Geography

Guinea-Bissau covers an area of 13,948 square miles (36,125 square kilometers). It is bordered by Senegal on the north and by Guinea on the east and south. The Atlantic Ocean forms its western border. The country's territory includes the Bijagós Islands, lying off the Atlantic coast to the southwest.

Guinea-Bissau may be divided into three regions: coastal lowlands, the interior plain, and the northeastern highlands. The climate is tropical. The hottest months are April and May, when temperatures reach the high 90s F (mid-30s C) at most locations. Rainfall is highest along the coast, averaging about 100 inches (254 centimeters) per year. The highlands receive less than 50 inches (130 centimeters) of rain annually.

Plants and animals

The coastal area is covered by mangroves and palm trees. The interior plain is heavily forested. The north is mainly savanna (grassland with scattered trees). The country's wildlife includes crocodiles, snakes, gazelles, leopards, hyenas, and apes. Guinea-Bissau has a great variety of aquatic birds, including flamingos and pelicans.

People and culture

Guinea-Bissau's population includes some 20 ethnic groups. The largest are the Balante, Fulani, Mandyako, Malinke, and Papel. These groups are loosely united by the shared use of the Portuguese language, which is the country's official language. Crioulo, a mixture of Portuguese and regional dialects, is also spoken throughout the country. Most of the people practice Islam or traditional religions. Less than one fourth of the people live in cities, and only the capital, Bissau, has a population of more than 100,000.

Economy

Guinea-Bissau is a poor country. Its economy depends largely on farming, which employs the majority of its people. Rice, cashew nuts, cassavas, sweet potatoes, coconuts, plantains, millet, peanuts, sugarcane, and corn (maize) are leading crops. Cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats are raised.

The main industry of Guinea-Bissau is food processing, especially of agricultural products and fish. Cashews are by far the country's most important export. Sawn lumber and fish are exported as well.

History

More than 1,000 years ago the coast of Guinea-Bissau was occupied by iron-using agricultural peoples. These peoples supplied salt to Central Africa's inland empires. One of those empires, that of Mali, eventually conquered the region and established a state called Gabú. The Mali Empire fell in the 16th century, but Gabú endured until the late 19th century.

The first Europeans in the region were the Portuguese, who arrived in the 1440s. The kings of Gabú collaborated with the Portuguese, and Guinea-Bissau became a center of the slave trade. Although the Portuguese claimed the territory, for many years they had little control over it. In the early 20th century they began an effort to take control of the interior. After years of fighting local armies, the Portuguese finally established control over the territory in 1915. They called the colony Portuguese Guinea.

The Portuguese ruled the colony in relative peace for several decades. In 1961, however, the Guineans again began to challenge their colonial rulers. They launched attacks on Portuguese administrative and military posts. After more than a decade of warfare, Guinea-Bissau declared its independence in 1973. The following year Portugal recognized the country's freedom.

In 1977 a movement to merge Guinea-Bissau with Cape Verde, another former Portuguese colony, failed. Three years later the government of Guinea-Bissau fell in a coup led by Gen. João Bernardo Vieira, who then established a one-party regime. In 1991 the parliament legalized opposition parties, but Vieira continued as head of state. In 1998 an army uprising led to a civil war that devastated the economy and forced many people to flee the country. Vieira was ousted in 1999, and in early 2000 opposition leader Koumba Ialá was elected president. Tensions remained high, however. Population (2000 estimate), 1,286,000.