The Republic of Guinea (Guinée in French) is the former French Guinea, located on the southern curve of West Africa northwest of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Mostly inland, it has a relatively short coast between Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. Colonized by France in the late 1890s, it was one of the first European colonies in Africa to become independent, in 1958. Like its neighbors Guinea has suffered frequently from political turmoil at home or in adjoining countries. The one important port, Conakry, is also the national capital; it is one of largest cities of West Africa with a population nearing 2 million. French is the official language of government and commerce in Guinea. The French word for a lighthouse is phare, although a smaller light or harbor light is called a feu (literally "fire," but here meaning "light") or a balise (beacon). In French île is an island, cap is a cape, pointe is a promontory or point of land, roche is a rock, récife is a reef, baie is a bay, estuaire is an estuary or inlet, détroit is a strait, rivière is a river, and havre is a harbor. Aids to navigation in Guinea are maintained by the Agence de Navigation Maritime, an agency of the transport ministry. Almost no information on these lighthouses is available, so visitor accounts and photos would be very welcome. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
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![]() Boulbinet Light, Conakry, August 2012 photo copyright Murray Crawford; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Guinea-Bissau | South: Sierra Leone
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Posted September 5, 2005. Checked and revised April 26, 2024. Lighthouses: 4. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.