Africa Mobile: Somalia and Guinea
Guinea
The Republic of Guinea, previously called French Guinea, borders Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Mali, and Cote d?Ivoire. South Liberia meets with Guinea, as well as Sierra Leone. Guinea has a long and deep history with ties to the Ghana and Mali Empire, as well as relationships with France and Portugal.
In 1958, Guinea was the only African colony to opt to choose independence at the cost of losing all financial support from France. Liberated from French colonial rule in 1958, Guinea is a republic government whose capital is in Conakry.
With abundant mineral resources, Guinea has an extensive collection of bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, and uranium. In addition, due to its fertile soil and beneficial climates, Guinea has great potential for developing its agricultural sectors. There remains great potential, especially with the trends of changes in its economic policy, for Guinea?s private sector to flourish profitably.
Guinea has a population of over nine million, and there are 24 ethnic groups within the country, with the Fulani, Mandinka, and Soussou comprising a large percentage of the country.
Somalia
The Republic of Somalia is located at the horn of East Africa, bordering Djibouti, Kenya, Yemen, the Gulf of Aden, Ethiopia, and the Indian Ocean. With a diverse and deep ancestry, Somalia began developing its ports and were trading with Roman and Greek sailors from the 1st century. Gaining its independence from Italy in 1960, Somalia simultaneously united with the formerly British colony Somaliland to create the Somali republic. It is a transitional federal government whose capital is in Mogadishu. However, since 1991, the government only has political control over southern Somalia. Recently, Somalia in 2006 became the grounds for civil war between the government and Islamist political groups, but those conflicts ended with the surrender of the Islamists in 2007.
Somalia?s main economic industry is agriculture, which totals 40% of the country?s GDP and 65% of its total exports. Due to the damages in telecommunications infrastructure, Somalia was the last African country to gain online access.
With a population of over ten million, Somali is the most common language in the country. In addition, there are many Somalis that use Arabic, English, and some Italian. The vast majority of Somalis are Sunni Muslims, and there is very little Christian influence.
Mike Kofi Okyere is the owner of AfricaNe.ws, Africosmic as well as f8tballNEWS.
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