Beyla, Guinea

Sub-prefecture and town in Nzerekore Region, Guinea

8°41′N 8°38′W / 8.683°N 8.633°W / 8.683; -8.633Country

GuineaRegionNzerekore RegionPrefectureBeyla PrefectureElevation

2,477 ft (755 m)Population

(2008 est.)

• Total13,204

Beyla (N’ko: ߓߋߟߊ߫) is a town and urban sub-prefecture located in south eastern Guinea. It is the capital of the Beyla prefecture of the Nzerekore region of Guinea.

Population 13,204 (2008 est) ^[1]

Mining

Dyula merchants established the settlement in the early 1200s as a hub for gathering slaves and kola nuts. Nowadays, it serves as the primary commercial hub for rice, livestock, tobacco, coffee, palm oil, and palm kernels.^[2]

Beyla is the main town serving the Simandou iron ore project. The mine is operated by a British-Australian mining corporation called the Rio Tinto Group. Its presence in Beyla has lasted approximately 17 years. The Rio Tinto Group has also invested about $700,000,000 USD towards the Guinea government for the purpose of exploring and likely prospecting of the mountain.^[3]

References

^ World Gazetteer, Retrieved on June 16, 2008
^ "Beyla | Guinea | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
^ THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA SIMFER S.A & RIO TINTO MINING AND EXPLORATION LTD (2014). Amended and Consolidated Basic Convention - For the Mining of the Simandou Iron Deposits. Republic of Guinea and Simfer S.A.