Conakry
2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Africa; Cities
| Conakry Kɔnakiri |
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  Conakry
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Region | Conakry Region |
| Population (2007) | |
| - Total | 2,000,000 (est.) |
| Time zone | CET ( UTC+1) |
| - Summer ( DST) | CEST ( UTC+1) |
Conakry or Konakry ( Malinké: Kɔnakiri) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. The city is a port on the Atlantic Ocean, originally situated on Tombo Island, one of the Îles de Los, it has since spread up the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula. The population of Conakry is difficult to ascertain, although the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs has estimated it at 2 million. Even given this uncertainty, Conakry makes up almost a quarter of the population of Guinea.
History
According to a legend, the name of the city comes from the fusion of the name "Cona", a wine and cheese producer of the Baga people, and the word "nakiri", which means the other bank or side.
Conakry was originally settled on tiny Tombo Island and later spread to the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula, a 36 km long strech of land 0.2 to 6 km wide. The city was essentially founded after Britain ceded the island to France in 1887. In 1885, the two island villages of Conakry and Boubinet had less than 500 inhabitants. Conakry became the capital of French Guinea in 1904 and prospered as an export port, particularly after a (now closed) railway to Kankan opened the large scale export of groundnut from the interior. In the decades after independece, the population of Conakry exploded, from 50,000 inhabitants in 1958 to 600,000 in 1980, to over two million today. Its small size a relative isolation from the mainland, while an advantage to its colonial founders, has created an infrastructural burden since independence.
In 1970, conflict between Portuguese forces and the PAIGC in neighboring Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) spilled into the Republic of Guinea when a group of 350 Portuguese troops and Guinean dissidents landed near Conakry, attacked the city, and freed 26 Portuguese prisoners of war held by the PAIGC before retreating, failing to overthrow the government or kill the PAIGC leadership.
Conakry today
Today, the city has grown along the peninsula to form five main districts. From the tip in the south west, these are Kaloum (the city centre), Dixinn (including the University of Conakry and many embassies), Ratoma (known for its nightlife), Matam and finally Matoto, home to Gbessia Airport. The city itself makes up one of the eight Regions of Guinea, the Conakry Region, includes 5 of the nation's 38 urban communes, and at the prefect level is designated the Conakry Special Zone. At two million inhabitants, it is far and away the largest city in Guinea, making up almost a quarter of the nation's population and making it more than four times bigger than its nearest rival, Kankan.
Economy
Conakry is Guinea's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic centre. The city's economy revolves largely around the port, which has modern facilities for handling and storing cargo, through which alumina and bananas are shipped. Manufactures include food products and Housing Materials. An average Guinean in Conakry will get a monthly wage of about 225 000 GNF or about $45.
Infrastructural crisis
Periodic power and water cuts are a daily burden for Conakry's residents, dating back to early 2002. Government and power company officials blame the drought of 2001-2 for a failure of the hydro-electric supply to the capital, and a failure of aging machinery for the continuation of the crisis. Critics of the government cite mis-management, corruption, and the pull out of the power agency's French partner at the beginning of 2002. As of 2007, much of the city has no traffic lighting in the overnight hours. Popular anger at shortages in Conakry were entwined with anti-government protests, strikes, and violence over the rule of President Lansana Conté and the successive prime ministers, Cellou Dalein Diallo and Eugène Camara, appointed to fill the post after the resignation of PM François Lounseny Fall in April 2004. Violence reached a peak in January-February 2007 in a general strike, which saw over a hundred deaths when the Army confronted protesters
Attractions
Attractions in the city include the Guinea National Museum, several markets, the Guinea Palais du Peuple, Conakry Grand Mosque which was built by Sekou Toure, the city's nightlife and the nearby Iles de Los.
The city is noted for its botanical garden. The Polytechnical Institute of Conakry is also located in Conakry.
The street numbering scheme of Conakry labels all roads with a two-letter code for the urban district, followed by a three digit number: odd for north-south streets and even for east-west, e.g. KA002 for a northbound street in the Kaloum district.