Guinea
Encyclopedia : G : GU : GUI : Guinea
- For other uses, see Guinea (disambiguation)}}}.
History
Main article: History of GuineaThe area covered by the modern state of Guinea has seen itself incorporated into a succession of empires across the centuries. The earliest of these was the "Ghana Empire" which came into being c. 900. This was followed by the Sosso kingdom in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Mali Empire came to power in the area following the Battle of Kirina in 1235. The Mali Empire prospered until internal problems weakened it, allowing its states to seize power in the 15th century. Chief among these was the Songhai state which became the Songhai Empire. This empire exceeded its predecessors in territory and wealth, but it too fell prey to internal wrangling and civil war and was eventually toppled at the Battle of Tondibi in 1591. After this the area fragmented until an Islamic state was founded in the 18th century, bringing some stability to the region.
Europeans first came to the area during the Portuguese Discoveries, who started the slave trade, beginning in the 15th century. Present-day Guinea was created as a colony by France in 1890 with Noël Balley being the first governor. The capital Conakry was founded on Tombo Island in 1890. In 1895 the country was incorporated into French West Africa.
Politics
- More information on politics and government of Guinea can be found at the Politics and government of Guinea series.
Administrative Divisions
Main articles: Regions of Guinea, Prefectures of GuineaGuinea is divided into 7 administrative regions and subdivided into 33 prefectures. The national capital, Conakry, ranks as a special zone.
The administrative regions include: Boké, Faranah, Kankan, Kindia, Labé, Mamou, Nzérékoré, and Conakry
Geography
Main article: Geography of Guinea
The highest point in Guinea is Mont Nimba at 5,748 feet (1,752 m).
The Country of Guinea is roughly the size of Oregon. There are 200 miles (320 km) of coastline. Guinea borders the countries of Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. The total land border is 2,112 miles (3,399 km).
Sports
Guinea's main sport is soccer and although they have never made the World Cup Finals they have appeared at eight African Nations Cup finals; being runners up in 1976 and making the quarter finals in both 2004 and 2006. Swimming is popular near the capital, Conakry, and hiking is possible in the Fouta Djallon region.Economy
Main article: Economy of GuineaGuinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses over 30% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for about 75% of exports in 1999. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor confidence. Foreign mining companies have reduced expatriate staff. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation and caused riots in local markets. Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid. The IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth rose slightly in 2004, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of GuineaCulture
Main article: Culture of Guinea
- Like other West African countries, Guinea has a rich musical tradition. The group Bembeya Jazz became popular in the 1960s after Guinean independence. The Vancouver-based guitarist Alpha Yaya Diallo hails from Guinea and incorporates its traditional rhythms and melodies into his original compositions, for which he has won two Juno Awards.
- List of writers from Guinea
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Guinea
- Transportation in Guinea
- Military of Guinea
- Foreign relations of Guinea
- National Park of Upper Niger
- National Scout Association of Guinea
Language
References
External links
Government
- [Permanent UN Mission of the Republic of Guinea''] official government site
Overviews
Music
- [Cora Connection] West African music resources
Directories
- [Open Directory Project - Guinea] directory category
- [Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Guinea] directory category
- [The Index on Africa - Guinea] directory category
- [University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Guinea] directory category
- [Yahoo! - Guinea] directory category
Tourism
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.