Conakry

Conakry, also Konakry, capital, largest city, and chief port of the republic of Guinea, western Africa, in Conakry Region, on the Atlantic Ocean, in the western part of the country. The city, located on Tombo Island and the adjacent Kaloum Peninsula, is the focus of the nation's transportation routes and is its chief administrative and commercial center. Exports include bananas, alumina (processed bauxite), coffee, oranges, and fish and palm products. Manufactures of the Conakry area include processed foods, printed materials, and metal and plastic goods. Bauxite is mined on nearby Los Islands, and iron ore is recovered on the Kaloum Peninsula. Gamal Abdel Nasser Polytechnic Institute of Conakry (1963), the National Museum, and the National Library are here.

Conakry was captured by the French in 1884 and subsequently served as the capital of the French protectorate Rivières du Sud (1891-93) and the French dependency of Guinea (1893-1958), before becoming the capital of independent Guinea in 1958. Its main economic growth dates from the 1940s. Population (2001 estimate) 1,272,000.