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18 | The Lion King
The land that is now Guinea
belonged to a series of African
empires until France colonized
it in the 1890s, and made it part
of French West Africa. Guinea
declared its independence from
France on October 2, 1958.
Geography
At 245,800 km2 (310 sq mi),
Guinea is roughly the size of the
United Kingdom and slightly
smaller than the US state of
Oregon. There are 300 km (190
mi) of coastline and a total land
border of 3,400 km (2,100 mi).
The country is divided into four
main regions: the Basse-Coté
lowlands, populated mainly by
the Susu ethnic group; the
cooler, mountainous
Fouta Djallon that
run roughly north-
south through
the middle of the
country, populat-
ed by Fulas, the
Sahelian Haute-
Guinea to the north-
east, populated by
Malinké, and the forested
jungle regions in the south-
east, with several ethnic
groups. Guinea’s mountains
are the source for the Niger, the
Gambia, and Senegal Rivers,
as well as the numerous rivers
flowing to the sea on the west
side of the range in Sierra Leone
and Ivory Coast.
The highest point in Guinea is
Mount Nimba at 1,750 m (5,740
ft). Although the Guinean and
Ivorian sides of the Nimba Massif
are a UNESCO Strict Nature
Reserve, the portion of the
so-called Guinean Backbone
continues into Liberia, where it
has been mined for decades.
Economy
Guinea has abundant natural
resources including 25% or
more of the world’s known
bauxite reserves. Guinea also
has diamonds, gold, and other
metals. The country has great
potential for hydroelectric
power. Bauxite and alumina are
currently the only major exports.
Other industries include process-
ing plants for beer, juices, soft
drinks and tobacco. Agriculture
employs 80% of the nation’s
labour force. Under French
rule, and at the beginning of
independence, Guinea was
a major exporter of bananas,
pineapples, coffee, peanuts, and
palm oil.
Mining
Richly endowed with minerals,
Guinea possesses over 25 billion
tonnes (metric tons) of bauxite
– and perhaps up to one-half of
the world’s reserves. In addition,
Guinea’s mineral wealth includes
more than 4-billion tonnes of
high-grade iron ore, significant
diamond and gold deposits,
and undetermined quantities
of uranium. Guinea has consid-
erable potential
for growth
in agricul-
tural and fishing
sectors. Soil, water,
and climatic conditions
provide opportunities for
large-scale irrigated farming
and agro industry. Possibilities
for investment and commercial
activities exist in all these areas,
but Guinea’s poorly developed
infrastructure and rampant
corruption continue to present
obstacles to large-scale invest-
ment projects.
Demography
The population of Guinea
is estimated at 10.2 million.
Conakry, the capital and largest
city, is the hub of Guinea’s
economy, commerce, educa-
tion, and culture.
Languages
The official language of Guinea
is French. Other significant
languages spoken are Maninka
(Malinke), Susu, Pular (Fulfulde or
Fulani), Kissi, Kpelle, and Loma.
It is also quite common that the
people of Guinea also like to use
their feet for sign language. They
do this through series of dances
and also by sitting on the ground
and using their feet more effec-
tively. This is mostly seen in more
in the Western area.
Ethnicity
The population of Guinea
comprises about 24 ethnic
groups. The Fulas or Fulani,
comprise about 40% of the
population and are mostly
found in the Futa djallon region.
The Mandinka, also known as
Mandingo or Malinké, comprise
about 35% of the population
and are mostly found in eastern
Guinea concentrated around
the Kankan and Kissidougou
prefectures. The Soussou,
comprising about 20%, are
predominantly in western
areas around the capital
Conakry, Forécariah,
and Kindia while other
smaller ethnic groups
make up the rest of
the population. The
Mandinka, Soussou
or (Jallonke, Kpelle,
Kissi, Zialo, Toma,
Jahanke all speak
Mande branch of
Niger-Congo language
family.Thus this group
combined together consti-
tute majority of the population.
Non-Africans total about 10,000
(mostly Lebanese, French, and
other Europeans).
Religion
Islam is the majority religion.
Approximately 85% of the
population is Muslim, while 8%
is Christian, and 7% holds tradi-
tional animist beliefs. Muslims
are generally Sunni and Sufi;[32]
there are relatively few Shi’a.
There is a small Baha’i commu-
nity. There are small numbers of
Hindus, Buddhists, and traditional
Chinese religious groups among
the expatriate community.
Culture
Like other West African countries,
Guinea has a rich musical tradi-
tion. The group Bembeya Jazz
became popular in the 1960s
after Guinean independence.
Country Focus