Guinea is a country in Western Africa, one of the 17 entries this site files under that subregion. In formal use it is Republic of Guinea. Conakry is the capital.
By land area it covers 245,857 km², which ranks it 80th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Western Sahara and just ahead of the United Kingdom. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as the United Kingdom.
Around 14.8 million people live there, placing it 75th of 250 by population — between Zimbabwe above it and Benin below. Among the 17 entries in Western Africa it ranks 7th by area and 8th by population.
Location, borders and position
Plotted on a globe it falls at 11.0° north, 10.0° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 1,225 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Somalia, the Philippines and Cambodia — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
6 countries share a land border with it: Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The largest of them by area is Mali, while the most populous is Ivory Coast. Together those neighbours hold about 91.4 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
People, population and language
Population divided by land area gives roughly 60 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: French. French is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 45 other entries including Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso and Burundi.
People from Guinea are called Guineans.
Inside Africa it places 27th of 59 by population, and it accounts for 3.2% of everyone living in Western Africa.
Currency and codes
It uses the Guinean franc (Fr, GNF). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
The top-level domain is .gn. To phone it from abroad you dial +224. Its ISO codes are gn and GIN, which is what most databases and flag files use.
Conakry is the city to remember for this country.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Guinea shares borders with 6 countries:
Fun facts about Guinea
- It lies about 1,225 km from the equator, in tropical latitudes.
- People from Guinea are known as Guineans.
- Its capital city is Conakry.
- It shares land borders with 6 countries: Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
- Its full official name is Republic of Guinea.
- It is 75th of 250 by population, with about 14.8 million residents.
Guinea — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Guinea?
- The capital of Guinea is Conakry.
- What is the population of Guinea?
- Guinea has a population of about 14.8 million, which makes it the 75th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Zimbabwe sits just above it and Benin just below.
- How big is Guinea?
- Guinea covers 245,857 km², ranking 80th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as the United Kingdom.
- Which countries border Guinea?
- Guinea borders 6 countries: Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Mali is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Guinea?
- The official language of Guinea is French. It is also official in 45 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Guinea use?
- Guinea uses the Guinean franc, written Fr (currency code GNF). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Where is Guinea located?
- Guinea is in Western Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 11.0° north and 10.0° west, roughly 1,225 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- Is Guinea a country?
- Yes. Guinea is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
