GUINEA: 101

I'll admit it - I had to look Guinea up on a map when I got my invitation to join the Peace Corps.  Am I proud?  No.  I blame my world geography teacher... and an all-consuming addiction to stumbleupon.com that has distracted me from all things relevant... and the fact that I never had a world geography teacher.

So here's Guinea:

* * Not to be confused with Equatorial Guinea (that country is down south a bit farther), Guinea-Bissau (that's just north of the Guinea that we're talking about), or Papua New Guinea (that little poh-tot is just north of Australia).

I'm ready for my close-up

 Guinean Flag

                  

Official Country Name: Republic of Guinea

Capital: Conakry

Government Type: Republic with executive, legislative and judicial branch

Sitting President: Alpha Condé

Official Language: French

Commonly-spoken Languages: Pulaar, Maninka, Soussou, Kissie, Kpele, Loma and many others

Population: ~9.5 million Guineans

Religion in Guinea: mostly Muslim, a small percentage Christian (under 10%), and under 10% animist religions

Geography:  Lower Guinea/Maritime Guinea, Middle Guinea/Fouta Djallon, Upper Guinea, and the Forest Region.

• Lower Guinea: extends 30 mi (48 km) inland from the shoreline.
• Fouta Djallon: mountainous plateau region, with an average elevation of ~3,000 ft (915 m).
• Upper Guinea: undulating savanna, occasional rocky outcrops, average elevation of 1,000 ft (305 m)
• The forested highlands: located in the far southeast of Guinea.

Highest Point: Mount Nimba (forested highlands) at 6,070 feet (1,850 m)

* * Now, you may be wondering - How is a ghostly-pale ginger to survive so close to the equator?  The answer, my friends, is zinc oxide.

Climate: generally hot and humid with a monsoon-like rainy season June-November and dry season December-May

For those of you who like visual aides, here's an example of a year of weather in Guinea...

All I can say is... ouch.

Zinc Oxide and I are gonna get tight.