Introduction
The capital of the western African nation of Guinea, Conakry is the country's only large urban center. It is known for its fine port.
Places of interest
The original site of Conakry was Tombo Island in the Atlantic Ocean. This island, still the site of downtown Conakry, is now linked to the tip of the Kaloum Peninsula by a broad earthen embankment. The island has government buildings and the national museum. Elsewhere in the city are the main market, an assembly hall called the People's Palace, botanical gardens, and residential suburbs. The University of Conakry was opened in 1962.
Economy
Government jobs and business services are very important to the city. Conakry has the country's largest number of schools, banks, government offices, stores, and restaurants. The city also dominates manufacturing in Guinea. Factories in and around the city process aluminum and foods such as fruit and fish.
Conakry has a fine natural harbor. Ships stop at its port to load up with huge amounts of bauxite, an aluminum ore. Guinea is one of the world's largest producers of this mineral. Guinean fish and coffee also make their way through Conakry's port to markets around the world.
History
Conakry was originally a tribal village. French traders and soldiers took over the site in about 1884 and made it into a fort. It later became the capital of the colony of French Guinea, and in 1958 it became the capital of independent Guinea.
Considerable industrial development took place after World War II. In the 1950s, mines nearby began to produce bauxite. The city grew quickly after that as more and more people moved there to work in the factories. Population (2001 estimate), 1,565,200.
