5718 miles also takes us to Guinea, West Africa!
The Republic of Guinea, on the west coast of Africa is bordered to the north by Senegal and Mali and on the east by Mali and the Ivory Coast, on the south by Liberia and Sierra Leone, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the northwest by Guinea-Bissau.
Guinea owes its frontiers mainly to the accidents of the late 19th century partition of Africa and has no geographic unity. Much of the country is mountainous and the scenery is of great beauty. Guinea can be divided into four regions, Lower Guinea, the alluvial coastal plain; Middle Guinea, the mountainous region of the Futa Jallon; Upper Guinea, a gently undulating plain with an average elevation of 1,000 ft, savanna country broken by occasional rocky outcrops; and the forested Guinea Highlands, composed of granites, schists, and quartzites, including Mt. Nimba (about 6,000 ft high), the highest point in the country. The Niger River and its important tributary, the Milo have their source in the Guinea Highlands; the Gambia and Senegal rivers in the Futa Jallon.
Guinea owes its frontiers mainly to the accidents of the late 19th century partition of Africa and has no geographic unity. Much of the country is mountainous and the scenery is of great beauty. Guinea can be divided into four regions, Lower Guinea, the alluvial coastal plain; Middle Guinea, the mountainous region of the Futa Jallon; Upper Guinea, a gently undulating plain with an average elevation of 1,000 ft, savanna country broken by occasional rocky outcrops; and the forested Guinea Highlands, composed of granites, schists, and quartzites, including Mt. Nimba (about 6,000 ft high), the highest point in the country. The Niger River and its important tributary, the Milo have their source in the Guinea Highlands; the Gambia and Senegal rivers in the Futa Jallon.
Guinea, (formerly known as French Guinea) is today one of Africa's poorest countries. It's sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its nearby neighbor Guinea-Bissau. Guinea belonged to a series of empires until France colonized it in the 1890s, and subsequently France made it part of French West Africa.
Guinea finally declared its independence from France on October 2, 1958,
Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade, threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies. In 2006, declining economic conditions prompted two massive strikes that sparked urban unrest in many Guinean cities.
Under French rule, Guinea was a major exporter of bananas, pineapples, coffee and peanuts, but autocratic rulers have all but destroyed that economic engine.
Guinea also has 25% of the world's known bauxite reserves, as well as diamonds and gold, but war and political unrest have curtailed those industries as well.
Under French rule, Guinea was a major exporter of bananas, pineapples, coffee and peanuts, but autocratic rulers have all but destroyed that economic engine.
Guinea also has 25% of the world's known bauxite reserves, as well as diamonds and gold, but war and political unrest have curtailed those industries as well.
- Official Name Republic of Guinea
- Population 9,690,222
- Languages French (official), and local dialects
- Religions Muslim, others
Guinea's tourism industry is relatively new, and its growth and effectiveness is curtailed by poor infrastructure throughout the country, as well as decades of regional military conflicts.
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