Guinea



Guinea



The cuntry of Guinea is located on the west coast of Africa. Neighboring countries are Mali, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.

** Quick Facts. ** Capital- Conakry Location- Latitude: 9.31 Longitude: -13.43 Population- 9,806,509 (rank=83) Population Growth rate- 2.62% Area Sqmi- 94,000 (rank=77) GDP per capita: $2,316 Infant mortality rate: 98 per 1,000 births Life expectancy: 53 (male); 56 (female) Languages- French (official) but each ethnic group has its own language. Goverment type- Republic. Suffrage: 18 years of age. Day of independence-October 2nd. Unempolyment rate is 1.9% Military Expenditures: $36 million. In 2000 the net migration rate was -6.2 migrants per 1,000 population.  Currently going on in Guinea: **2009** September - Soldiers open fire on a mass opposition rally at a stadium in Conakry, called to urge military ruler Moussa Camara to step down. The Guinean Human Rights Organisation says 157 are killed in the violence and over 1200 injured. The military government puts the death toll at 57, and bans all "subversive" gatherings. 

Travel.  If you want to go to Guinea Conakry Guinea is not a tourist destination. Its only tourists are business people who only stay in Guinea from 3 to 7 days. There are only 1957 hotel rooms in the whole country. Tourism and hotel trade account for only 0.17% of the GDP. Conscious of the underdevelopment of the sector and the great potential it entails, the government created in October 1997 the Ministry of Tourism. At middle term, Guinea expects to attract 35,000 Tourists per year. However, before that number can be reached, quite a few things need to be changed. Roads need to be improved. Photography is almost virtually prohibited. New regulations allowing to take photographs were announced in 1992, but the population is still conditioned by dictatorial times prohibiting the taking of photographs of literally anything. Along the countryside there are so many corrupt police controls that travelers will easily be discouraged by their greed and prepotency. After midnight, when all restaurants and night clubs are teeming, police controls springing everywhere, turning Conakry's nightlife into a nightmare. If the government does not solve these serious obstacles, travelling around the country will hardly be worth the pain. The Republic of Guinea suffered for too long under one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. Sekou Tour, the despotic dictator who ruled the country for 26 years (1958-1984), left deep scars in one of the richest countries in Africa. It is only recently that Guinea has started healing its wounds and has opened up to the world.

TImeline.

-** October - Guinea becomes independent, with Ahmed Sekou Toure as president.
 * 1958

1990 - Constitution paving the way for civilian government is adopted. 1993 - First multiparty elections are held; Conte confirmed in office. 1995 - Conte's Party of Unity and Progress wins 71 of the National Assembly's 114 seats. 1996 - Some 30 people are killed and presidential palace set on fire as 25% of Guinea's armed forces mutiny over low pay, poor conditions. 2000 September - Alpha Conde, leader of opposition Guinean People's Rally, sentenced to five years in prison for endangering state security and recruiting foreign mercenaries. He is pardoned in May 2001. 2001 February - Government deploys attack helicopters to the front-line in its fight with rebels. 2002 March - Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia agree on measures to secure mutual borders and to tackle insurgency. 2003 November - Opposition leader Jean-Marie Dore detained, subsequently released, after saying President Conte is too ill to contest December's presidential election. 2003 December - President Conte wins a third term in elections boycotted by the opposition.

History & Background. Flag of Guinea 



<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The flag consists of three vertical bands of red, yellow, and green. Red represents the blood of <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Guinea's martyrs, yellow symbolizes gold and the sun, and green represents the land and prosperity.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">History ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">For thousands of years, various peoples populated Guinea. In the 10th century AD, Soussou and Malinké (also called Mandingo or Maninka) groups began to move into the area, pushing the former inhabitants into smaller regions. Upper Guinea was part of the Ghana Empire in the 10th and 11th centuries, the Mali Empire until the 14th century, and then the Songhai Empire until the 19th century. People of the Fula ethnic group migrated into western Guinea in the 17th century, bringing Islam with them. They took control of the Fouta Djalon and established Islam as the state religion. Then they pushed the Soussou to coastal areas, where the Soussou established trade with Europeans. While not a major slave trade area, Guinea was affected by that trading as well as by disputes among European groups. In the mid-1800s, El Hadj Umar Tall launched a //jihad// (holy war) in the region, establishing a state in parts of eastern Guinea and in parts of Mali and Senegal. He attracted many followers until he tried to impress the //Tijani// brand of Islam on the Fula and Malinké. They resisted and he eventually died (1864) fighting local peoples. More successful at empire building in the 1800s was Samory Touré, a skilled Malinké warrior who quickly defeated various chieftaincies. Touré spread Islam and established a well-ordered society. His expanding empire soon met with French forces advancing from other African conquests. Touré's empire and French troops clashed throughout the 1880s and negotiated into the 1890s. The French finally captured Touré in 1898 and then completed their conquest of the area by 1904. French rule brought private ownership of communal land and the expansion of commercial and service jobs. Although urban people who adopted the French language and culture evolved into an elite class, most people continued to live a subsistence agriculture lifestyle well after World War II. After the war, several labor parties were established, including the //Parti Democratique de Guinée// (Democratic Party of Guinea) led by Ahmed Sékou Touré. He was a vocal supporter of autonomy. In 1958, his party organized support to vote against Charles de Gaulle's proposed French community and then declared independence. Guinea was the only French colony to vote “no” on the referendum that was to create the community. Thus, unlike other francophone African states, it was cut off from France's financial aid and other assistance programs. Guinea was also shunned by other Western nations and, in this relative isolation, developed a strong national identity. Sékou Touré, once loved by the people for his leadership, never allowed elections and governed a capricious one-party state. He deteriorated into a brutal dictator and began facing opposition from various groups. Nevertheless, he remained in power until his death in 1984. Two weeks later, the military took control of the government and established the Second Guinean Republic under one of its officers, Lansana Conté. In 1990, a committee began to oversee Guinea's transition to a multiparty system. A constitution providing for a democratic government was accepted in 1991. Presidential and parliamentary elections took place in 1993. Conté was declared president, although the results were disputed on many fronts. Elections held in 1998 brought the same result—victory for Conté—and the same criticisms that the vote was unfair. Opposition parties boycotted a 2001 referendum that proposed eliminating constitutional restrictions on the number of terms the president could hold office. The referendum passed, allowing Conté to run for a third term in December 2003 elections. Believing the elections were rigged, the opposition again called on voters to stage a boycott, and Conté won with 95 percent of the vote. Rising costs of food and other commodities have fuelled discontent with Conté's administration in recent years. Since 2006, strikes and protests have repeatedly gripped the country as unions and opposition parties have called on Conté to step down. Violent clashes between protestors and police have resulted in more than one hundred deaths. In February 2007, Conté declared a state of emergency and appointed a new prime minister, Lansana Kouyate, as part of a compromise agreement with union and opposition leaders. Further negotiations averted a nationwide strike in January 2008. After Conté died in December 2008, a group of military officers seized power.



<span style="color: #ffff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">**Land and Climate** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Guinea is divided into four regions: the coast of lower Guinea; the central, mountainous Fouta Djalon; the savanna of upper Guinea; and the forest in the southeast. Major rivers, include the Niger, Bafing, and Gambia, all haveing their sources in Guinea. Guinea has two seasons: the rainy season that is from May to October and the dry season from November to April. As much as 170 inches of rain may fall on the coast annually, while the savanna region receives about 60 inches each year. Average temperatures range from 80 to 90°F, but temperatures above 100°F are not uncommon. Nighttime temperatures may fall to as low as 50°F in the Fouta Djalon.

<span style="color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**Natual Hazards** <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">When Guinea approaches the end of its dry season (December-May), dry, dusty winds blow across the country from the Sahara Desert out toward the Atlantic. These winds are known as harmattan winds, and they can fan the flames of brush and agricultural fires, creating natural hazards. <span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">**Enviormental issues.** <span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">Centuries of slash-and-burn agriculture have caused forested areas to be replaced by savanna woodland, grassland, or brush. During 1981–85, some 36,000 ha (89,000 acres) of land were deforested each year. Between 1990-1995, Guinea lost an average of 1.14% of its forest and woodland area each year. Mining, the expansion of hydroelectric facilities, and pollution contribute to the erosion of the country's soils and desertification. Water pollution and improper waste disposal are also significant environmental problems in Guinea. In 1994, water-borne diseases contributed to an infant mortality rate of 145 per 1,000 live births. The nation has 226 cubic kilometers of renewable water resources with 87% used in farming activity. Only about 35% of the people living in rural areas do not have pure water. Guinea's cities produce about 0.3 million tons of solid waste per year. As of 2001, 11 of Guinea's 190 mammal species and 12 of its 409 bird species were endangered, as well as 3 types of reptiles, 1 amphibian, and 29 of the nation's plant species. Human encroachment and hunting have reduced Guinea's wildlife, especially its large mammals, and overfishing represents a threat to the nation's marine life. A nature reserve has been established on Mt. Nimba. Threatened species include the African elephant, Diana monkey, and Nimba otter-shrew.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;">The People <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">Population ** <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Guinea's population of 9.8 million is growing by 2.5 percent annually. About 2/3 of Guineans live in rural areas. More than one million people live in the capital, Conakry. Another 250,000 live in each of the regional capitals of Labé, Kankan, and Nzérékoré. About 44 percent of the population is younger than age 15.

<span style="color: #ffff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**Religion and Ethnic groups.** <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Guinea's largest ethnic group is the Fula, which comprises 40% of the population and is concentrated in the Fouta Djalon. The other major groups are the Malinké (30%) in upper Guinea and the Soussou (20%) in the coastal regions. The Soussou are a collection of different ethnic groups that speak the same language. The Guerze, Kissi, and Toma inhabit the forest region. The country has numerous other ethnic groups, sometimes comprising only one village.

<span style="color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**Language.** <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">French is the official language of Guinea, but most rural people do not understand it. Various African languages are spoken in different regions. On the coast, the most common language is Soussou; in the Fouta Djalon, it is Pular; in upper Guinea, it is Malinké; and in the forest, numerous languages intermingle, including Guerze, Kissi, and Toma. The few clerics with advanced Islamic education speak Arabic. Children learn a few Arabic verses from the //Qur'an// (Koran). Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees introduced Krio, a language with both English and African elements.

<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-align: left;">**Religion.** Guinea's government promotes religious freedom. About 85% of the population is Muslim. Christians comprise 8%. Animism is still practiced by certain rural groups but only by 7%. Some Muslims and Christians mix indigenous beliefs with their religion. For example, people buy //gri gri// which are good-luck charms for children. Many animists living in the forest do not trust people of other religions or races because these groups have destroyed or otherwise violated sacred forests.

Guineans are extremely close with their families and devoted to their ethnic groups. Although various groups coexist without serious strife, there is a tendency to help and trust only one's own group. Tensions exist between ethnic groups, religions, and social classes in some areas, but they have not yet seriously threatened stability. People speak often of religion in discussing how one should act. Most Guineans strongly believe that whatever happens is //Allah's// doing, and they accept disappointment or sorrow with this attitude. Such an approach also means people live more for the present, assuming the future will take care of itself. Daily living and interpersonal relationships are often more important than material goods. The Guinean sense of time is relaxed, and people may arrive hours late for an appointment or event with little explanation.
 * <span style="color: #ffff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Life of Guineas. **

<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">
 * <span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Economy: Imports & Exports. **

Exports <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">Guinea has abundant natural resources, including 25% of the world's known reserves of bauxite, along with diamonds, gold, and other metals. The country also has great potential for hydroelectric power. Bauxite and alumina are currently the only major exports. However, Guinea hopes to increase the mining of other resources. Other industries include processing plants for beer, juices, soft drinks, and tobacco. Agriculture employs 80 % of the nation's labor force.

<span style="color: #ffff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**Currency** Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, even though its real gross domestic product per capita is relatively high for the region. Most people do not earn a sufficient income, or they have no income at all. International aid is linked to economic reform. The government encourages a free-market economy, and a continued privatization effort is expected to help the economy and encourage more growth. The currency is the Guinean //franc// (GNF), which is not tied to any international currency and cannot be converted or taken out of Guinea. One U.S. Dolar is equal to 5,086.00 Guinea Franc, therefore the Guinea money is not worth much now a days.


 * <span style="color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Imports **<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; msoansilanguage: EN-GB;">Guinea's imports are essentially made up of farm-produce, petroleum products, pharmaceutical and transport equipment. The continuous depreciation of the Guinean Franc in relation to the main billing currencies of Guinea's imports and the measures taken in respect of food self-reliance have contributed to the reduction of the farm produce share in the overall imports. The increase in petroleum products imports has largely been possible as a result of an increase in the number of vehicles on the road as well as in machinery and mechanical equipment imports.



Health. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">Despite efforts to improve health conditions, the national healthcare system is chronically understaffed. Half of all doctors are in Conakry, so there is a shortage of doctors in the rest of the country. Only the wealthy can afford quality care. However, many //centres de santé// (health centers) are opening in rural areas, providing low-cost care and essential medications. Traditional healers practice in nearly every village and are often the first source of rural care. Maternal and infant mortality rates are extremely high. Childhood diseases and malaria are widespread. Waterborne diseases—as well as hepatitis, yellow fever, polio, typhoid, meningitis, and malaria—are common.
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Education. **<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">Guinean education is based on the French system and includes six years of primary school (kindergarten through 5th grade), four years of middle school (6th through 9th grade), and three years of high school (10th through 12th grade). Students follow one of three subjects: social sciences, mathematics, or natural sciences. Passing national tests is required for graduation, just like in the United states. Enrollment levels are very low; only about 1/3 of all children attend primary school and the number drops to 15 % for secondary school (collage). Only about 15-30% of the population is functional in French, partly because school is sometimes taught in local languages rather than French. This is necessary because children begin school without knowing any French. French was not used as the language of instruction under Touré, but it was reintroduced in the Second Republic. Guinea has four universities and a number of trade and vocational institutions. also in ?Guinea they have compters and internet access. <span style="color: #ffff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">

<span style="color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">Illict Drugs Illict drugs are basicly illegal drugs. These include: Cannabis, Coca, Cocaine, Depressants, Hallucinogens, Hashish, Heroin, Mandrax, Marijuana, Methaqualone, Narcotics, Opium, Opium poppy, Poppy straw, Qat, Quaaludes, Stimulants.

<span style="color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">__**Works Cited**__ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1032515.stm http://www.indexmundi.com/papua_new_guinea/unemployment_rate.html http://www.indexmundi.com/guinea/illicit_drugs.html http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/africa/guinea/currency.htm http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Guinea-MIGRATION.html http://www.mirinet.com/investgn/tradresu.htm http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=13067 http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Guinea-ENVIRONMENT.html