Subdivisions of Guinea

Guinea is divided into four natural regions with distinct human, geographic, and climatic characteristics:

Maritime Guinea covers 34% of the country
Middle Guinea covers 20% of the country
Upper Guinea covers 38% of the country
Forested Guinea covers 23% of the country, and is both forested and mountainous

Government divisions

Regions

Guinea is divided into seven administrative regions. The national capital, Conakry, ranks as a special zone.

Region	Capital	Area	Population
Conakry Region	Conakry	450	1,660,973
Nzérékoré Region	Nzérékoré	37,658	1,527,030
Kankan Region	Kankan	72,145	1,972,537
Kindia Region	Kindia	28,873	1,561,374
Boké Region	Boké	31,186	1,083,147
Labé Region	Labé	22,869	994,458
Faranah Region	Faranah	35,581	941,554
Mamou Region	Mamou	17,074	731,188

The capital Conakry with a population of 1,660,973 ranks as a special zone.

Prefectures

Guinea's regions are subdivided into thirty-three prefectures and one special zone, Conakry.

Sub-prefectures

The Communes of Guinea or sub prefectures, known in French as sous-prefectures, are the third-level administrative divisions in Guinea. As of 2009 there were 303 rural communes of Guinea and 38 urban communes, 5 of which compose the Conakry greater urban area.