October - December 2015 •
The Lion King
• 23
sq km, and share borders with six
countries: Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and
Mali on the northern side; and, Côte
d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone on
the southern side.
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.
Resources
Guinea is a country full of immense
natural resources including:
•
6.2 million hectares of arable
land, of which only 26% or 1.6 mil-
lion hectares are exploited and
less than 10% cultivated annually
•
364,000 hectares suitable for
irrigation, of which only 9% are
developed
•
300 kilometers of coastline, but
without an exclusive commer-
cial port, providing opportunities
for access to abundant fishery
resources estimated at between
150,000 and 250,000 tons of fish
per year
•
1,130 water sources, and a posi-
tioning in upriver areas of major
rivers of West Africa (Senegal,
Gambia, Niger, and Mano), giv-
ing the country the nickname
“water tower of Africa”
•
Significant river plains with a river
system of 6,500 km, a continental
shelf of 43,000 km2 and important
surface water and groundwater
resources
•
An agricultural population esti-
mated at 7.75 million people, and
an active farming population
(between 16 and 55 years) esti-
mated at 4.29 million people
•
Traditional and diversified agri-
cultural production which returns
offer a significant scope for
improvement
•
An abundant, diverse, and rich
pasture estimated at about 70
000 km2, or 27% of the total land
area, with 350 listed species of for-
age crops
Kinkon waterfall (Fouta Djalon)
is about 80m high with a single cascade. This amazing waterfall is located in the spectacular Kinkon canyon.
T
he Republic of Guinea which
gained its independence from
France on the 2nd October 1958
is located in West Africa, bordering
the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. The
capital is Conakry and the official lan-
guage spoken is French.
Guinea with an estimated population
of 11.5 million has about 29 ethnic
groups. The Fulas or Fulani make up
40% of the population and are mostly
found in the Fouta Djallon region. The
Mandinka, also known as Mandingo or
Malinké, comprise 26% of the popula-
tion and are mostly found in eastern
side. The Soussou, comprising 11% of
the population, are predominantly
in western areas around the capital.
And, smaller ethnic groups make up
the remaining 23% of the popula-
tion, including Kpelle, Kissi, Zialo, Toma
and others. Approximately 10,000
non-Africans live in Guinea, predomi-
nantly Lebanese, French, and other
Europeans.
Approximately 85% of the population
is Muslim, 8% is Christian, with 7 percent
adhere to indigenous religious beliefs.
The country has a total area of 245,860
Photo by jbdodane / flickr
The Republic of Guinea |
Country Focus
