Map

Leader

President: Alpha Conde

Alpha Conde won the presidency in 2010 after a half-century in opposition

Alpha Conde became president in 2010 after a lifelong battle against a series of despotic and military regimes which sent him into exile and prison.

In December 2010 he was declared winner in Guinea's first democratic election since gaining independence from France in 1958.

Travel

All foreign visitors to PNG need a visa. There are a number of categories depending on the purpose of your visit. Information on the application procedure and the specific requirements for each category of visa are available here. Please download the appropriate form and send it to the PNG High Commission in Canberra for processing.

All applicants seeking to travel to PNG must be of good health and good character. In some cases, medical documentation and a local police clearance certificate will be required. This will depend on the purpose and duration of the visit (please refer to the appropriate entry category). If an applicant has a criminal conviction, or is subject to criminal prosecution, that information must be disclosed at the time of application. Failure to disclose this information may result in the entry permit being refused, cancelled or deemed void.

Where medical documentation is required, this consists of:

- Medical examination report obtained from an approved doctor or hospital;

- HIV tests (Pathology Report required) for applicants over 16 years of age; and

- Chest X-ray (Radiology Report) for applicants over 16 years of age.

The prescribed medical examination report form and radiology form are available from the nearest PNG Diplomatic mission. The doctor carrying out the examination and the radiographer carrying out the chest X-ray are required to complete and sign the relevant forms.

A police certificate must be obtained from your local police authority for all applicants 16 years of age and over (including dependents) intending to travel to PNG for a period of 6 months or more.

• Best period

As happens in a tropical country, the weather is hot and humid year-round. There are two seasons: the wet season (June to November), when monsoons are common, and the dry season (December to May), when rainfall diminishes. Travel outside Conakry during the rainy season can be difficult.

• Safety

Owing to an unpredictable political situation, nonessential travel to Guinea is not currently recommended. Since the death of President Conté and a subsequent military coup in 1998, the security situation has been unstable. Through 2010, campaigning for the presidential election will likely disrupt transportation and intensify safety concerns. The security situation in the border areas with Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Liberia is extremely volatile, and travel to those areas is not advised.

Conakry has not experienced much political violence, though there has been a recent spike in violent crime against foreigners. Visitors should take sensible precautions, such as not carrying valuables.

Car travel can be difficult. Travel between cities after dark is not advised. Military and police checkpoints are scattered throughout the country, and payment of a bribe is usually expected.

For the most updated information, check the U.S. Department of State’s travel page on Guinea.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has created a security ratings system called the Ibrahim Index, wherein scores are based on each country’s quality of government. Before traveling to Guinea or anywhere on the continent, check the index and do your research.

History

The modern state of Guinea did not come into existence until 1958, but the history of the area stretches back well before European intervention. Its current boundaries were determined during the colonial period by the Berlin Conference (1884-1885) and the French, who ruled Guinea until 1958.

Beginning in 900, the Susu migrated from the north and began settling in the area that is now Guinea. The Susu civilization reached its height in the 13th century. Today the Susu make up about 20% of Guinea's population. From the 16th to the 19th century, the Fulani empire dominated the region. In 1849, the French claimed it as a protectorate. First called Rivières du Sud, the protectorate was rechristened French Guinea; finally, in 1895, it became part of French West Africa.

Guinea achieved independence on Oct. 2, 1958, and became an independent state with Sékou Touré as president. Under Touré, the country was the first avowedly Marxist state in Africa. Diplomatic relations with France were suspended in 1965, with the Soviet Union replacing France as the country's chief source of economic and technical assistance.

Arts & Culture

• Music :

Guinea is a West African nation, composed of several ethnic groups. Among its most widely known musicians is Mory Kanté - 10 Cola Nuts saw major mainstream success in both Guinea and Mali while "Yeke Yeke", a single from Mory Kanté à Paris, was a European success in 1988.

Guinea's 10 million people belong to at least twenty-four ethnic and languages groups. The most prominent are the Fula (40%), the Mandinka (30%) and the Susu (20%). Fula is widely used in the central Fouta Djallon, Maninka in th east and Susu in the northwestern coastal region.[2] It is a predominantly Islamic country, with Muslims representing about 85 percent of the population.[3] Christians, mostly Roman Catholic, about 10 percent[4] of the population, are mainly found in the southern region of Guinée forestière.

• Literature

Papua New Guinean literature is diverse. The emergence of written literature (as distinct from oral literature) is comparatively recent in Papua New Guinea. It was given its first major stimulus with the setting up of creative writing courses by Ulli Beier at the University of Papua New Guinea (established in 1966). Beier also founded a Papua Pocket Poets series, as well as the literary magazine Kovave, the first of its kind in the country. Some of Papua New Guinea's first noted writers, including John Kasaipwalova, Kumalau Tawali, Apisai Enos and Kama Kerpi, were first published in Kovave.

In 1968, Albert Maori Kiki’s autobiography Ten Thousand Years in a Lifetime was the first major work of Papua New Guinean literature published outside a magazine. In 1970, Vincent Eri published the first Papua New Guinean novel, The Crocodile.

Notable Papua New Guinean writers also include Ignatius Kilage, Nora Vagi Brash, Steven Edmund Winduo and Loujaya Kouza.

• Film industry

Guinean cinema-one of the earliest to develop in Africa south of the Sahara-seemed to have a bright future, but the country's isolation from the rest of the world under the dark days of the sekou Toure regime killed the fledgling industry. The govemment straightjacketed directors, which was another factor in the demise of Guinean film. They were only allowed to make propaganda movies, dampening their creativity and deterring foreign investors. Today Guinea's film industry get no subsides and produces few movies but claims two prominent directors as native sons. Mohamed Camara is an original film-maker who has tackled normally taboo topics such as homosexuality in Dakan (Destiny), Camara's debut feature. Cheick Doukoure, who lives in France, is famous for Le ballon d'or (1993) a family comedy based on the adventures of the national soccer team. The film has never been shown in Guinea. David Achtar, who died recently, won an award at the Cannes Film Festival for Kitu, which has never been shown in Guinea either. Guinea has a few young internationally recognised filmmakers such as Grahite Fofana whose film Temedy was entered at Milan in 1998. In late 1999, Guinean filmmaker Mamady Sidibe shot Le Berger Noir et la Fée Rouse (The Black Shepherd and the Red Fairy) in Ouagadougou. The film addresses the conflicts between Western and African cultures.

• Famous monuments

Samori Toure monument

Marterers monuments

Old palace

• Architecture history

Thirty-seven percent of the population is urban and 63 percent is rural. On the mainland, the population is dispersed fairly evenly, with the exception of Bata, which is the largest city in the country. Many of its buildings are in the Spanish colonial style and are less than perfectly maintained. Bata is a busy commercial center, with markets, bars, and restaurants. The second-largest town in Río Muni is Ebebiyin in the northeast, near the Cameroon border.

On Bioko, the majority of the population lives in Malabo, which is Equatorial Guinea's capital. The city is fairly clean, and its architecture exhibits Spanish influence. There are shantytowns as well as upper-class neighborhoods, often in close proximity to each other. Luba, with a population of one thousand, is the second-largest town on Bioko.

Map

Leader

President: Jose Mario Vaz

Mr Vaz vowed to fight poverty and bring stability to the country

Jose Mario Vaz, a former finance minister, won the presidential election run-off of May 2014 by a big margin.

Mr Vaz, from the dominant African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), defeated rival Nuno Gomes Nabiam, an independent seen as close to the army.

Travel

Visas for Guinea-Bissau are required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Nationals not referred to in the chart are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements for Guinea-Bissau.

Visas are required for citizens of most non ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) countries. If you are coming from a country where Guinea-Bissau does not have diplomatic representation, you have 2 options at your disposal. The first is to obtain a visa at the Guinean embassy in Lisbon. The embassy processes tourist visas same-day, within 2-3 hours. Call ahead to confirm this though before making travel plans for Portugal and Bissau. The second option is to obtain a letter of invitation and arrange for a visa on arrival in Bissau. Whatever individual or organization that is hosting you will need to make these arrangements and there is not a clear well-defined policy regarding this. This second option is also more expensive than getting the visa in Lisbon.

All visitors, except nationals of Economic Community of West Africa States (Ecowas) countries, need visas. These are normally valid for 45 days and are issued for around US$60 at embassies. They are generally routinely issued at Bissau’s airport, but not at land borders, so plan ahead. To avoid hassles, get one before you arrive.

• Best period

In Guinea- Bissau the weather is hot and humid averaging about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celcius) year-round. The monsoonal-type rainy season typically lasts from June to November, and the dry season runs from December to May.

• Safety

The U.S. embassy in Bissau suspended its operations in June 1998 during the country’s civil war. Today the U.S. embassy in Dakar has jurisdiction over Guinea-Bissau, and U.S. citizens traveling to Guinea-Bissau are urged to register with the embassy there. (The former U.S. embassy in Guinea-Bissau is now operated by local staff members, who are not equipped to handle consular services but may be contacted in an emergency. The office is located at Edifício SITEC, Rua José Carlos Schwarz 245, Bairro d’Ajuda.

ATMs are not available, credit cards are not accepted, and local currency may be obtained only from banks or hotels. Wire transfer possibilities are very limited, so travelers are encouraged to secure ample amounts of the local currency before arrival in Guinea-Bissau. Though the country’s civil war ended in 1999, visitors should be aware that political tensions still exist; therefore, political gatherings and demonstrations should always be avoided. Another consequence of the war is the scattering of unexploded land mines throughout the country, including in Bafatá, Oio, Biombo, Quinara, and Tombali. To reduce their exposure to land mines, travelers should limit driving beyond towns to daylight hours and always stick to well-traveled roads.

History

The history of Guinea-Bissau was dominated by Portugal from the 1450s to the 1970s; since independence, the country has been primarily controlled by a single-party system.

The land now known as Guinea-Bissau was once the kingdom of Gabú, which was part of the larger Mali empire. After 1546 Gabú became more autonomous, and at least portions of the kingdom existed until 1867. The first European to encounter Guinea-Bissau was the Portuguese explorer Nuño Tristão in 1446; colonists in the Cape Verde islands obtained trading rights in the territory, and it became a center of the Portuguese slave trade. In 1879, the connection with the islands was broken.

Arts & Culture

• Music :

Guinea-Bissau musician Manecas Costa

The music of Guinea-Bissau is most widely associated with the polyrhythmic gumbe genre, the country's primary musical export. Tina and tinga are other popular genres.

Independence from Portugal was declared in 1973 after a long struggle. "Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada" ("This Is Our Beloved Country"), composed by Xiao He with words by Amílcar Cabral, is the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau, as it was of Cape Verde until 1996.

• Film industry

To talk about a film industry in Guinea-Bissau is still an exaggeration. In a country with no cinemas and a film institute that due to a total lack of money is practically lifeless, the picture is depressing to say the least. However, the zeal of two Guinean directors, Flora Gomes and Sana Na N'Hada, has achieved something that many considered impossible. And not just that they have managed to make films: their works are well received by critics and have been awarded prizes in international competitions around the world. At Cannes this year, Gomes's third and latest film Pau de Sangue (Bloodwood) was one of the 22 films selected, and the only African film in the competition.

• Famous places

Arquilepago dos Bijagos

Town of Cacheu

• Architecture history

Bissau is a huge city relative to the country's size. Many of the larger buildings were constructed by the Portuguese. The core of the city is a planned colonial capital, with buildings, boulevards, and vistas in the modernist style. The smaller district capitals also feature colonial architecture. There are postcolonial buildings such as the Chinese hospital in Canchungo, but the architecture is largely West African. Rectangular houses with zinc roofs and concrete floors are common in villages and small towns. In villages, much housing is still traditional in form and materials. Dried mud and thatched circular huts in ethnically distinct styles are a common feature.

Map

Leader

President: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Africa's 'Iron Lady'

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first elected woman head of state in 2006.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first female president in 2005, two years after the end of a brutal 14-year conflict.

She was re-elected in November 2011 in a poll marred by a low turn-out and a boycott by her main rival.

Travel

Visas for Liberia are required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Nationals not referred to in the chart are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements for Liberia.

• Best period

Liberia has a dry season and a rainy one: the dry season lasts from December to April and the rainy season is from May to November. Because of Liberia’s location, just north of the equator, the climate is tropical and daily temperatures are usually between 79 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (between 26 and 32 degrees Celcius.) Humidity levels are very high, especially in areas closer to the coast, averaging 88 percent year-round. Though rainfall is not consistent during the rainy season, humidity levels are higher. We suggest visiting in the dry season or in the months of July and August, when there is usually a brief period of weather similar to that of the dry season.

• Safety

Though Liberia is much safer for foreigners today than it was during the years of civil war, visitors must still take various precautions when visiting the country. It is inadvisable to travel anywhere outside of Monrovia without adequate safety arrangements. Petty theft and robbery are common, and women traveling alone face the risk of sexual assault. Visit the U.S. Department of State’s consular website for current travel warnings and advice on how to stay as safe as possible while visiting Liberia.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has created a security ratings system called the Ibrahim Index, wherein scores are based on each country’s quality of government. Before traveling to Liberia or anywhere on the continent, check the index and do your research.

History

Africa's first republic, Liberia was founded in 1822 as a result of the efforts of the American Colonization Society to settle freed American slaves in West Africa. The society contended that the emigration of blacks to Africa was an answer to the problem of slavery and the incompatibility of the races. Over the course of forty years, about 12,000 slaves were voluntarily relocated. Originally called Monrovia, the colony became the Free and Independent Republic of Liberia in 1847.

The English-speaking Americo-Liberians, descendants of former American slaves, make up only 5% of the population, but have historically dominated the intellectual and ruling class. Liberia's indigenous population is composed of 16 different ethnic groups.

The government of Africa's first republic was modeled after that of the United States, and Joseph Jenkins Roberts of Virginia was elected the first president. Ironically, Liberia's constitution denied indigenous Liberians equal to the lighter-skinned American immigrants and their descendants.

After 1920, considerable progress was made toward opening up the interior of the country, a process that facilitated by the 1951 establishment of a 43-mile (69-km) railroad to the Bomi Hills from Monrovia. In July 1971, while serving his sixth term as president, William V. S. Tubman died following surgery and was succeeded by his longtime associate, Vice President William R. Tolbert, Jr.

Arts & Culture

• Music :

The music of Liberia is less modern than the music of neighboring countries; it consists of many tribal beats. Liberian music is often spoken in one of their native dialects, or colloquial.

The indigenous ethnic groups of Liberia can be linguistically divided into three groups; those in the east who speak the isolate Gola language and the Mel languages (particularly Kissi) and those in the west who speal Kru languages (particularly Bassa). To these must be added the Mande people (the Kpelle are Liberia's largest ethnic group) in the north as well as Liberian repatriates (Americo-Liberians, Congo, Caribbean).

Highlife music is very popular in Liberia, as elsewhere in West Africa. It is a combination of North American, West African and Latin American styles, and emerged in the 1950s in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia, especially among the Liberian Kru people, who were sailors that played Spanish guitar, banjo, pennywhistle, harmonica, accordion, mandolin and concertina.

• Literature

A rich literary tradition has existed in Liberia for over a century. Despite European colonialists and historians labeling Liberia as a country without a written tradition until the 19th century, numerous Liberian authors throughout the years have contributed to the writings of various genres. They have written on folk art, ancient proverbs, everyday life in countryside, city life, religion and observation of their own lives. Culture, tradition, identity, society, taboo subjects, human rights, equality and diversity within Liberia, multiculturalism, Pan-Africanism, colonialism and its reverberating consequences today, post colonial African countries and future of the country have been featured in novels, books, magazines and novelettes since the 19th century.

Poetry is a prominent canon of Liberian literature. Many authors have presented their pose in all poetic styles. Often adding their own unique perspectives, writing styles and observation of the material and spiritual worlds into their books. Liberia's prominent writers also share a variety of genres that cross several decades.

• Famous monuments & places

Sapo national park

The monument of the Slave Trade

Matilda Newport Canon

• Architecture history

In the cities, especially Monrovia, imposing public buildings from the prewar period were built mostly in the post-World War II International Style, including the Executive Mansion, which became an armed fortress during the civil war. Houses from the nineteenth century are similar to antebellum architecture of the American South, with verandas and classical columns. The civil war reduced many buildings to ruins and left others occupied by homeless refugees.

Map

Leader

President: Ibrahim Boubacar Keita

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita took office in September 2013, promising to help unify the country after a rebellion, a coup and an Islamic insurgency plunged the country into near ruin.

He won the first election held since mutinous soldiers overthrew longtime President Amadou Toumani Toure early in 2012.

Travel

The visa application fee for a US Citizen is $131 for all types of visa except for official and diplomatic visas which are free. This fee is not refundable. US Citizens are eligible for up to a (5) years multiple -entry visa.

Malian visa application form. For online orders, please download, print and sign Mali visa application, prepared by our system under your account.

Original, signed United States passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity.

Passport-type photographs: 2

Itinerary. Copy of round trip tickets or confirmed itinerary.

Yellow Fever Vaccination. Copy of International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever.

• Best period

Though Mali is, by Western standards, hot all year round, it does have three seasons. February through June is dry and hot, especially in March through May. The rainy season lasts from June through November, with more humid and milder weather. November through February is cool and dry; we recommend that period for travelers who struggle with high temperatures.

• Safety

Mali is known for being one of the most peaceful countries in West Africa. However, we advise checking the U.S. Department of State’s consular website for up-to-date Mali travel warnings, especially if you are considering traveling to northern Mali. Though Malians are known for being extremely helpful and generous: always have your wits about you while traveling, and mind your belongings.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has created a security ratings system called the Ibrahim Index, wherein scores are based on each country’s quality of government. Before traveling to Mali or anywhere on the continent, check the index and do your research.

History

The history of the territory of modern Mali may be divided into

Pre-Imperial Mali, before the 13th century

the history of the eponymous Mali Empire and of the Songhai Empire during the 13th to 16th centuries

The borders of Mali are those of French Sudan, drawn in 1890. They are artificial, and unite part of the larger Sudan region with parts of the Sahara. As a consequence, Mali is a truly multiethnic country, majority of its population consisting of a number of Mandé peoples Mande ethnicities.

The history of the country is dominated by its role in trans-Saharan trade, connecting West Africa and the Maghreb. The Malian city Timbuktu is exemplary of this; situated on the southern fringe of the Sahara and close to the River Niger it has played an important role in the trans-Saharan trade from the 13th century, with the establishment of the Mali Empire. The Mali Empire spread of Islam to Sub-Saharan Africa|became Islamic in the early 14th century, under Musa I of Mali. From that time until the 19th century, Timbuktu remained important as an outpost at the southwestern fringe of the Muslim world and a hub of the Arab slave trade.

Arts & Culture

• Music :

The Music of Mali is, like that of most African nations, ethnically diverse, but one influence predominates; that of the ancient Mali Empire of the Mandinka (from c. 1230 to c. 1600). Mande people (Bambara, Maninke, Soninke) make up 50% of the country's population, other ethnic groups include the Fula (17%), Gur-speakers 12%, Songhai people (6%), Tuareg and Moors (10%) and another 5%, including Europeans. Mali is divided into eight regions; Gao, Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, Ségou, Sikasso, Tombouctou and Bamako (the eighth region, Kidal, was created in 1991).

• Literature

Mali has an extensive and well-known position within African literature.

The ruler of the Songhai Empire at the time, Askia the Great was a patron of literature.[1] According to the 16th-century Moroccan explorer Leo Africanus, writing in 1510 CE,

• Film industry

Mali's cinema is comparitively less known than the world famous movies of its neighbors, Senegal and Burkina Faso. But it's not for want of excellent films. Almost all of its key filmmakers were born in Bamako, the capital and largest city. After over a century of exploitation at the hands of the French, Mali initially cozied up to the USSR. Many of Mali's directors honed their craft at the world's oldest film school, the Всесоюзный государственный институт кинематографии (also known as VGIK, the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography) in Moscow. The school is the alma mater of Tarkovsky, Iosseliani, Eisenstein, Parajanov, Bondarchuk and Sokurov. The faculty included Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Dovzchenko and other noteworthy figures. Many Malian films incorporate Soviet-developed visual techniques to make films that are sometimes nearly wordless pieces of visual poetry which can overcome illiteracy and Mali's over 40 spoken languages.

• Famous monuments

Great mosque Djenne

Dogon people

Timbuktu city

• Architecture history

Typical of this area is the so-called West Sudanese architecture, characterized by the use of sun-baked clay bricks of various shapes. Majestic artistic expressions of this architecture are the beautiful mosques of the northern cities of Djenné and Mopti. The Sudanese style also decorates the facades of many traditional compounds in cities and historic villages. Many rural and urban Malians live in compounds, an enclosed space encompassing a number of two-room houses occupied by an extended family and/or, mostly in the cities, by renters. The first room is typically used for sleeping and receiving guests, while the back room is a more private space and is used for storage and/or sleeping. The use of Western materials, such as tin roofs and cement, is associated with higher social status, and in the cities such materials tend to replace traditional materials. Western materials require less maintenance, but they are more expensive and make for a much hotter space than traditional clay architecture.