Global - Technology - Review

After decades of authoritarian government, Guinea recently held democratic elections, though whether the new government will be able to end the corruption and chronic poverty is a matter of debate. The country is potentially wealthy, however the infrastructure needs to be improved if reserves of gold, diamonds, bauxite and uranium are to be exploited. At present only bauxite is exported in significant volumes. The climate is tropical, and there are rainforests and savannah. The Rivers Niger, Senegal and Gambia all rise in the mountains of Guinea. Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve has a wide variety of wildlife species, including chimpanzees and viviparous toads. The ‘Strict’ of the title means that even tourists are excluded. The Guinea Baboon, smallest of the baboon species, is classified as threatened. Guinea’s folk music is played on the balafon, a type of xylophone, or the stringed instruments ngoni and kora. The tradition of the djeli or griot, the West African storyteller-bard is still strong. The nation is sometimes named Guinea-Conakry after its capital to distinguish it from neighbouring Guinea-Bissau. Conakry’s main landmark is the Grand Mosque, built by dictator Sekou Toure, the largest in the region.