According to Countryaah website, Guinea has about 13 million people. The 1/3 who live in the cities contrasts with the remaining 2/3 of the Guineas who experience their everyday life in the countryside. The median life expectancy in the country is about 42 years; and the population growth is around 2.37%.
Ethnic composition
The population of Guinea is made up of around 20 ethnic groups. The largest of these groups are the 40% Fulbe (Felatta), the 30% Malinke and the 20% Susu. Smaller ethnic groups are made up of the Kpèlè, Kissi, Toma and Baga.
The minorities include around 3,000 Europeans, around 2,000 South Asians and Lebanese in the country. The refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia must also be added. These make up about 40,000.
Religious affiliation
The residents of Guinea are 90% Sunni Muslims. In addition, around 5% (mainly Catholic) Christians and around 5% followers of natural religions live in the country.
National languages
French is the country’s official language. The colloquial languages spoken include Fulfulde (Peulh, Fula), Malinke and Susu, as well as many other native languages.
Of the eight recognized official languages, six are also used as teaching languages. It is also noteworthy that the Toma – located in Forest Guinea and Liberia – have their own script.
Capital and other cities
Boké Boké, the capital of Lower Guinea in the prefecture of the same name, is the center of the Baga country and the administrative center of the bauxite industry. According to Conakry, Boké can point to the fastest urban population growth in Guinea: In 1983 only 12,000 people lived in Boké, in 2017 it was more than 120,000. Boké is or was also important because of the French fort, which was built in 1878 and was the starting point for the conquest of Fouta Djallon. According to Abbreviation Finder, GIN stands for Guinea in English. Click to see other meanings of this 3-letter acronym.
Conakry (formerly Konakry)
About 2.5 million people currently live in Guinea’s capital Conakry, which makes the city, which initially only spread out on the island of Tombo and has expanded beyond the borders of this over the years, the largest city in the country.
The city, known 100 years ago as “Paris of Africa” or “Petit Marseille” for its fine sandy beaches, wide boulevards and wonderful promenades, is still the economic center of Guinea.
An important part of Conakry is the important Atlantic port, which is one more and more Conakry is home to several universities and one of the most important cultural centers in Guinea.
Kankan
With a population of 115,000, Kankan in eastern Guinea is the fourth largest city in the country. The city, founded by the Soninke in the 17th century, is now known for its university, one of the oldest mosques in West Africa and the many mango trees.
Kindia
The town of Kindia, which spreads out at the foot of the Gangan Mountains, has been Guinea’s center of banana cultivation and an important trading center for agricultural products since colonial times.
Nzérékoré
About 135,000 people currently live in Guinea’s second largest city. The capital of the region and prefecture of the same name extends near the borders with Liberia and the Ivory Coast. Due to the ongoing civil war in Liberia, thousands of refugees came to Nzérékoré between the 1990s and the early 2000s, so that it is estimated that up to 300,000 people are currently living in and around Nzérékoré.
Guinea: geography, map
Guinea is located in West Africa and covers an area of 245,857 km². Check topmbadirectory for politics, flags, famous people, animals and plants of Guinea. Thereof:
ForestAround 59% of the country is forested.
Meadow and pasture landAround 10% of the land is used as meadow or pasture land.
Fields and fieldsAround 6% of the land is used as arable land or fields, especially for growing coffee and tropical fruits.
Guinea shares a border with the following six countries:
– Ivory Coast with a length of 610 km,
– Guinea-Bissau with a length of 386 km,
– Liberia with a length of 563 km,
– Mali with a length of 858 km,
– Senegal with a length of 330 km and
– Sierra Leone with a length of 652 km.
The coast to the Gulf of Guinea has a length of around 320 km.
Longitude and latitude
Guinea extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):
Δφ = from around 7 ° to 12 ° north latitude Δλ = from around 008 ° to 015 ° west longitude
You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.
Time
For Guinea, the following value applies to Central European Time (CET), i.e. the time (without summer time) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A minus sign means that it is earlier there, a plus sign that it is later than CET:
Δt (MEZ) = – 1 h (= GMT)
Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.
Highest sun in Conakry
Conakry lies at a north latitude of around φ = 9.5 °. If the declination δ of the sun has the value of 09 ° 30 ‘N, and the image point of the sun is thus exactly above the city, the sun is perpendicular there. This happens exactly twice a year, roughly 37 days after March 21st and then again 37 days before September 21st.
Attention
If the image point of the sun and thus the declination δ is north of the latitude of Conakry, the sun is not in the south at noon, as in our latitudes, but in the north. In this case, the sun moves from east to north to west, where, like us, it sets.
mountains
The highest mountain in the country is the Nimba in the Fouta Djalon mountain range with a height of 1,752 m. Other high mountains are:
the Massif du Tamqué with a height of 1,538 m
the Pic of the Tibé with a height of 1,504 m
the Kavendu with a height of 1,421 m
of Mount Ziama with a height of 1.307 m
Rivers and lakes
The country’s longest river is the Niger, which has its source in the Fouta Djalon mountain range and has a total length of around 4,200 km. The Gambia, which has a total length of 1,120 m, has its source in the mountainous region. Other rivers in the country are the Bafing with a length of 344 m and the Konkouré, Kolenté, Fatala, Tinguilinta etc.
There are no larger lakes in Guinea.
Islands
The small islands of Îles de Los lie off the coast of the capital.
The Atlantic
Guinea borders in the southwest of the country with a length of around 320 km on the Gulf of Guinea part of the Atlantic Ocean. A detailed description of the two seas can be found here;
