GUINEA

Guinea

Guinea is a country of West Africa, giving on the Atlantic Ocean.

Guinea consists of  four natural areas:  a marshy coastal plain, in the west of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean;  the plate of Fouta-Djalon, which dominates the coastal plain;  the plate mandingue, which rises with the northern periphery of the country, at the border with Mali; and  the dorsal guinéenne, in south-east, where are drawn up the Nimba mounts (climax of the country with 1 752 m of altitude). The source of some of the large rivers of West Africa (Gambia and Niger for example) is on the territory guinéen.

The country counts four groups of population:  Mandingues  (originating in the plate mandingue),  Peul  (gathered in the area of Fouta-Djalon),  Soussou  (on the coast) and  people of the forest  (in the mountains of south-east). Islam  is the principal religion of Guinea.

The economy of Guinea rests mainly on the agriculture, which employs nearly 90 % of the working population, but the country is not self-sufficing in this field. On the other hand, its  mining resources  are very significant: the country is the second world bauxite producer, which constitutes its principal source of income. The hydroelectricity represents a significant source of energy; thanks to the rivers of Fouta-Djalon and Nimba mounts, Guinea is regarded as  the "water tower" of West Africa.

Guinea
Population	9 947 814 inhabitants in 2007
Capital	Conakry (1 365 778 inhabitants in 2003)
Surface	245 857 km²
Official language	French (official language);malinké, peul, soussou, kissi, bassari, loma, koniagi and kpelle (national languages)
Currency	frankly guinéen

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? Africa

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TRADITIONNAL HABITATS IN THE WORLD

traditional habitats in the world

The habitat indicates  the place of life  of the men. That corresponds to the house, but also with space around, where the men circulate, work, divert themselves. In many areas of the world, the men employ  the same techniques of construction from generation to generation, and the buildings preserve the same aspect since centuries. It is what is called  the traditional habitat.

Several reasons explain  the diversity of the traditional habitats in the world. First of all,  the materials  used depend on those which exist on the spot: stone, wood, the bamboo, ground, but also skins animal or snow in the case of the igloo.

The climate  also plays a significant role. In the cold and been windy areas, as in Europe, the traditional houses the often low and are gathered ones near the others. In the hot zones and dry, as in Africa, the house is protected from the sun. It comprises few windows and a small door. The materials employed keep heat for the night and freshness for the day. In the hot and wet zones, as in the south of Asia, the house large is opened, to let pass the air. Sometimes, it is even deprived of walls (at the Waraos Indians in South America). If it rains much, the building is covered with a conical roof, on which the rain slips. If, on the contrary, the rain is rare, the house comprises a platform roof (i.e. flat).

Lastly, of  the corporate names,  religious  or  symbolic systems  can influence the habitat. Thus, the villages of the people of Dogon of Mali (a country of West Africa) reproduce their vision of the world.

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for better knowing some people of the world: 

?  Dogon
?  Massaïs
? Touareg
? Mongols
? Aboriginals
? Sioux
? Yanomami
? Rom
? Inuit

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HAITI

Haiti

Haiti is a country of Central America, located in  the Antilles.

Haiti as country is located in the western part of the island of Haiti, from which it occupies one the third of the surface (the other part being occupied by the Dominican Republic). Haiti has  a mountainous relief  and  a tropical climate. Its southern part, which gives on the Caribbean Sea, is exposed to  the cyclones.

The near total of Haïtiens are  descendants of black slaves. The majority of the inhabitants lives in  rural zone.

Haiti is  one of the poorest countries of the world. It knows the strongest infant mortality rate of the Antilles and the lowest life expectancy (a little more than 50 years).Its  natural resources  are  rare. Agriculture does not provide sufficient incomes, and the food situation of the country worries the humane organizations.

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? America

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THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS

the battle of Hastings

The battle of Hastings proceeded on October 14, 1066, in England, between the Norman ones and the English. It showed the bright victory of Norman  William the Conqueror  over the king Harold II of England. It is very significant in the English history because it made pass  England under domination Norman.

CAUSES OF THE BATTLE

In 1066, the king of England Édouard the Confessor dies. Although the crown was promised of sound living with his/her Guillaume cousin, the duke of Normandy, it is given in Harold, the count de Wessex. Immediately, Guillaume of Normandy decides to take advantage of his rights and undertakes the conquest of England. He crosses the English Channel with 1 400 ships (400 for the men and 1 000 for the horses) and accosts on the English coasts with his army on September 28, 1066, close to Hastings.

COURSE OF THE BATTLE

The battle between the Norman ones and the English begin on October 14 in the morning. Each army counts approximately 7 000 men. During the first attack, the English protect themselves from the arrows and the javelins by forming a wall of shields. Armed with axes, they succeed in dispersing the Norman riders as well as part of the infantrymen. But the escape of Norman is a strategy: by pushing the English to continue them in the plain, they succeed in encircling them. Harold dies of an arrow which reaches it with the head and the Norman ones gain the victory.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE BATTLE

? Little after the battle, Guillaume, called the Conqueror, is crowned king d' Angleterre. Gradually, it subjects all the country and imposes the feudal system.

? Normandy and England find themselves dependent for the first time of their history. After the death of Guillaume, the statute of Normandy will become one of the great causes of the competition between the kings of France and the kings of England.

The major part of the information concerning the battle of Hastings comes from the scenes of combat represented on  the tapestry from Bayeux. This wall covering was carried out at the end of  the xi ^E century at the request of the half-brother of William the Conqueror. It measures 70 meters length and is preserved at the museum of the Tapestry of Bayeux, in France.

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? William the Conqueror

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