colony · West Africa
French Guinea
Origins
France built posts on the rivers of the Guinea coast from the 1860s, and in 1882 grouped them as the Rivieres du Sud, which soon gained an administration separate from French Senegal. Under Noel Ballay the colony was renamed French Guinea in the early 1890s, with its new capital at Conakry. The Imamate of Futa Jallon was absorbed in 1896 and Samori Toure's lands by 1898.
Rule and society
French Guinea was part of French West Africa. Its economy moved from wild rubber, collected under heavy taxation, to bananas from plantations and, from the 1950s, bauxite mining. Chiefs appointed by the French collected taxes and recruited forced labour. Most people were Muslim Fulbe, Maninka and Susu, and the Futa Jallon remained a centre of Islamic learning.
Decline and legacy
Ahmed Sekou Toure and his Democratic Party of Guinea campaigned against the 1958 constitution, and on 28 September 1958 Guinea voted no. It became independent on 2 October 1958, and France withdrew its staff and aid abruptly.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- French Guinea was a colony of French Empire1882 CE – 1958 CE
- French Guinea was part of French West Africa1895 CE – 1958 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). French Guinea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-guinea
- MLA
- “French Guinea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-guinea. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “French Guinea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-guinea.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘French Guinea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-guinea (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻