In Guinea-Bissau there are numerous beautiful, undiscovered areas with a large biodiversity of African animals to discover. Guinea-Bissau is also very interesting culturally: West African traditions mix here with Portuguese colonial legacy.
The largest attractionThe country’s most scenic is the Bijagos Archipelago. On these delta you can find fine sandy beaches and azure water.
In the rain forest of the hinterland still live forest elephants and chimpanzees. In addition there are rivers bordered by mangroves and magnificent beaches – Guinea-Bissau is a small country, but it can still have some of the most beautiful attractions bid in West Africa.
The country on the African west coast not only has traditions and beautiful landscapes. The diversity of the people living there is also extremely fascinating. Guinea-Bissau is one of the least developed countries in the world, but the linguistic and cultural diversity is enormous. The more than 25 different peoples that live here all differ in language, culture, social life and general rites. The different ethnicities are very impressive for tourists.
In the state of Guinea-Bissau, the official language is Portuguese. This language is taught to children in early school lessons. All classes are held in Portuguese. Nevertheless, very few residents can speak this language really well. Only about 14 percent of the total population of Guinea Bissau speak very good Portuguese. Perhaps this is also due to the fact that each population group has its own language and of course also uses it. In everyday life, Portuguese plays only a minor role because of course they can communicate better in their own language. A colloquial language in Guinea Bissau is Creole. Almost all ethnic groups in Guinea Bissau speak this.
Area: 36,125 km² (land: 28,120 km², water: 8,005 km²).
Population: 1.6 million (July 2011, COUNTRYAAH.COM), one of the poorest countries in Africa. In addition to the largest peoples (Balante 30%, Fulbe 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13% and Pepel 7%), the Cape Verdeans form a small but important minority.
Population density: 44 people per km².
Population growth: 1.988% per year (2011, CIA).
Capital: Bissau (388,000 residents, 2005).
Here is a list of the main cities in Guinea-Bissau.
Highest point: unnamed elevation in the northeast of Guinea-Bissau, 300 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
Form of government: Guinea-Bissau has been a presidential republic since 1984. The new constitution dates from 1999. The national assembly, which is elected for 5 years, is made up of 100 members. Guinea-Bissau declared independence from Portugal on September 24, 1973, which was recognized by the mother country on September 10, 1974.
Administrative division: 9 regions (regioes, singular – regiao): Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara and Tombali.
Prime Minister: Acting Prime Minister Rui Duarte de Barros, since May 16, 2012
Head of state: Acting President Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo, since May 11, 2012
Language: The official language in Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese. Most of the population speaks Criulo, a Creole language based on Portuguese with elements of various African languages. West African tribal languages such as Fulani and Balante are also spoken.
Religion: around 50% of the population follow local, traditional religions, 45% are Muslims, 5% are Christians.
Local time: CET -1 h. In Guinea-Bissau there is no change between summer and winter time.
The time difference to Central Europe is -1 h in winter and -2 h in summer.
Telephone code: 00245 or +245
Internet ID:.gw
Mains voltage: 220 V, 50 Hz
Geography
Guinea-Bissau borders Senegal in the north, the Atlantic in the southwest and the Republic of Guinea in the east.
Here you can find a detailed topographic map of Guinea-Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau includes the Arquipélago dos Bijagós archipelago with around 60 flat, wooded islands and the island of Bolama.
The strongly structured coastal plain is characterized by estuaries (broad funnel-shaped estuaries) and rias (flooded river valleys). The coast is covered by thick rainforest and mangrove swamps.
The main rivers are Rio Geba, Rio Cacheu and Rio Corubal. The tide can push salt water up to 100 km inland and cause a tidal range of 7 m. As a result, large areas are regularly flooded.
Nevertheless, the coastal strip is relatively densely populated, the villages are built on sand ridges.
A belt of tropical rainforest forms the transition area between the coast and the plateaus covered with savannas in the east.
The highest elevation of the relatively flat country at 300 m is located in the foothills of the Fouta Djalon Mountains in the southeast of Guinea-Bissau near the border with Guinea.
Population in Guinea-Bissau
This map of population distribution in Guinea-Bissau was created by the Worldmapper team. Densely populated areas appear bloated, the area of sparsely populated areas is reduced. The shape of the grid has been preserved; an underlying map with the original geographical extent helps interpret the map. The distorted map should help to present abstract statistical information clearly.
