Independence Day in Guinea

People all across GUINEA recently celebrated their country's Independence Day on Friday, October 2nd. Guinea achieved independence from France in 1958. Happy belated Independence Day!

Clever Chimpanzees

A group of chimpanzees that lived in the forest near the town of Bossou in extreme southeastern GUINEA — near Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia — became famous in 2005 when Japanese primatologist Gaku Ohashi discovered something about their behavior. Not only could these chimps detect and neutralize animal traps, they taught these skills to other chimps!

Guinea is Known for...

●    Bauxite
●    Les Ballets Africains
●    Circus Baobab performance
●    Camara Laye, writer
●    Vine bridges

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Guinea Exports

The following items are major exports of GUINEA: alumina, bananas, bauxite, cassava, coffee, diamonds, gold, iron ore, lightly manufactured goods, livestock, palm kernels, pineapples, rice, salt, seafood, sweet potatoes, and wood. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include China (top importer), Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, India, France, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Canada, Ukraine, Mali, Swaziland, Lebanon, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Vietnam, Iran, Liberia, and the United States.

Coastal Cities

GeoFact of the Day currently has seven country-by-country posts highlighting towns, cities, and communities located next to massive water bodies:

— BARBADOS (↗)
— DOMINICA (↗)
— GHANA (↗)
— GRENADA (↗)
— GUINEA (↗)
— SÉNÉGAL (↗)
— TUNISIA (↗)

Want to see your country or territory featured in a new blog post — related to the coastal-city topic or something else altogether? Write a post comment below. Thank you for visiting GeoFact of the Day, today and always!

Coastal Towns of Guinea

Located in West Africa, GUINEA is one of 23 (twenty-three) African countries with a coastline abutting the Atlantic Ocean. As this popular GeoFact of the Day post shows (↗), many West African national capitals and cities are located beside the ocean. Guinean towns and cities with this same characteristic include — from northwest to southeast — Victoria, Kamsar, Tounyifili, Boffa, Tatéma, Dubréka, Conakry (Guinea's capital), and Benti.

Guinea Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for GUINEA in West Africa currently lists 12 critically endangered species and 39 endangered species. Guinea's critically endangered species include the Atlantic Goliath Grouper, Kindia Killi fish, Lamotte's Roundleaf Bat, Largetooth Sawfish and Smalltooth Sawfish, Mount Nimba Viviparous Toad, and Smoothback Angelshark. Endangered species include the Egyptian Vulture and Hooded Vulture, Lubbert’s Guitarfish, Ringed River Frog, West African Red Colobus, White Skate, and Ziama Horseshoe Bat.

Guinea post - link opens in a new tab or window

Kaloum Peninsula

Sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean, Kaloum Peninsula (a.k.a. Camayenne Peninsula) forms part of the coastline of GUINEA, a West African country that speaks French as an official language and local languages. The peninsula is known as Presqu'ile de Kaloum in French and is located northeast of a group of islands, Îles de Los. The Atlantic coastline is in the southwest part of the country. Tombo is technically a small, circular island located southwest of the Kaloum Peninsula, but a roadway and additional manmade development connects both pieces of land. Therefore, satellite images show that the island is attached to the peninsula and the mainland of Guinea. Guinea's capital and largest city, Conakry, is found on the island and peninsula. As seen on satellite images, the Kaloum Peninsula is heavily urbanized and developed.

Guinea

GUINEA is a French-speaking country located in Western Africa. The western part of the country borders the Atlantic Ocean. There are 6 bordering countries: Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. The capital is Conakry, which is located on Tombo Island and on a nearby peninsula called the Kaloum Peninsula - the hyperlink to this GeoFact of the Day Blog post opens in new tab or window. The currency is the Guinean Franc, and its ISO 4217 currency code is GNF.