Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau /ˈɡɪni bɪˈsaʊ/ ( listen) (Portuguese: República da Guiné-Bissau, pronounced [ʁeˈpublikɐ dɐ iˈnɛ biˈsaw]), is a country in West Africa. The country is bordered by Senegal to the north and Guinea to the south and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country covers 36,125 km², with a population of about 1,600,000.
Guinea-Bissau was once part of the Kaabu Kingdom, which was part of the Mali Empire. Part of this kingdom survived into the 18th century, while some parts were part of the Portuguese Empire. Then Guinea-Bissau became part of the Portuguese colony, Portuguese Guinea in the 19th century. After independence, declared in 1973 and recognized in 1974, the name of the capital, Bissau, was added to the name of the country to avoid confusion with the country of Guinea.
Guinea-Bissau has had a history of political instability since gaining independence and no president-elect has successfully completed a full five-year term. On the night of April 12, 2012, members of the country's military were involved in a coup and arrested the interim president and leading presidential candidate. The military has yet to announce a leader for the country. Nonetheless, the former Deputy Chief of Staff, General Mamadu Ture Kuruma has taken care of the fate of this country in transition and has begun to negotiate with the opposition parties.
Only 14% of the population speaks the official language, Portuguese. Most of the population (44%) speak Kriole, a Portuguese-based creole language, and the remainder speak an African language. The main religions are African Traditional Religion and Islam, and Christianity (mostly Catholic) is a minority.
The country's per capita income is one of the lowest in the world. Bissagos Islands Guinea Bissau Tourism
Guinea-Bissau is a member of the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Latin Union, Community of Portuguese-Speaking States, Francophonie, and the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone.
History
Early reports of Europeans having reached this area include the Venetian pirate Alvise Cadamosto in 1455, the 1479–1480 voyage of the Flemish-French merchant, Eustache de la Fosse, and Diogo Cão reaching the Congo River in 1480. -an and reached Bakongo land.
Geography
Guinea-Bissau is bordered by Senegal to the north, Guinea to the south and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Most of its positions lie between 11 ° and 13 ° North latitude (a small area south of 11 °), and longitude 13 ° and 17 ° west.
With an area of 36,125 km2 (13,948 sq mi), the country is larger than Taiwan or Belgium. It is located at a low altitude; the highest point is 300 meters (984 ft). The land is mostly lowland coastal with swamps of Guinean mangroves continuing uphill to the mosaics of the Guinean savanna forest in the east. The rainy season is accompanied by winds similar to monsoons alternating with hot, dry harmattan winds blowing from the Sahara. The Bijagos Archipelago is located off the mainland.
Climate
Guinea-Bissau is warm all year round and there is little change in temperature, around 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The average rainfall in Bissau is 2024 millimeters (79.7 in) although this is calculated almost entirely during the rainy season which lasts between June and September/October. From December to April, the country experiences a long dry season.
Environmental problems
Severe environmental problems include deforestation, landslides; overfishing and overfishing.
Administrative division
Guinea-Bissau is divided into eight regions (regiões) and one autonomous sector (the Autonomo sector). These, in turn, are further subdivided into 37 Sectors. The areas are:
- Bafatá
- Biombo
- Bissau (sector autonomy)
- Bolama
- cache
- Gabu
- Oio
- Quinara
- tombali
Demographics
According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects the population of Guinea-Bissau was 1,874,303 in 2018, compared to 518,000 in 1950. The proportion of the population under the age of 15 in 2010 was 41.3%, 55.4% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.3% were 65 years or older. Bissagos Islands Guinea Bissau Tourism
