Guinea-Bissau, the nation formerly known as Portuguese
Guinea, is in West Africa and
declared its independence from Portugal in 1974. Bordered
by Senegal and
Guinea,
it is about the size of South Carolina. Its capital and
largest city is Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau has a hot, humid climate. There are two distinct seasons: one wet and one dry season. The coastal region is swampy and densely forested and heavy rains fall along the coastline during the wet season. Much of the rest of the country is grassland. There are 3 main rivers – the Geba, Cacheu, and the Corubal.
Guinea-Bissau suffers economically. The nation holds mineral deposits, but lacks the financial stability to promote economic growth. Its economy is agriculture-based, but the crops grown are primarily used for its people.
Guinea-Bissau has a republic government, headed by a Prime Minister and a President, who is head of state.
Guinea has a population of over 1.6 million people, 99 percent of whom are Africans. Europeans and mulatto groups make up less than 1 percent of the population. About half of the population practice indigenous beliefs. Forty-five percent of its people practice Islam. The remaining population follow Christian religions.
The official language is Portuguese, but the majority of the population speak Criolo and African languages.
The monetary unit is the African Financial Community (CFA) Franc.
Web Sites
- The Library of Congress
- African Studies Center: University of Pennsylvania
- The CIA World Factbook
- The U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Databases
Enter Guinea-Bissau in these databases:
- eLibrary
- Europa World Year Book
- Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia
- SIRS Government Reporter
- SIRS Researcher