Guinea

Facts: Guinea has the highest bauxite and untapped high-quality iron-ore reserves in the world (Central Intelligence Agency).
Explanation: For many of the countries that own them abundantly, mineral reserves are always a poisonous cup. Although such reserves are often the stage for phenomenal economic development, being properly used, they are also the cause for war if poorly handled. Interestingly, while the mineral is so rich with diamonds and gold, it remains economically undeveloped within their boundaries. The country’s economic growth thus undoubtedly hinges on the government’s partnership with the foreign investors with the capacity and willingness to exploit these resources, and hopefully, Guinea will not fall into the same cycle that has plagued other similarly endowed nations in Africa.
Category 2: People
Fact/Statistic: Guinea has a 30. 4 % literacy rate, which is among the world’s poorest (Central Intelligence Agency).
Explanation:
A country’s literacy rate is defined as the percentage of a country’s population aged above 15 that can read and write. The literacy rate is a key indicator of the strength or otherwise of a country’s education system and is a critical driver of economic growth. Guinea’s high illiteracy levels are incredibly shocking especially when one considers that the bulk of the country’s population (50.19%) is aged between 15 and 54 years (Central Intelligence Agency), which is ideally the prime working age when productivity is at its highest. These low literacy levels have contributed to a 60% youth unemployment rate severely hampering, economic development.
Category 3: Communication
Fact/Statistic: Only 4.7% of the population has access to the internet (Central Intelligence Agency).
Explanation:
The internet is arguably the most revolutionary communication tool of the 21st Century. Internet use has made it faster, cheaper, and easier to communicate with people all over the world. The low internet penetration in the country denies the citizens an opportunity to interact with the world and each other thus hampering development. Additionally, it means that they have to resort to other slower and more expensive media, which is a significant hindrance to economic development.
PART 2: United States
Category 1: Economy
Fact/Statistic: The USA’s economy is considered be the world’s most technologically powerful with a $54,800 per capita GDP (Central Intelligence Agency).
Compare/Contrast: Despite its lack of significant mineral resources, the USA has a thriving economy that is heavily diversified and is primarily technologically driven. By contrast, Guinea, notwithstanding its wealth of natural resources is by all measures a developing country. The country’s per capita GDP is a paltry $1,300 (Central Intelligence Agency). with much of this poor economic performance attributable to a long legacy of corruption and financial mismanagement.
Category 2: People
Fact/Statistic: The United States has a 13.4% youth unemployment rate (Central Intelligence Agency).
Compare/Contrast: Whereas the literacy levels for the United States are unavailable, more people are likely to be literate than is the case in Guinea given the USA’s superior economic development. While most of Guinea’s youth are unemployed and often have to eke out a living in the informal sector, a majority of American youth have jobs. Most American youths have some skills acquired through education, which makes them readily employable, unlike their Guinean counterparts who are often illiterate.
Category 3: Communication
Fact/Statistic: 74.6% of the American population has internet access (Central Intelligence Agency).
Compare/Contrast: The USA ranked third, is among the world’s best nations in terms of Internet coverage with most of its citizens able to utilize it as a means of communication. By contrast, most Guineans have no access to the web and the country, at number 156, ranks nearly last in this regard (Central Intelligence Agency). Communication is a key driver of economic development, and the internet is undoubtedly the world’s most important communication method today. Consequently, this difference may explain the differing economic environments in the two nations.
Part 4: Reaction
In a reaction statement, discuss similarities or differences you found in comparing these facts or statistics. In other words, what do these facts or statistics tell you about each country, the lifestyle of its people, and their chances in life? Provide examples in your answer.
From the comparison between the two countries, it is evident that the quality of life in the United States is much better than in Guinea. The USA has a much better economy, which means that it can provide a lot more to its citizens than Guinea. For example, the USA can invest more in education thus contributing to its better literacy rates. The greater investment in education coupled with the robust economy create a conducive environment for the creation of employment opportunities. This situation, in turn, means there is a much lower unemployment rate for its youth. By comparison, Guinea’s struggling economy does not provide as much hope. With so many unemployed and illiterate youth, employment is undoubtedly hard to come by, which means these individuals lack enough money to meet their basic needs. In both countries, most people are aged between 18 and 54 years, with 55.06% of Americans lying here as opposed to 50.19% of Guineans (Central Intelligence Agency). However, those in the USA have a far better chance in life than their Guinean counterparts since they do not have to struggle as much.
 
Works Cited
Central Intelligence Agency. “The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency.” Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html.