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83-624: The districts through which the river flows include the Parrot's Beak area of Guinea , Liberia's Lofa County and the Kono and Kailahun District of Sierra Leone. Diamond mining is a major industry in these areas. Control of the area's wealth and the instability of the national governments of all three countries led to a series of violent conflicts involving these districts in the 1990s (See Sierra Leone Civil War , First Liberian Civil War , Second Liberian Civil War ). Liberia and Sierra Leone founded

166-602: A bloodless coup . Conté assumed the role of president, with Traoré serving as prime minister, until December. Conté denounced the previous regime's record on human rights, releasing 250 political prisoners and encouraging approximately 200 thousand more to return from exile. He made explicit the turn away from socialism. In 1992, Conté announced a return to civilian rule, with a presidential poll in 1993, followed by elections to parliament in 1995 (in which his party—the Party of Unity and Progress —won 71 of 114 seats). In September 2001,

249-458: A coup , declaring himself head of a military junta . Protests against the coup became violent, and 157 people were killed when, on 28 September 2009, the junta ordered its soldiers to attack people gathered to protest Camara's attempt to become president. The soldiers went on a rampage of rape, mutilation, and murder, which caused some foreign governments to withdraw their support for the new regime. On 3 December 2009, an aide shot Camara during

332-654: A military faction overthrew president Alpha Condé and suspended the constitution. 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 savanna region in the northeast, and the Guinée forestière region of tropical forests. French, the official language of Guinea,

415-496: A sodium hydroxide solution at a temperature of 150 to 200 °C (300 to 390 °F). At these temperatures, the aluminium is dissolved as sodium aluminate (the Bayer process ). The aluminium compounds in the bauxite may be present as gibbsite (Al(OH) 3 ), boehmite (AlOOH) or diaspore (AlOOH); the different forms of the aluminium component will dictate the extraction conditions. The undissolved waste, bauxite tailings , after

498-581: A "constitutional" resolution of the situation. China (which relies on Guinea for half of its aluminium ore, facilitated by connections to ousted President Condé) openly opposed the coup. Guinea's armed forces are divided into 5 branches—army, navy, air force, the paramilitary National Gendarmerie and the Republican Guard—whose chiefs report to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who

581-613: A civil war, over succession, followed the death of Askia Daoud in 1582. The empire fell to invaders from Morocco in 1591, but the kingdom later split into smaller kingdoms. After the fall of some of the West African empires, various kingdoms existed in what is now Guinea. Fulani Muslims migrated to Futa Jallon in Central Guinea, and established an Islamic state from 1727 to 1896 with a written constitution and alternate rulers. The Wassoulou or Wassulu Empire (1878–1898)

664-602: A dispute over the rampage in September. Camara went to Morocco for medical care. Vice-president (and defense minister) Sékouba Konaté flew from Lebanon to run the country. After meeting in Ouagadougou on 13 and 14 January 2010, Camara, Konaté and Blaise Compaoré , President of Burkina Faso , produced a formal statement of 12 principles promising a return of Guinea to civilian rule within 6 months. The presidential election of 27 June brought allegations of fraud, and

747-530: 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,

830-457: A majority of the votes cast to be elected president. The president governs Guinea, assisted by a council of 25 civilian ministers , appointed by him. The government administers the country through 8 regions, 33 prefectures , over 100 subprefectures , and districts (known as communes in Conakry and other cities and villages, or quartiers in the interior). District-level leaders are elected;

913-450: A moist slurry forms in the can, then there is a likelihood for the cargo to liquefy; although conversely, even if the sample remains dry it does not conclusively prove that it will remain that way, or that it is safe for loading. Bauxite is the main source of the rare metal gallium . During the processing of bauxite to alumina in the Bayer process , gallium accumulates in the sodium hydroxide liquor. From this it can be extracted by

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996-461: A petition against the mining of bauxite that was signed by 135 accomplished and well known "Intellectuals". This petition helped unite the scattered anti-bauxite movement into a unified opposition against the state. These acts of governmental defiance were met with repressive state actions. Many domestic online reporters were arrested, and legislative action was taken to repress scientific research. Most of India's bauxite ore reserves, which are among

1079-495: A population of 1,675,069 ranks as a special zone. Guinea is a republic. The president is directly elected by the people and is the head of state and the head of government . The unicameral National Assembly is the legislative body of the country, and its members are directly elected by the people. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court of Guinea  [ fr ] , the highest and final court of appeal in

1162-403: A public appearance in Conakry. His opponents claimed that he was a "tired dictator", whose departure was inevitable, whereas his supporters believed that he was winning a battle with dissidents. According to Foreign Policy , Guinea was in danger of becoming a failed state . In 2000, Guinea suffered as rebels crossed the borders from Liberia and Sierra Leone . Some thought that the country

1245-595: A raid on Conakry by several hundred exiled Guinean opposition forces. Among their goals, the Portuguese military wanted to kill or capture Sekou Touré due to his support of PAIGC , an independence movement and rebel group that had carried out attacks inside Portuguese Guinea from their bases in Guinea. After some fighting, the Portuguese-backed forces retreated. Guinea was elected as a non-permanent member of

1328-505: A second election was held on 7 November. Voter turnout was "high", and the elections went "relatively smoothly". Alpha Condé , leader of the opposition party Rally of the Guinean People (RGP), won the election, promising to reform the security sector and review mining contracts. In February 2013, political violence erupted after street protests over the transparency of the upcoming May elections . The protests were fueled by

1411-454: A sovereign and independent republic, with Sékou Touré as president. Later, Opération Persil was planned by Jacques Foccart ; they planned to create large quantities of forged Guinean francs to hyperinflate Guinea's economy and to arm Touré's opposition figures. However, the operation was leaked, and soon, the Guinean was issuing a number of official complaints. In 1960, Touré declared

1494-458: A temperature in excess of 1,000 °C (1,830 °F). This aluminium oxide is dissolved at a temperature of about 960 °C (1,760 °F) in molten cryolite . Next, this molten substance can yield metallic aluminium by passing an electric current through it in the process of electrolysis, which is called the Hall–Héroult process , named after its American and French discoverers. Prior to

1577-499: A variety of methods. The most recent is the use of ion-exchange resin . Achievable extraction efficiencies critically depend on the original concentration in the feed bauxite. At a typical feed concentration of 50 ppm, about 15 percent of the contained gallium is extractable. The remainder reports to the red mud and aluminium hydroxide streams. Bauxite is also a potential source for vanadium . The social and environmental impacts of bauxite extraction are well documented. Most of

1660-665: A youth march. In 2020, A Rocha Ghana also sued the government over the drilling in the reserve after they failed to provide a statement explaining their actions. In early 2009, the Vietnamese Government proposed a plan to mine remote regions of the central highlands. This proposal was highly controversial and sparked a nationwide debate and the most significant domestic conflict since the Vietnam War . Government scientists, journalists, religious leaders, retired high level state officials, and General Võ Nguyên Giáp ,

1743-577: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Guinea Guinea ( / ˈ ɡ ɪ n i / GHIN -ee ), officially the Republic of Guinea ( French : République de Guinée ), is a coastal country in West Africa . It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to

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1826-464: Is a language of communication in schools, government administration, and the media. 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 Guinée forestière is ethnolinguistically diverse. Guinea's economy is mostly dependent on agriculture and mineral production. It

1909-420: Is believed that the first case was Emile Ouamouno, a 2-year-old boy in the village of Meliandou . He fell ill on 2 December 2013 and died on 6 December. On 18 September 2014, 8 members of an Ebola education health care team were murdered by villagers in the town of Womey . As of 1 November 2015, there had been 3,810 cases and 2,536 deaths in Guinea. Mass civil unrest and violent protests broke out against

1992-463: Is home to 5 ecoregions: Guinean montane forests , Western Guinean lowland forests , Guinean forest-savanna mosaic , West Sudanian savanna , and Guinean mangroves . It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.9/10, ranking it 114th globally out of 172 countries. The southern part of Guinea lies within the Guinean Forests of West Africa Biodiversity hotspot , while

2075-684: Is illegal in Guinea. The prime minister declared in 2010 that he does not consider sexual orientation a legitimate human right. Guinea has one of the world's highest rates of female genital mutilation (FGM, sometimes referred to as 'female circumcision') according to Anastasia Gage, an associate professor at Tulane University , and Ronan van Rossem, an associate professor at Ghent University . Female genital mutilation in Guinea had been performed on more than 98% of women as of 2009 . In Guinea "almost all cultures, religions, and ethnicities" practice female genital mutilation. The 2005 Demographic and Health Survey reported that 96% of women have gone through

2158-489: 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. Bauxite and alumina are the most major exports. Guinea possesses over 25 billion tonnes (metric tons) of bauxite —and perhaps up to one half of

2241-453: Is one of the only two upland evergreen forests in Ghana, and makes up a significant portion of the remaining 20% of forested habitat left in Ghana. The Atewa range falls under the jurisdiction of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area and is overseen by the king known as Okyenhene. In 2013, an NGO called A Rocha Ghana held a summit with the forestry and water resource commission, the minister of lands,

2324-523: 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°. Guinea is divided into 4 regions: Maritime Guinea , also known as Lower Guinea or the Basse-Coté lowlands, populated mainly by

2407-804: Is subordinate to the Minister of Defence. In addition, regime security forces include the National Police Force (Sûreté Nationale). The Gendarmerie, responsible for internal security, has a strength of several thousand. The army, with about 15,000 personnel, is by far the largest branch of the armed forces and is mainly responsible for protecting the state borders, the security of administered territories, and defending Guinea's national interests. Air force personnel total about 700. Its equipment includes several Russian-supplied fighter planes and transports. The navy has about 900 personnel and operates several small patrol craft and barges. Homosexuality

2490-602: 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. The country was at the core of the Western African Ebola virus epidemic . Guinea is named after the Guinea region which lies along the Gulf of Guinea . It stretches north through

2573-534: The Boké Region of Guinea have caused in 35 conflicts which include movements of revolts and road blockades. These conflicts have resulted in the loss of human life, the destruction of heavy machinery, and damage to government buildings. The Atewa range in Ghana, classified as an ecologically important forest reserve with an area of 17,400 hectares (43,000 acres), has been is a recent site of conflict and controversy surrounding baxuite mining. The forest reserve

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2656-529: The Boké Region of Guinea, there has been a significant increase in bauxite mining pressure on the local population. This has resulted in potable water issues, air pollution, food contamination, and land expropriation disputes due to improper compensation. Bauxite mining has led to protests, civil unrest, and violent conflicts in Guinea, Ghana, Vietnam, and India. Guinea has a long history of mining related conflicts between communities and mining companies. Between 2015 and 2018, new bauxite mining operations in

2739-547: The Democratic Party of Guinea the country's only legal political party, and for the next 24 years, the government and PDG were one. Touré was re-elected unopposed to four 7-year terms as president, and every 5 years voters were presented with a single list of PDG candidates for the National Assembly. On 22 November 1970, Portuguese forces from neighbouring Portuguese Guinea staged Operation Green Sea ,

2822-520: The Ghana Integrated Bauxite and Aluminium Development Authority Act that would create the legal framework required to develop and establish an integrated bauxite industry. In may of that year, the government began drilling deep holes in the reserve. These actions sparked several protests, including a 95-kilometre (59 mi) march from the reserve to the presidential palace, an informational billboard campaign led by A Rocha Ghana, and

2905-687: The Mali Empire came when Soundiata Kéïta defeated the Sosso ruler Soumangourou Kanté at the Battle of Kirina in c.  1235 . The Mali Empire was ruled by Mansa (Emperors), including Kankou Moussa , who made a hajj to Mecca in 1324. After his reign, the Mali Empire began to decline and was ultimately supplanted by its vassal states in the 15th century. The Songhai Empire expanded its power in about 1460. It continued to prosper until

2988-587: The Mano River Union in 1973. Guinea joined in 1980. It was reactivated in 2004 as a customs and economic union; Côte d'Ivoire joined in 2008. This article related to a river in Guinea is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Liberia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Sierra Leone

3071-630: The Susu ethnic group; the cooler, more mountainous Fouta Djallon that run roughly north–south through the middle of the country, populated by Fulas; the Sahelian Haute-Guinea to the northeast, populated by Malinké ; and the forested jungle regions in the southeast, with several ethnic groups. Guinea's mountains are the source for the Niger, the Gambia, and Senegal Rivers, and rivers flowing to

3154-659: The UN Security Council 1972–73. In 1977, a declining economy and a ban on all private economic transactions led to the Market Women's Revolt , a series of anti-government riots started by women working in Conakry's Madina Market . Touré vacillated from supporting the Soviet Union to supporting the United States. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw some economic reforms. After the election of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing as French president, trade increased and

3237-501: The United Nations . According to a February 2009 U.S. Department of State statement, Guinea's foreign relations, including those with its West African neighbours, had improved steadily since 1985. The Department's October 2018 statement indicated that although "the U.S. condemned" Guinea's "2008 military coup d'etat," the U.S. had "close relations" with Guinea before the coup, and after "Guinea's presidential elections in 2010,

3320-647: The forested tropical regions and ends at the Sahel . The English term Guinea comes directly from the Portuguese word Guiné which emerged in the mid-15th century to refer to the lands inhabited by the Guineus , a generic term for the black African peoples south of the Senegal River , in contrast to the "tawny" Zenaga Berbers above it, whom they called Azengues or Moors . In 1978, the official name became

3403-463: The free surface effect can cause the cargo to shift rapidly inside the hold and make the ship unstable, potentially sinking the ship. One vessel suspected to have been sunk in this way was the MS Bulk Jupiter in 2015. One method which can demonstrate this effect is the "can test", in which a sample of the material is placed in a cylindrical can and struck against a surface many times. If

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3486-563: 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. The Sosso Empire came and stayed from 12th to 13th centuries; later,

3569-463: The 2021 coup, and some of Guinea's allies condemned the coup. The African Union and West Africa's regional bloc ( ECOWAS ) both threatened sanctions, while some analysts expect the threats to be of limited effect because Guinea is not a member of the West African currency union and is not a landlocked country. ECOWAS promptly suspended Guinea's membership and demanded the unconditional release of President Condé, while sending envoys to Conakry to attempt

3652-618: The People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea. In 1984, the country was renamed the Republic of Guinea after the death of the first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré. 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

3735-442: The United States re-established strong diplomatic relations with the government." The statement indicated support for the "legislative elections in 2013 and a second presidential election in 2015" as signs of "democratic reform." A March 2021 report by the U.S. Department of State blasted extensive human rights violations by the government, security forces and businesses in Guinea. The report cited extensive international criticism of

3818-410: The aluminium compounds are extracted contains iron oxides , silica , calcia , titania and some un-reacted alumina . After separation of the residue by filtering, pure gibbsite is precipitated when the liquid is cooled, and then seeded with fine-grained aluminium hydroxide . The gibbsite is usually converted into aluminium oxide , Al 2 O 3 , by heating in rotary kilns or fluid flash calciners to

3901-512: The armies of Samori Touré , Mansa (or Emperor) of the Ouassoulou state and leader of Malinké descent, in 1898 gave France control of what today is Guinea and adjacent areas. France negotiated Guinea's present boundaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the British for Sierra Leone , the Portuguese for their Guinea colony (now Guinea-Bissau ), and Liberia . Under the French,

3984-533: The bauxite originates from Miocene volcanic ash deposits from episodes of significant volcanism in Central America. Australia is the largest producer of bauxite, followed by Guinea and China . Bauxite is usually strip mined because it is almost always found near the surface of the terrain , with little or no overburden . Increased aluminium recycling , which requires less electric power than producing aluminium from ores, may considerably extend

4067-600: The civil administration with its military counterpart. The United Nations , European Union , African Union , ECOWAS (which suspended Guinea's membership), and La Francophonie denounced the coup, and called for President Condé's unconditional release. Similar responses came from some neighboring and Western countries (including the United States ), and from China (which relies on Guinea for half of its aluminum ore, facilitated by its connections to President Condé). Despite these, on 1 October 2021, Mamady Doumbouya

4150-415: The colonies the choice of autonomy in a new French Community or immediate independence in the referendum of 28 September 1958. Guinea voted overwhelmingly for independence. It was led by Ahmed Sékou Touré , whose Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally (PDG) had won 56 of 60 seats in the 1957 territorial elections. The French later withdrew, and on 2 October 1958, Guinea proclaimed itself

4233-652: The country formed the Territory of Guinea within French West Africa , administered by a governor general resident in Dakar . Lieutenant governors administered the individual colonies, including Guinea. In 1958, the French Fourth Republic collapsed due to political instability and its failures in dealing with its colonies, especially Indochina and Algeria . The French Fifth Republic gave

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4316-410: The country in the following weeks. Existing civil and economic unrest in the country temporarily worsened as a result, with several confrontations between protestors and police in Conakry, increased fuel and travel costs, and general price inflation throughout the country. Guinea shares a border with Guinea-Bissau to the northwest , Senegal to the north , Mali to the northeast , Ivory Coast to

4399-468: The country. The National Assembly of Guinea , the country's legislative body, did not meet from 2008 to 2013, when it was dissolved after the military coup in December. Elections have been postponed multiple times since 2007. In April 2012, President Condé postponed the elections indefinitely, citing the need to ensure that they were "transparent and democratic". The 2013 Guinean legislative election

4482-679: 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 km (94,926 sq mi), Guinea

4565-488: The invention of this process, and prior to the Deville process , aluminium ore was refined by heating ore along with elemental sodium or potassium in a vacuum . The method was complicated and consumed materials that were themselves expensive at that time. This made early elemental aluminium more expensive than gold . As a bulk cargo , bauxite is a Group A cargo that may liquefy if excessively moist. Liquefaction and

4648-462: The military leader of anti-colonial revolution, were among the many people across Vietnamese society who opposed the governments plans. In an attempt to stop the spread of information across the globe, the government banned domestic reporters from reporting on bauxite mining. However, reporters turned to Vietnamese language websites and blogs where the reporting and discussion continued. On April 12, 2009, several well-respected Vietnamese scholars started

4731-401: The minister of the environment, and other important stakeholders. They came to the conclusion that no future government should mine bauxite in the region because the reserve is environmentally and culturally significant. In 2016, the government along with NGO's began the process of upgrading the reserved to a national park. However, that year an election took place, and before it became official,

4814-492: The newly elected National Patriotic Party (NPP) rejected the plan. In 2017, the government of Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China to develop new bauxite mining infrastructure in Ghana. Although there was no official plan to mine the Atewa Forest Reserve, tensions between local communities, NGO and the government began to rise. In 2019, tensions began to reach a peak when the government presented

4897-512: The north-east is characterized by dry savanna woodlands. Declining populations of some animals are restricted to uninhabited distant parts of parks and reserves. Species found in Guinea include the following: The Republic of Guinea covers 245,857 square kilometres (94,926 sq mi) of West Africa, about 10 degrees north of the equator. It is divided into 4 natural regions: Guinea is divided into 8 administrative regions which are subdivided into 33 prefectures . The capital Conakry with

4980-423: The operation. 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

5063-510: The opposition coalition's decision to step down from the elections in protest of the lack of transparency in the preparations for elections. Nine people were killed during the protests, and around 220 were injured. Some deaths and injuries were caused by security forces using live ammunition on protesters. The violence led to ethnic clashes between the Malinke and Fula , who supported and opposed President Condé, respectively. On 26 March 2013,

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5146-457: The opposition leader Alpha Condé was imprisoned for endangering state security and pardoned 8 months later. Subsequently, he spent time in exile in France. In 2001, Conté organized and won a referendum to lengthen the presidential term, and in 2003, began his third term after elections were boycotted by the opposition. In January 2005, Conté survived a suspected assassination attempt while making

5229-514: The opposition party backed out of negotiations with the government over the election, saying that the government had not respected them, and had broken all agreements. On 25 March 2014, the World Health Organization stated that Guinea's Ministry of Health had reported an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Guinea. This initial outbreak had 86 cases, including 59 deaths. By 28 May, there were 281 cases, with 186 deaths. It

5312-708: The president appoints officials to all other levels of the centralized administration. Former President Alpha Condé derived support from Guinea's second-largest ethnic group, the Malinke . Guinea's opposition was backed by the Fula ethnic group, who account for around 33.4% of the population. Guinea is a member of the African Union , Agency for the French-Speaking Community , African Development Bank , Economic Community of West African States , World Bank , Islamic Development Bank , IMF , and

5395-430: The presidential palace, Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya seized control of state television and declared that President Alpha Conde 's government had been dissolved and the nation's borders closed. By the evening, the putschists had declared control of all of Conakry and the country's armed forces. According to Guinée Matin , by 6 September, the military fully controlled the state administration and started to replace

5478-400: The recent national elections, which yielded "President Alpha Conde's re-election (despite disputed results) [...] following a controversial March referendum amending the constitution and allowing him to run for a third term." The department condemned the 2021 coup. The U.S. called for "national dialogue to address concerns sustainably and transparently". The United Nations promptly denounced

5561-418: The rule of Alpha Conde on 14 October 2019, against constitutional changes. More than 800 were killed in clashes. After the 2020 Guinean presidential election , Alpha Condé's election to a third term was challenged by the opposition, who accused him of fraud. Condé claimed a constitutional referendum from March 2020 allowed him to run despite the 2-term limit. On 5 September 2021, after hours of gunfire near

5644-650: The sea on the west side of the range in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The highest point in Guinea is Mount Nimba at 1,752 m (5,748 ft). While the Guinean and Ivorian sides of the Nimba Massif are a UNESCO Strict Nature Reserve , the portion of the so-called Guinean Backbone continues into Liberia , where it has been mined for decades; the damage is evident in the Nzérékoré Region at 7°32′17″N 8°29′50″W  /  7.53806°N 8.49722°W  / 7.53806; -8.49722 . Guinea

5727-440: 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 . Guinea has a population of 14 million and an area of 245,857 square kilometres (94,926 sq mi). Formerly French Guinea , it achieved independence in 1958. Guinea has

5810-706: The strip mining process, the biodiversity and habitat once present in the area is completely lost and the hydrological and soil characteristics in the region are permanently altered. Other environmental impacts of bauxite mining include soil degradation , air pollution , and water pollution . Red mud is a highly alkaline sludge, with a high pH around 13, that is a byproduct of the Bayer process .  It contains several elements such as sodium aluminoscilicate , calcium titanate , monohydrate aluminium, and trihydrate aluminium that do not break down in nature. When improperly stored, red mud can contaminate soil and water, which can result in local extinction of all life. Red mud

5893-466: The terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Historically, the Indigenous peoples living on these lands have shown resistance to development, and oppose any new bauxite mining projects in the area. This has led to violent conflicts between Indigenous communities and police. On December 16, 2000, police killed three Indigenous protestors and wounded over a dozen more during a protest over a bauxite project in

5976-401: The top ten largest in the world, are located on tribal land. These tribal lands are densely populated and home to over 100 million Indigenous Indian peoples.  The mountain summits located on these lands act as a source of water and greatly contribute to the regions fertility. The Indian bauxite industry is interested in developing this land for aluminum production, which poses great risk to

6059-463: The two iron oxides goethite (FeO(OH)) and haematite ( Fe 2 O 3 ), the aluminium clay mineral kaolinite ( Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 ) and small amounts of anatase ( TiO 2 ) and ilmenite ( FeTiO 3 or FeO·TiO 2 ). Bauxite appears dull in luster and is reddish-brown, white, or tan. In 1821, the French geologist Pierre Berthier discovered bauxite near

6142-476: The two countries exchanged diplomatic visits. Sékou Touré died on 26 March 1984 after a heart operation in the United States, and was replaced by Prime Minister Louis Lansana Beavogui , who was to serve as interim president, pending new elections. PDG was due to elect a new leader on 3 April 1984. Under the constitution, that person would have been the only candidate for president. Hours before that meeting, Colonels Lansana Conté and Diarra Traoré seized power in

6225-456: The village of Les Baux in Provence , southern France . Numerous classification schemes have been proposed for bauxite but, as of 1982 , there was no consensus. Vadász (1951) distinguished lateritic bauxites (silicate bauxites) from karst bauxite ores (carbonate bauxites): In the case of Jamaica , recent analysis of the soils showed elevated levels of cadmium , suggesting that

6308-436: The world's bauxite deposits can be found within 1 to 20 metres (3 ft 3 in to 65 ft 7 in) of the earths surface. Strip mining is the most common technique used for extracting shallow bauxite. This process involves removing the vegetation, top soil, and overburden to expose the bauxite ore. The overlying soil is typically stockpiled in order to rehabilitate the mine once operations have finished. During

6391-401: The world's bauxite reserves. As of 2010 , approximately 70% to 80% of the world's dry bauxite production is processed first into alumina and then into aluminium by electrolysis . Bauxite rocks are typically classified according to their intended commercial application: metallurgical, abrasive, cement, chemical, and refractory. Bauxite ore is usually heated in a pressure vessel along with

6474-486: The world's reserves. Its mineral wealth includes more than 4-billion tonnes of high-grade iron ore, and diamond and gold deposits, and uranium . Bauxite Bauxite ( / ˈ b ɔː k s aɪ t / ) is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium . Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite ( Al(OH) 3 ), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(OH)), mixed with

6557-439: Was headed towards a civil war. Conté blamed neighbouring leaders for coveting Guinea's natural resources, and these claims were denied. In 2003, Guinea agreed to plans with her neighbours to tackle the insurgents. The 2007 Guinean general strike resulted in the appointment of a new prime minister. Conté remained in power until his death on 23 December 2008. Several hours after his death, Moussa Dadis Camara seized control in

6640-601: Was held on 24 September. President Alpha Condé 's party, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG), won a plurality of seats in the National Assembly of Guinea , with 53 out of 114 seats. Cellou Dalein Diallo 's UFDG party won 37 seats, and opposition leaders denounced the official results as fraudulent. The president of Guinea is normally elected by popular vote for a 5-year term; the winning candidate must receive

6723-411: Was led by Samori Toure in the predominantly Malinké area of what is now upper Guinea and southwestern Mali (Wassoulou). It moved to Ivory Coast before being conquered by the French. European traders competed for the cape trade from the 17th century onward and made inroads earlier. Guinea's colonial period began with French military penetration into the area in the mid-19th century. The defeat of

6806-575: Was responsible for killing all life in the Marcal River in Hungary after a spill occurred in 2010. When red mud dries, it turns into dust that can cause lung disease, cancer and birth defects. In the tropical regions of Asia, central Africa, South America and northern Australia, there has been an increase of bauxite mines on traditional and indigenous lands. This has resulted in a number of negative social impacts on local and indigenous peoples. In

6889-454: Was sworn in as interim president. On 11 May 2023, at least 7 people were shot dead in anti-government demonstrations in cities across Guinea. The anti-government movement became involved in peaceful protests and called on rulers to end military rule in Guinea and transition the country to democracy. On 18 December 2023, an explosion occurred at the country's main oil depot in Conakry, killing 24 people and causing extensive fuel shortages in

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