In July and August, Guinea’s capital averages over 43.3 inches (1.1 meters) of rain per month making Conakry a leading candidate for the dubious title of the world’s wettest capital city–at least during those late summer months.
Mercer’s 2016 Cost of Living rankings benchmark how much a new resident in a city has to pay for products compared to New York using the US dollar as the base currency. For 2016, Conakry ranks as the 36th costliest city for newly relocated citizens, dropping 14 places from 2015 when Mercer recognized Conakry as the world’s 22nd most expensive city. Based on commentary from travel site Atlas & Boots, much of Conakry’s apparent cost improvement was due to the comparatively greater impact of the surging American dollar on other cities that the study tracks.
Guinea exported an estimated US$2.2 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2016. Highest-value Guinean exports include aluminum, gold, natural rubber, coconuts, coco beans and coffee according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Conakry, Guinea: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Presidential Palace Sekhoutoureah, People’s Palace, Conakry Botanical Garden, St. Mary’s Cathedral and Grand Mosque of Conakry
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Conakry, Guinea:
- Ibrahima Diallo, soccer player/footballer (born Sep. 26, 1985)
- Marie Zoumanigui, actress (born Dec. 20, 1988)
- Cheick Fantamady Camara, film director (born Mar. 12, 1960)
- Aboubacar Camara, soccer/football goalkeeper (born Jun. 1, 1993)
- Sékouba Konaté, military officer & former vice-president (born Jun. 6, 1964)
- Amadou Diawara,soccer player/footballer (born Jul. 17, 1997)
- Muhammad Camara, actor & director (born 1959)
- Lanfia Camara, soccer player & footballer (born Oct. 3, 1986)
- Djibril Tamsir Niane, historian & playwright (born Jan. 9, 1932)
- Raymond-Marie Tchidimbo, former archbishop (born Aug. 15, 1920)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Guinea resident: Guinean
Population: 1,685,000 (Conakry)
Density: 27,177 people per square mile (10,493 per square kilometer)
Population: 12,093,349 (Guinea)
Density: 127 people per square mile (49 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$15 billion as of October 2016 (for Guinea, per WorldsRichestCountries.com)
GDP per person:$1,239
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Conakry were unavailable.
Official currency used in Conakry: Guinean franc
Research
Research Sources:
Atlas & Boots, The World’s Most Expensive Cities for Expats 2016. Accessed on February 17, 2017
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data). Accessed on December 9, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Africa: Guinea. Accessed on February 17, 2017
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas. Accessed on December 9, 2016
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition. Accessed on December 9, 2016
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition. Accessed on December 9, 2016
Informational Website, Africaguinee.com. Accessed on December 9, 2016
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 1, 2017
Mercer, 2016 Cost of Living Rankings. Accessed on February 17, 2017
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags. Accessed on December 9, 2016
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Conakry. Accessed on December 9, 2016
Wikipedia, Guinea. Accessed on February 17, 2017
Conakry contains a land area of 62 square miles including built-up urbanized locations, within which an estimated 1.7 million residents lived in 2015.
Guinea’s capital city represents about 14% of the West African country’s total population of about 12.1 million people. Guinea’s overall land area is 94,872 square miles (245,717 square kilometers).
Population density is much higher within Guinea’s capital city Conakry, with an average 27,200 inhabitants per square mile (10,500 per square kilometer).
Country-level metrics show that density for Guinea drops significantly, averaging just 130 people per square mile (50 per square kilometer).
For Guinea overall, population density drops to an average 127 inhabitants per square mile (49 per square kilometer).
Guinea separated from France on October 2, 1958. Guineans celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each October 2.