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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 25 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Guinea
UTC 0. Guinea's approximate coordinates are 10 degrees north and 14 degrees west. Since time zones in general comprise about 12 degrees of longitude, Guinea lies within two degrees of UTC-1.
| About 60% of the land area in Guinea is classified as forests and woodlands. Approximately what percentage of Guinea's land area is classified as arable land? | Guinea - The African Nation
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4%. Some of the major environmental concerns of Guinea include deforestation, desertification, and soil erosion. Much of Africa and Australia is covered by desert and is thus not considered arable land. Information regarding Guinea's land use statistics was obtained from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gv.html
| What mountain lying along the border with Côte d'Ivoire contains the highest point in both Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire? | Guinea - The African Nation
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Mount Nimba. Mount Nimba rises to 1,752 meters (5,750 feet) above sea level. In 1944 the portion of Mount Nimba within Guinea became a World Heritage Site named The Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve.
| What important city of Guinea is located in the Guinée Forestière and is a major center for the production of silver? | Guinea - The African Nation
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Nzérékoré. Nzérékoré is located very close to the border with Liberia. A small uprising against French rule occurred here in 1911.
Ahmed Sékou Touré. As with many other newly independent nations, the people of Guinea put their trust and confidence in a one-man government. Touré espoused many democratic ideals but his legacy is marred by his lack of concern for basic human rights.
| Guinea was the first French African colony to gain its independence. In what year did Guinea become officially separate from France? | Guinea - The African Nation
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1958. Guinea's official date of independence is October 2, 1958. In September of 1958 the government of France under Charles de Gaulle allowed its African colonies to vote for immediate independence or a new constitution. The only colony to vote for immediate independence was Guinea.
| Guinea was formerly known as French Guinea and it still retains a heavy French influence. As you may have guessed, the official language of the country is French. What is Guinea's official motto in French? | Guinea - The African Nation
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Travail, Justice, Solidarité. In English this roughly translates to 'Work, Justice, Solidarity.' Guinea's national anthem is called Liberté.
| What is the official name for the dry trade wind nicknamed 'the Doctor' which blows through Guinea and other West African countries between November and March? It can have a harmful impact on local activities. | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Harmattan. The Harmattan is a dry and dusty trade wind that blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea during the winter months. It carries dust from the desert, which can severely limit visibility and disrupt air traffic. On occasion, the dust can be carried all the way to North America. While the dust can be a nuisance, the wind tends to signal cooler weather and a relief from the heat of summer, leading to its nickname - 'The Doctor' makes people feel better.
The khamsin, sirocco and simoom winds are found in North Africa and the Arabian peninsula, not as far south as Guinea.
| The southeastern quarter of the Republic of Guinea is called Forested Guinea. The region's largest city, Nzerekore, more than doubled in size between 1995 and 2008. What caused this massive population increase? | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Refugees from civil wars in neighboring countries. According to the 1996 census, the population of Nzerekore, situated near the borders with Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire, was 107,329. Civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire have led to large numbers of refugees, and the 2008 population estimate was between 250,000 and 300,000.
A sawmill and plywood plant was built after World War II, helping to contribute to Nzerekore's economic development. Future growth may come from the rich iron ore deposits that have been found in the area. The tourists usually go home again, and there has been no oil exploration in this mountainous forested region. (There has been oil exploration further south, in the Gulf of Guinea near the mouth of the Niger River).
| The northeastern third of the country of Guinea is part of a large savanna referred to as Upper Guinea, which extends into the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire. What kind of vegetation would you expect to find in this area? | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Grasslands. A savanna is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. This means that enough light can reach the ground to support an unbroken layer of a range of grasses. Many of the animals associated with the African continent are found in savanna regions, including elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, aardvarks, buffalo, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas and rhinoceros.
| Approximately one-fifth of the country of Guinea is the central region referred to as Fouta Djallon or Futa Jalon. This name comes from the indigenous name for the region in the Fula language, and the name for the original inhabitants, the Jalonke people. How would this region best be described in geographical terms? | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Mountainous. Futa Jalon is a mountainous region featuring rolling grasslands. It is made of sandstone formations overlying granite; erosion of the sandstone has led to the development of deep valleys and jungle canyons in areas. The average elevation of this part of Guinea, also called Middle Guinea, is 900 m (3,000 ft). The main field crop of the region is fonio, as the acidic soil makes it difficult to grow many other crops. Cattle, sheep and goats graze in many parts, and form an important part of the local economy.
| The Republic of Guinea is thought to have between a quarter and a half of the world's reserves of a mineral which is very useful as a source for the metal aluminum. Which ore is mined extensively in northwest Guinea, and forms one of the country's major exports? | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Bauxite. Bauxite mining and subsequent production of alumina (which can be processed to yield aluminum) provide about 80% of Guinea's foreign exchange. Guinea is also rich in hematite and other iron ores, and has a substantial amount of uranium ores such as pitchblende. Diamonds and gold are also valuable mining products, but there is little copper (such as would be found in malachite).
| One of the major rivers of Africa has its origins in the Republic of Guinea, before running eastwards through Mali and Niger, along the border of Benin, and through Nigeria before reaching the Gulf of Guinea. Which river is this? | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Niger. The Niger River, which starts in the densely forested southeast highlands of Guinea, is the principal river of western Africa. It is the third longest river of Africa (behind the Nile and the Congo), with a length of about 4,180 km (2,600 mi) and a drainage basin of 2,117,700 sq km (817,600 sq mi). Its name possibly comes from the Tuareg phrase 'her n gheren', meaning 'river of rivers'. This name, shortened to ngher, is a local name used along the middle stretch of the river near Timbuktu, Mali.
| The flag of Guinea features the same colors as the flag of Ghana, but with vertical rather than horizontal stripes, and without the central black star. What are the national colors of the Republic of Guinea? | "Work, Justice and Solidarity" in Guinea
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Red, yellow and green. Red, yellow and green were the colors of African independence movements when Guinea adopted its flag in 1958. The symbolism of the colors is usually given as: red represents the sacrifices necessary in the struggle for freedom, yellow represents the sun and the golden riches of the earth, and green represents vegetation.
The first president of Ghana, Sekou Toure, also linked the colors to the three words of the national motto in a speech:
"Red: the colour of blood, symbol of our anti-colonialist martyrs. It is the sweat that runs over the ivory body of farmers, factory workers and other active workers. It is the wish for progress. Therefore red matches perfectly the first word of our motto: 'Travail' (Work).
Yellow: the colour of Guinean gold and African sun. It is the source of energy, generosity and equality for all men to which he gives light equally. Therefore yellow matches perfectly with the second word of our motto: 'Justice'.
Green: the colour of the African vegetation. 85% of the population are farmers living in the countryside, which is ever covered with a green coat. Green symbolizes prosperity which will surely arise from the wide wealth of soil and subsoil, and the difficult life of the countryside masses in our country. Therefore, green will confirm the meaning of the third word of the motto: 'Solidarite' (Solidarity)".
Bernard Charles, "Guinée - L'Atlas des Voyages". Éditions Rencontre. Lausanne. 1963. page 223 (translated by Ivan Sache).
Crescent. Guinea's Atlantic coast forms one end of the crescent. The country curves inland around Sierra Leone and the northwestern part of Liberia. The outer curved edge of the crescent is formed by the borders with Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali and Cote D'Ivoire. The total land border of Guinea is 3,399 km (2,112 mi), and its coast is 322 km (200 mi).
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