Beyla, Guinea

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)

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.

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.