Guinea - Snippets of Information

• The official name of the country is the Republic of Guinea. The country is sometimes referred to as Guinea-Conakry in order to distinguish it from Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea

• The official language is French.

• As of 1 January 2017, the population of Guinea was estimated to be 13,123,767 people.

•  Guinea is divided into four geographic regions: Maritime Guinea (Lower Guinea,   a coastal plain running north to south behind the coast -- Guinea has 200 miles of coastline. the pastoral Fouta Djallon highlands (Middle Guinea), the northern savanna (Upper Guinea) and a south-eastern rain-forest region (Forest Guinea).

• The Niger River, the Gambia River, and the Senegal River are among the 22 West African rivers that have their origins in Guinea in the Fouta Djallon. That’s where I’m visiting. The network of protected areas in Guinea covers about a third of the national territory and is made up of three  national parks and other types of protected areas.

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Who Colonised Guinea?

European colonialists brought the slave trade to the Guinea coast in the sixteenth century, but Guinea's colonial period began with French military penetration into the area in the mid-nineteenth century. The French defeated the armies of Samori Touré, Mansa (or Emperor) of the Ouassoulou state and leader of Malinké descent, in 1898.

France negotiated Guinea's present boundaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the British for Sierra Leone, the Portuguese for Guinea-Bissau and Liberia. Under the French, the country formed the Territory of Guinea which was part of French West Africa, administered by a governor general resident in Dakar. Lieutenant governors administered the individual colonies, including Guinea.

Is Guinea Safe to Visit?

Guinea was until recently considered to be off limits to tourists because of political unrest and hassle from the police. There’s recently been trouble in Conakry city, where the police shot a number of protesters. I visited the mountains of Guinea, but it seems I’m deluded in thinking I’m glad I’m sticking to the rural areas. These areas are the subject of various infractions and uprisings because of political protests, just after I leave the country, and these are now considered to be the riskiest parts of the country to visit.

Is Guinea a Poor Country?

Guinea-Bissau was a poor country, but the border post at Guinea-Conakry is even more undeveloped. It’s a series of thatched round huts and an even worse, very bumpy track. Guinea has rich reserves of iron ore, gold, bauxite and other minerals and has the highest per capita income on the continent of Africa. Despite this, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line, with around 20 percent in extreme poverty. Here, there is a huge disparity between rural and urban areas, Ebola took its toll on the economy and there is rampant corruption.

Getting in to Guinea

 ‘Boris Johnson,’ beams the immigration official. ‘Brexit good’. I feel it prudent not to argue. I got my visa in London. It’s a pretty straightforward affair and only took a few days