Guinea
With its numerous rivers, Guinea is truly
the water capital of West Africa. It is situated on the Atlantic coast and borders Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Liberia. Guinea has a population of 10,211,437 and covers an area of 245,857 square kilometers, making it only slightly smaller than Burkina Faso. Its capital is the city of Conakry, the largest city in Guinea. The country is divided into 4 natural regions and 8 administrative regions. SEMAFO holds operating permit within Upper Guinea in the Kouroussa prefecture of the Kankan administrative region.
Upper Guinea, Kankan region, Kouroussa prefecture
Upper Guinea, the poorest region in Guinea, assumes about 40% of the country’s area and is comprised of 20% of the country’s population. The prefectures making up this region are amongst the least densely populated in Guinea. The Kouroussa prefecture has an 
area of 16,220 square kilometers with a population of 160,000. There are 492 towns and villages within its borders.
The Kouroussa prefecture population is made up primarily of members of the Malinke ethnic group. This prefecture is the driest region in Upper Guinea, making it an ideal zone for livestock farming as well as cotton and corn cultivation. Due to its rugged terrain, the cultivation occurring on the mountain sides contributes to the degradation of the land and the environment. Furthermore, the administrative region of Kankan is more heavily affected by rural exodus than any other part of the country. The lack of labor force heavily hinders the development of the culture.
Below are additional statistics relevant to the Kouroussa prefecture (2001). When compared to the Guinea national averages, this prefecture is quite disadvantaged.
- Population: 160,000
- Population density: 17.5 inh./km2
- Rural population: 97.8%
- Median age: 15Literacy rate (men): 11.1%
- Literacy rate (women): 2.7%
- Access to drinking water: 35.9%
- Average size of dwelling: 11.1
- Access to electricity: 5.5%
