Conakry guinea photos with Russian women. About housing and communal services and telephone communication. We live in a luxury residential complex, but the window overlooks the slums that are located next door

1. The territory of the country is spread over 245.9 square kilometers.
2. The country ranks 77th in size in the world.
3. The highest point is Mount Nimba - 1752 meters.
4. Capital of the Republic of Guinea Conakry.
5. Time is three hours behind Moscow time.
6. The Republic of Guinea has a subequatorial climate, which is periodically replaced by dry and wet seasons.
7. The average temperature on the coast reaches 27 degrees, and in the central regions - 24.
8. During a drought, when hot air blows from the Sahara, the temperature in the central part of Guinea can rise to 38 degrees, on the coast it remains unchanged, thanks to the mountains, as well as the humidity coming from the ocean.
9. Most of the country is cut by rivers that flow from the plains to Niger, and then flow into the ocean.
10. Almost all rivers are impassable and only small sections are open to navigation.
11. 60 percent of Guinea is covered by forests.
12. The once diverse fauna is practically destroyed, and hippos and other rare animal species live only in small protected areas.

Interesting fact: Once upon a time, chimpanzees, leopards and elephants were found in large numbers on the territory of Guinea, but now they are completely gone.

1. Guinea is a presidential republic. Elections are held every 7 years.
2. The prime minister runs the government.
3. Despite the fact that the official language here is French, it is spoken by a small part of the population. Different areas have their own local dialects that dominate other languages.

1. Almost 90 percent of the population is Muslim, the rest of the population believes in local cults that have taken root here for centuries.
2. The population of the country according to the census in 2014 totaled 10.5 million people, while the annual increase is about 2.5 percent.
3. It is curious that only 34 percent of the inhabitants are city dwellers, all the rest are residents of the countryside.
4. A sad fact is the low literacy of local residents, and this figure varies significantly for women and men. Among men, about 42 percent have a minimum education, for women this figure is 18 percent.
5. Guinea has an average life expectancy. Women reach the age of 59, men 56.
6. It's no secret that most African countries have a high percentage of HIV infections. For Guinea, this figure is 1.6 per cent.
7. The local currency is called the French franc, but more and more dollars or French francs are in use. It is easiest for tourists to exchange money at airports or large cities, in the outback in the country it is almost impossible to do this.

On a note- You can use a bank card only in large cities and only at airports, large shops and hotels. It is best for tourists to immediately exchange their money for local currency. The best rate on the black market.

1. Guinea's main area of ​​activity is the extraction of bauxite; in terms of its deposits, the republic is in first place in the world. Gold, black ore, non-ferrous metals and diamonds are also mined.
2. Until the 19th century, the history of Guinea was not studied and it is believed that it was part of Ghana, and later nomadic pastoralists settled on its territory.
3. In the period from 1720 to 1770, a war was waged on the territory of the country between adherents of Islam and pagans, which ended with the formation of an early feudal state called Futa-Jallon.
4. Starting from the 19th century, French traders began to penetrate into the territory of Guinea, whose attempts to establish trade here ended unsuccessfully. Later, the French begin to build forts and fortifications on the ocean to protect their subjects, and trade with representatives of local tribes begins to improve.
5. Since 1897, Guinea has been under the protectorate of France, that is, it has been its colony and the colonial period ends in 1958. The colonization of the country was slow, attempts to arrange plantations here failed, and small-scale industry began to appear only on the eve of World War II.
6. Despite its large mineral reserves and hydroelectric potential, Guinea remains a poor country. Most of the population is employed in agriculture.
7. Trade relations have been established with India, Russia, the USA, Spain, Germany and, until recently, Ukraine. The fact is that since 2009 Guinea has been actively looking for new sales markets for bauxite and its economic situation is beginning to stabilize.
8. Guinea is made up of 7 provinces and 33 prefectures. An interesting point is that the capital of the country Conakry considered a province.

For tourists, Guinea is not an attractive country, however, this situation is changing for the better. There are few beaches in Guinea, but at the same time they are very attractive not only in terms of natural beauty, but also with their relative desertedness, which, with the right investment and improvement, can make this country very visited for several years. Conakry is considered the safest city in West Africa, which is also a big plus, in addition, there is an active nightlife. Currently, Guinea attracts lovers of beautiful nature and landscapes. An interesting fact is that both dry and wet tropical forests have been preserved here, which provide tourists with an excellent route. The most popular is the excursion route to the Futa Jalon waterfall. No less interesting is the local culture with traditional music and dances, but gourmets and lovers of unusual cuisine will not find anything new here, because due to poverty, the local cuisine is very simple.

Where for several centuries there was already a fishing village of the Coco tribe. These few huts were simply called Conakry, which in the local dialect meant the place "beyond the water", or "on the other side". This is probably what the inhabitants of the mainland coast called her. The nature in these places has changed little: swamps with mangroves, poisonous insects and predators begin immediately behind the capital.
In the second half of the XIX century. the French were looking for a suitable place to administer the colonies in the West African region. The places here have always been unsafe: the island of Tombo and the entire archipelago of Ile de Los, which it includes, have long been the center of the slave trade, pirate ships from all over the Atlantic moored here, and loot was traded.
However, by 1880, when the local king gave the French the rights to the island almost for nothing, only half a thousand fishermen remained on the island.
In 1884 the village of Conakry was proclaimed a city. This did not please the British and Germans, who had their own interests in this area rich in gold and diamonds. Before the war did not come, and in 1891 Conakry quite officially became the capital of French Guinea.
The city grew, one island was not enough for him, and he also occupied the Calum peninsula. To connect the island to the mainland, a dam was built in 1891. However, the island remained the official center of the city.
In 1958, the country's independence was proclaimed, and Conakry became the capital of the Republic of Guinea.
The situation in the city is far from calm. In 1996, 2007 and 2009 anti-government demonstrations took place in Conakry, which escalated into clashes with the army and police with numerous casualties.
The issue of building a dam between the island of Tombo and the mainland became the subject of debate in the Senate and the National Assembly of France: the construction cost a lot of money, and Conakry became vulnerable to hostile tribes.
The capital city of Conakry is also the economic center of the country, and its major deep-sea port on the Atlantic coast, equipped for the export of minerals and agricultural raw materials.
In general, Conakry gives the impression of a completely European city with its rectangular layout. The streets, laid from west to east, are intersected by boulevards - an imitation of the layout of Paris. In the south-west of the city is its old part, right there is a port. Northeast - the area where government buildings are concentrated and an international airport is built.
Almost a quarter of the total population of the country, who came to the capital in search of work, lives in Conakry. Representatives of the Coco people are traditionally engaged in fishing. Baga are skilled wood carvers who create sculptures of the goddess of fertility Mba (Nimba) - the main attribute in the annual sowing and harvest festival, which is noisily celebrated in Conakry. The Fulbe people are merchants, in their hands are all exports and imports, as well as the main market of the city. The city has a lot of refugees fleeing the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Conakry is an important transit point on the way from the coast to the interior of the continent, where the railways stretch that connect Conakry with the navigable part of the Niger River, and the highways that connect the city with Senegal, Mali, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire.
Unlike other capitals of small African countries, Conakry's economic growth began even before the independence of the Republic. In the 1940s the French colonial administration began to actively develop deposits of gold, diamonds, bauxite, ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores (the mines are located very close to the city) and export them through the port of Conakry. Today, bananas, aluminium, coffee, oranges, pineapples, fish and palm oil have been added to these exports.

general information

Numbers

Climate and weather

Economy

Attractions

Natural

Ile de Los archipelago (Tamara, Kassa and Roume islands), mangrove swamps, palm groves, Soumba waterfalls, Mount Kaukoulima.

architectural

Central Railway Station (1903), National Museum (1960), Camaienne Hotel (1964), People's Palace (1967), Nations Palace (1978), Science Center (1982) , November 8 bridge.

Memorial

November 22, 1970 Monument (1971), Monument to the Victims of Colonialism (Republic Square), former Boiro concentration camp (1960-1984).

Cult

Sainte-Marie Catholic Cathedral (1928), Grand Mosque (with Camaienne Mausoleum, 1982).

Other

Botanical Garden (1894).

Curious facts

Useful information for tourists about Conakry in Guinea - geographical location, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.

Conakry is the capital of Guinea and a port on the Atlantic Ocean. The city is located on Tombo Island and Kalum Peninsula, connected by a causeway.

The city was founded in 1885 on the site of two small fishing villages - Conakry, which gave the city its name, and Bulbina. The city was built as the center of the French colony in this part of West Africa. In 1891, Tombo Island and the Calum Peninsula were connected by a causeway, and since then the city has been rapidly built up. In 1958, the independence of Guinea was proclaimed and Conakry became the capital of the Republic of Guinea.

The central part of Conakry is located on the island of Tombo. It is characterized by a strict layout: numbered streets run from west to east, and numbered boulevards run perpendicular to them.

The Palace of the President of the Republic is located on the main square of the capital. There is also a monument in memory of the "martyrs of colonialism". One of the largest mosques in West Africa is also located in the city center. The National Museum presents to tourists collections of masks, figurines, old weapons (guns, bows, arrows), household utensils, various musical instruments, tools.

Popular Attractions

City `s history

According to ancient legend, the name of the Guinean capital comes from the word nakiri, meaning "the other shore", and the name Kona. The settlement with the name Conakry was founded on the island of Tombo. Then the settlement grew, "came" ashore, gradually occupying the Calum peninsula.

During the period of European colonization of the African continent, Guinea was captured by the British. Until the 1880s, Tombo and the surrounding territories belonged to Great Britain. Then the island and part of the peninsula passed to the French. Less than 500 people lived in Conakry at this time. The new owners gave the village the status of a city. According to some sources, this happened in 1884, according to others - only in the second half of the 1880s. The city united several fishing villages.

Already at the end of the 19th century, Conakry began to be considered an administrative center. In 1958, the Republic of Guinea gained independence. In the same year, the former settlement received the status of the state capital. Currently, over two million people live in the city. Conakry is divided into 5 communes and 97 neighborhoods.

Climatic features

The city is located in the subequatorial climate zone. The air temperature in Conakry usually does not rise above +40 ºС and does not fall below +18 ºС. Average temperature indicator: +25 ºС…+27 ºС. Planning a trip to Conakry should be for the dry season, which lasts from December to April. Due to unsanitary conditions, the city has a high level of pollution.

Attractions Conakry

Conakry is difficult to compare with any of the European capitals. Most African countries are developing countries. However, even in such a poor city, you can find many sights worthy of the attention of a foreign tourist.

Acquaintance with Conakry should begin with the National Museum, the exposition of which consists of sculptures, building tools, masks and other objects of art and everyday life created by the peoples of Guinea.

Muslim travelers, while in Conakry, consider it their duty to visit the Grand Mosque. It got its name due to the fact that a large number of believers can be accommodated inside the building. Not far from the Mosque is the Conakry Botanical Garden, which has gained popularity among tourists thanks to its cotton trees.

In the northern part of the capital is the People's Palace. Artists perform in this building. Most performances are staged in the traditional style.

One of the most luxurious sights of the city is the Presidential Palace, which can be viewed from the outside and photographed against its background. Tourists may be interested in villas located near the palace. The buildings are built in the Moorish style. Today they serve to accommodate the offices of various companies.

Next to the Presidential Palace is the Cathedral of St. Mary, built in the first half of the last century. Outwardly, the religious building is more like an Orthodox church. In fact, this is a Catholic church. There are few parishioners in the cathedral, since most of the inhabitants of Conakry profess Islam.

The November 22, 1970 monument is a column on top of which are armed soldiers. At the end of November 1970, the Portuguese army invaded Conakry. Its goal was to carry out a coup d'état and overthrow the regime of President Sekou Toure. The Guinean leader managed to escape, and the attempt to overthrow the government failed. The erection of the monument was completed exactly one year after the tragic events. The first stone in its foundation was laid by the president himself.

In the vicinity of the capital, you can see natural attractions. The Kakimbon Caves are a favorite place for walks of many tourists. There are no organized tours to the caves yet. Those who go to Kakimbon on their own are recommended to take a guide with them, who will not only show the right path, but also tell many interesting legends related to the attraction.

The Phuta Djallon Plateau is also worth a visit. Travelers will get acquainted with the Bafara waterfall and the Fuyama rapids.

Nutrition

A restaurant or cafe should be chosen in the modern part of Conakry. These catering establishments have a high level of service, and when preparing dishes, all necessary sanitary standards are observed. The cuisine is offered both familiar European and local. Buying food from street vendors is not worth it - there is a risk of infection or poisoning.

Recreation and entertainment

After sunset, bars, nightclubs and discos open in Conakry, but tourists are not recommended to visit them. The country has a high crime rate. In addition, there are racists among the locals. Do not leave the hotel at night.

The coast of Conakry is not clean. You can relax on the beach on the islands of Ile de Los. Small areas of land are only 10 km from the city. The islands are a resort area with a developed infrastructure.

shopping

In search of unique souvenirs and local products, you should visit the Madina market. The bazaar was named after the Muslim holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. This place is located 17 km from the center of the Guinean capital. Local residents come to Madina not only to buy or sell goods, but also to communicate with each other.

In addition to souvenirs (masks, figurines and jewelry), you can buy clothes, vegetables, fruits, cars and medicines at the market. Among imported goods, fertilizers, building materials and products are in special demand. Prices at Madina are much lower than at some other city bazaars. The goods can be bought both wholesale and retail. For antiques, you need to go to that part of the market called Cass. You should not visit the compartment called "Marche Mondia". This part of the bazaar sells cheap items, but many of them have been stolen.

Madina is a very large market. You can get lost on it. Goods are laid out not only on the shelves, but also directly on the ground. It is inconvenient to move around "Madina" with purchases. In addition, you can become a victim of a pickpocket. To navigate among the malls, you need to hire a local guide (children are well suited for this role). The guide will be happy to show the foreigner the best outlets and help to avoid pickpocketing. The same person often acts as a porter. There is no fixed cost for services. The porter-guide will be happy with the amount of even $1. The local currency, the Guinean franc, is also used.

Transport

There are several modes of transport available in Conakry. For quick movement around the city, you should hire a taxi. In addition, a railway line has been laid through Conakry. To move not only in the capital, but also in neighboring settlements, you should use the bus.

Accommodation

Tourists should not stay in cheap hotels on the outskirts of Conakry. The level of security and quality of service in such establishments do not meet the required standards. Travelers recommend:

• Riviera Taouyah Hotel. The three-star hotel has 32 rooms. Riviera Taouyah Hotel is located near the airport. The rooms are equipped with everything necessary for living: telephone, mini-bar, etc. The hotel staff speaks several languages ​​and will always provide travelers with any tourist information.
• Mariador Palace. The hotel is located just a ten minute walk from Conakry Airport. Mariador Palace suits businessmen who come to the city for business negotiations: the hotel has a well-equipped conference room.
• Noom Hotel Conakry. The exterior design of the hotel makes it look like a small boat. The rooms are decorated in a minimalist style. Services offered include an airport shuttle and a swimming pool. Breakfast is included in the price.

How to get there

Air travel is the best way to get to Conakry from Moscow and St. Petersburg. You can fly direct or with transfers. The airport is located just 25 km from the central part of the capital.

Last weekend I managed to go to Guinea alone. I have long wanted to figure out xy from xy in the camp of Guinea, of which there are several in my memory. Guinea-Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea. All are in Central Africa. This Guinea - Conakry - is a former French colony, left alone by the mother country like others in 1961.
It is still at rest, no one is engaged in the country, the top lives by squandering natural resources - the richest reserves of bauxite, gold, diamonds and other non-shtyaks.
Around the quarries, American, Chinese and Russian companies are pushing open-pit bauxite.
With such resources, the country should shine and smell like a brand new Volga GAZ-24, but something went wrong.

The example of the capital shows that the country is quite neglected, undeveloped. The city infrastructure is in a deplorable state. It seems that the country and people are left to their own disposal, as they are.
Minidisclaimer: I ask you not to throw slippers, the pictures were taken through the tinted windows of the car, otherwise the locals react very nervously and aggressively to photography. Very sharp audience, especially on the streets.

The scene was filmed in the city center, most of the central streets are shopping.
1.

2. They mainly trade in Chinese consumer goods, local fruits and fabrics.

3. Also, the main source of many goods are European dumps for the processing of various equipment. After a small repair, household appliances, furniture and clothes are sent here for sale as "second hand":

4. In the outgoing 2016, Guinea became famous for the Ebola epidemic. Now it became clear to me that they were even lucky that it was just Ebola. The city is so littered that it's amazing how they even got out of the epidemic:

5. Official dumps are not taken out for weeks, they are overcrowded. People just throw trash around. The stench disperses in the surrounding neighborhoods and does not bother anyone. There are no public toilets:

6. On the city beach, the camp of immigrants from Sierra Leone. After another coup d'état 10 years ago, several thousand refugees arrived in Conakry and settled on the city beach and remained here to live in unsanitary conditions, but in the city center:

7. Dumps self-form in the most unexpected places. In the poorest country in Africa, there is an even poorer class of citizens - homeless people:

8. There is no central water supply in the city. Water is collected from these public pumps:

9. You can order water with home delivery. This is done by special artels of water carriers:

10. One of the sources of income is the collection of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal, wherever possible, in order to hand it over to a processing plant in Senegal. At low tide, old ships are cut into pieces in the port of Conakry:

11. Also, people do not hesitate to steal metal directly from existing industrial facilities, for example, rails from a railway built by Rusal.

12. Sometimes there are islands of civilization, created, as a rule, at the expense of foreign sponsors. For example, the largest mosque in Central Africa, built by supporters of Islam from Saudi Arabia (in the foreground, the railway line built by Rusal):

13. Like everywhere in Africa, monumentalism is loved here, several awkward art objects are scattered around the city. For example, a monument to a pen:

14. Fast food point on the sidewalk in the city center.

15. Construction equipment left over from the time of the French colonialists:

16. Wedding cortege. An interesting tradition is to decorate cars of wedding processions with live dolls:

16a. A wedding is usually a large tent with chairs set up in the bridal quarter. No alcohol - just coca cola and lots of loud music. If you call both families, then about 1000 people will arrive. It is impossible to organize them, so from the outside it looks like a concert, where there are a lot of spectators.

17. At the same time, children collect spilled rice from the truck platform for later consumption:

18. Drinking water in traffic jams is sold in plastic bags:

19. The famous OBAMA seafood restaurant on the beach in the center of Conakry. It was built on chicken legs because the difference in ebbs and flows is about 2 meters per day:

20. The cleanliness of the beach near the restaurant does not favor Sunday rest:

21. Local currency - the Guinean franc is rapidly slipping into the abyss of devaluation. This patty of dirty banknotes is approximately equal to the value of 500 US dollars lying nearby. In grocery stores, they pay not from wallets, but from portfolios:

22. Guinea has its own fruits, they are plentiful and cheap. The country has fertile lands, rivers, waterfalls, forests and many beautiful landscapes.
In Mali, there is a lot of tension with fruits and everything imported from neighboring countries:

23. National passion - football. There are many official stadiums and a lot of improvised football pitches on any flat surface, even a deserted freeway:

24. An interesting feature for Guinea is that there is no taxi in our understanding of the word, there is a fixed-route taxi. It looks like an ordinary yellow taxi converted from an old passenger car, only it is packed with passengers beyond the norm - 2 passengers in front and 4 in the back in addition to the driver. There is a counter - it is alive and sits on the roof or on the trunk. He counts passengers, collects fees, announces stops.

25. Passengers waiting for a taxi, a lot of girls are striking on the streets, which cannot be said about Mali:

In conclusion, I will summarize the good and bad sides of Guinea, I compare with Mali, where I now live and work.
Good: Guinea is a small country, but endowed with a good climate, diverse with 4 different natural areas. It grows a lot of fruits and vegetables. Thanks to the seaport, several supermarkets have a fairly rich selection of fresh goods. The climate is quite humid, there is no such deadly dryness as in Mali. There is no desert here, a lot of greenery. Good transport links with other countries, incl. with Europe, there are direct flights to Belgium, Dubai, France, Morocco and neighboring African countries.

Bad: The local population is very aggressive due to poverty. The only way to subsist is working in resource companies, while workers organize trade unions and try in every possible way to blackmail the companies, squeezing higher wages under the threat of labor sabotage, which works and brings losses to both sides.
Terrible unsanitary conditions everywhere, causing epidemics and diseases, undeveloped and unwilling to develop infrastructure. Very bad road condition. Scrap traffic jams on the roads. Power outages. Crime. Whites can’t walk quietly down the street, as is possible in Mali. Corrupt government and corrupt security forces. Unemployment - only young men work as servants (a clear sign of an economic downturn)
I don't want to come back here at all.