Nzérékoré (N’ko: ߒߛߙߍߜߘߺߍ߬, Adlam: 𞤟𞤫𞤪𞤫𞤳𞤮𞤪𞤫; also spelled N'Zérékoré) is the second-largest city in Guinea by population after the capital, Conakry, and the largest city in the Guinée forestière region of southeastern Guinea. The city is the capital of Nzérékoré Prefecture. Nzérékoré is a commercial and economic center and lies approximately 354 mi (570 km) southeast of Conakry.[2]
It was the center of an uprising against French rule in 1911 and is now known as a market town and for its silverworking. The population was 107,329 according to the 1996 census. Growing dramatically since the civil wars in neighboring Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast, the 2014 census population was 195,027.[1]
History
It was the center of an uprising against French rule in 1911. From 1911-1912, the majority of the Nzérékoré Region was put under direct military rule.
There were three days of ethno-religious fighting in Nzérékoré in July 2013.[3][4] Fighting between ethnic Guerzé (Kpelle), who are Christian or animist, and ethnic Konianke, who are Muslims and close to the larger Malinké ethnic group, left at least 54 dead.[4] The dead included people who were killed with machetes and burned alive.[4] The violence ended after the Guinean military imposed a curfew, and President Alpha Condé made a televised appeal for calm.[4]
Climate
Nzérékoré has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classificationAw). The city features a lengthy wet season covering the months of March through November, while the remaining three months form the city's dry season. While average daily temperatures remain relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, Nzérékoré has a much higher diurnal temperature variation during its dry season with average highs around 33 °C or 91.4 °F and average lows ranging from 10 to 13 °C or 50.0 to 55.4 °F. The city averages roughly 1,800 millimetres or 70 inches of precipitation annually.
