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.
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. Toure suppressed opposition to his regime which led to much death and repression. Upon Toure’s death in 1984 Lansana Conté took over as president. Conte is still the current president though opposition to his economic policies and control led to nation wide strikes early in 2007.
Natural Resources:
Guinea possess many natural resources yet remains an undeveloped country. They have within their borders enough potential hydro electric power to run all of West Africa yet Conakry, the capital city of Guinea struggles to power itself. Guinea also has a third of the world’s bauxite (aluminum). In November 2006, Transparency International ranked Guinea as the most perceived corrupt nation in Africa and one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking only before Myanmar, Iraq and Haiti.
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. Many things that take place in Guinea contradicts traditional Islam doctrine though it doesn’t seem to bother most Guineans. One example is the sale of idols: Idols are strictly forbidden by Islam but they are regularly sold.
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
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