped territory included part of Guinea, from The Mali Empire in 1236 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Guinea, in chronological order
Polity	Period here	Extent
The Mali Empire	1236–1611 CE	A large part
French Third Republic	1885–1939 CE	Nearly all
French Africa	1885–1957 CE	Nearly all
The French Colonial Empire	1885–1957 CE	Nearly all
French Fourth Republic	1945–1957 CE	Nearly all
Guinea	1960–2024 CE	Nearly all

Historical Maps of Guinea

Guinea on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Guinea

Guinea (officially the Republic of Guinea; French: République de Guinée) is a former French colony in West Africa. Guinea has some spectacular landscapes with a few tropical, dry forests remaining, and the rainforests in the south are lush, verdant and full of wildlife — much of it destined for the cooking pot.

The country is sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Guinea (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Guinea

29 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Guinea
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Conakry	1.49 million	Conakry	National capital
2	Gueckedou	221,715	Nzerekore	Admin-1 capital
3	Nzérékoré	168,121	Nzerekore	Admin-1 capital
4	Labé	140,575	Labe	Admin-1 capital
5	Kindia	117,062	Kindia	Admin-1 capital
6	Boké	116,270	Boke	Admin-1 capital
7	Kankan	114,009	Kankan	Admin-1 capital
8	Mamou	71,153	Mamou	Admin-1 capital
9	Kissidougou	66,815	Faranah	Admin-1 capital
10	Siguiri	50,159	Kankan	Admin-1 capital
11	Macenta	43,102	Nzerekore	Admin-1 capital
12	Kamsar	34,973	Boke	Populated place
13	Télimélé	30,311	Kindia	Admin-1 capital
14	Tongue	25,531	Labe	Admin-1 capital
15	Fria	23,729	Boke	Admin-1 capital
16	Pita	20,052	Mamou	Admin-1 capital
17	Faranah	19,469	Faranah	Admin-1 capital
18	Kérouané	15,406	Kankan	Admin-1 capital
19	Kouroussa	14,223	Kankan	Admin-1 capital
20	Koundara	13,990	Boke	Admin-1 capital
21	Beyla	13,204	Nzerekore	Admin-1 capital
22	Dabola	13,057	Faranah	Admin-1 capital
23	Forecariah	12,358	Kindia	Admin-1 capital
24	Gaoual	7,461	Boke	Admin-1 capital
25	Dalaba	6,349	Mamou	Admin-1 capital

The other 4 (population, region, role)

Dinguiraye · 6,062 · Faranah · Admin-1 capital
Mali · 5,479 · Labe · Admin-1 capital
Yomou · 3,614 · Nzerekore · Admin-1 capital
Boffa · 2,332 · Boke · Admin-1 capital

Highest Mountains in Guinea

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Guinea
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Mount Richard-Molard	1,752 m	5,748 ft	Africa

Mount Richard-Molard

Mountain · 1,752 m

Mount Richard-Molard is a mountain rising to 1,752 metres (5,748 ft) in Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, in the Africa region. The summit stands on the border between them.

Mount Richard-Molard is a mountain along the border of Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia in West Africa. The summit is on the border of Guinea and Ivory Coast and is the highest peak for both countries at 1,752 m (5,748 ft). The mountain is part of the Guinea Highlands, which straddles the borders between the three countries. The nearest major settlements are the town Yekepa in Liberia and the towns of Bossou and N'Zoo in Guinea.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Mount Richard-Molard (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation: 1,752 m (5,748 ft)
Global rank: #459 of 641 indexed
Region: Africa (#69)
Countries: Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire
Coordinates: 7.6197°, -8.4138°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Mount Richard-Molard ranks #459 by elevation, below Jabal Ramm (1,754 m) and above Mount Rogers (1,746 m).

Ranges:: Guinea Highlands (Africa), Loma Mountains (Africa)
Settlements below:: Nzérékoré (48 km), Macenta (156 km), Gueckedou (218 km)

View on the live map

Rivers in Guinea

5 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.

Rivers in Guinea
Name	Type	Also Flows Through
Bafing	River	Mali
Gambia	River	Senegal, Gambia
Gêba	River	Guinea Bissau
Niger	River	Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Benin
St. Paul	River	Liberia

Ports in Guinea

3 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Guinea
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Benti	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	point_of_interest
2	Victoria	49.4 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of Africa	point_of_interest
3	Conakry	38.4 m	Minor	Atlantic Coast of Africa	large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Guinea

1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Guinea
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve	1981	Natural	(ix) (x)

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Guinea

4 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

More on these mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms →

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Guinea
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	Africa	29.41M km²	Continent	Africa
2	Fouta Djallon	110,398 km²	Plateau	Africa
3	Guinea Highlands	80,421 km²	Range/mtn	Africa
4	Loma Mountains	23,521 km²	Range/mtn	Africa

States and Provinces of Guinea

4 first-level divisions with their own map.

Countries Bordering Guinea

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in Africa

Guinea: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Guinea?: The capital of Guinea is Conakry.
What is the population of Guinea?: Guinea has a population of about 15.10 million, the #75 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Guinea?: Guinea covers 245,857 km², ranking #80 by area, with about 61 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Guinea in?: Guinea is in Africa.
Which countries border Guinea?: Guinea shares a land or maritime border with Mali, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone.
What is the largest city in Guinea?: Conakry is the largest city in Guinea, with a metropolitan population of about 1.49 million.
What is the highest mountain in Guinea?: The highest summit recorded for Guinea in YearMaps is Mount Richard-Molard at 1,752 m (5,748 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.