The Copeland Ramblings/

About Guinea

Guinea, formerly known as French Guinea, is located in West Africa and borders Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Guinea has 200 miles of coast line on the Atlanic Ocean.

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History:

The land occupied by modern Guinea has been a part of many empires beginning with the Ghana Empire. Many empires rose and fell until 1591 when Europeans first came to Guinea. Guinea was not unified until sometime in the 17th century when Islam entered. The borders of present day Guinea were formed when Guinea became a French colony in 1890. In 1958 all African French colonies were given the choice between immediate Independence or a new constitution. Guinea was the only colony that chose immediate Independence which led to the immediate ending of all French assistance. Following their Independence Guinea was governed by dictator Ahmed Sékou Touré. Upon Toure’s death in 1984 Lansana Conté took over as president. Conte was the president from 1984 to 2008 though throughout his presidency there was much opposition to his economic policies and control which led to nation wide strikes early in 2007. After his death in 2008 there was a military coup lead by Moussa Camara. President Camara is now head of the interim government and has pledged to hold elections in December of 2009.

Natural Resources:

Guinea is very abundant in natural resources. They possess nearly half of the world’s bauxite, which is used to make aluminum. They also have a lot of hydro electric potential which could someday provide plenty of electricity for the nation.

Culture and Language:

The official language of Guinea is French and is mainly used in government and commerce. Next to French the Susu tribal language is prevalent throughout Guinea. Guineans are very relational and this is reflected in nearly every aspect of their society and culture. To the goal centered westerner accomplishing tasks in Guinea can seem difficult but that is just because we are more focused on getting the job done than on the people involved in getting the job done.

Religion:

Guinea is predominantly Muslim. The type of Islam practiced in Guinea is often referred to as ‘folk islam’ because it is mixed with their traditional animistic beliefs. A mosque can be found on nearly ever street corner and is a dominant part of the skyline.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1032311.stm

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gv.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea