Guinea-Bissau, republic in northwestern Africa, bounded on the north by Senegal, on the east and south by Guinea, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean.  
Google
 
Back  
 
Guinea-Bissau

I INTRODUCTION  
Guinea-Bissau, republic in northwestern Africa, bounded on the north by Senegal, on the east and south by Guinea, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The country includes about 60 offshore islands, among them the Bijagós (Bissagos) Islands. The area is 36,125 sq km (13,948 sq mi).

II LAND AND RESOURCES  
Most of Guinea-Bissau is a low-lying, swampy coastal plain. The land rises gradually to form a plateau region in the east. The maximum elevation of about 310 m (about 1017 ft) is found in the southeast. Numerous meandering rivers cross the country from west to east and form wide estuaries near their mouths. Nearly all are navigable and serve as major transportation arteries. The climate is tropical, with a mean annual temperature of 25° C (77° F). A rainy season lasts from June to November. The average annual rainfall at Bissau is 1950 mm (about 77 in). Vegetation consists of mangrove and rain forest on the coastal plain and a savanna woodland on the interior plateau. Tropical hardwoods are a major potential resource. Although there is no mineral production, large deposits of bauxite and phosphate exist. Petroleum deposits are offshore.

III POPULATION  
Guinea-Bissau has a population (1997 estimate) of 1,178,584. The capital and principal port, Bissau, has a population (1994 estimate) of about 200,000. Other ports include Cacheu and Bolama. The major ethnic groups are the Balante, Fulani, Mandinka (also known as Mandingo or Malinké), Mandyako, and Pepel. Cape Verdians form a small but significant minority. In religion, about 54 percent of the population follows traditional beliefs, and about 38 percent (primarily the Fulani and Mandinka) is Muslim. Some 8 percent of the people are Christian. The official language is Portuguese, but Crioulo, a fusion of Portuguese and African elements, is widely spoken. In the 1994-1995 school year primary schools enrolled 100,369 students, 68 percent of the eligible students. Only 11 percent of secondary school-aged children were enrolled in school.. The country has several teacher-training colleges. The government has undertaken a program to improve the adult literacy rate, which stood at 55 percent in 1995.

IV ECONOMY AND GOVERNMENT  
The economy of Guinea-Bissau is dominated by subsistence agriculture. Food crops include rice (which is the staple food of the population), plantains, cassava, and maize. The principal export crops include cashew nuts, which account for more than half of export earnings; peanuts, which are grown in the interior; palm products, raised on the islands and in the coastal region; and cotton. The fishing industry has grown rapidly, and is a major source of export earnings. Cattle breeding is important in the interior. Manufacturing is mainly limited to the processing of raw materials and the production of basic consumer goods. The country has 4400 km (2700 mi) of roads. The unit of currency is the CFA franc, consisting of 100 centimes (593.2 francs equal U.S.$1; September 1997).

A constitution enacted in 1984 vests legislative power in the 150-member National People's Assembly, the members of which are chosen from directly elected regional councils. The legislature elects the 5-member Council of State and its president, who heads the government. A political liberalization program approved in 1991 ended one-party dominance in Guinea-Bissau. By 1994, 12 political parties had been recognized and the first multiparty presidential and legislative elections were held.

  









V HISTORY  
The early history of Guinea-Bissau is obscure, but some of the major ethnic groups of the country, such as the Balante and Pepel, were apparently established there by the 12th century. The area was visited in 1446 by Nuno Tristão, a Portuguese slave trader, and became an important slave center. A Portuguese post was established at Bissau in 1687, but the Portuguese claim was disputed by the French and the British, and in 1792 the latter briefly had a settlement at Bolama. In 1879 the region was constituted a Portuguese colony, and border disputes with the French were settled by treaty in 1886. Not until 1915, however, were the Portuguese able to exercise effective control over the country.
The status of Guinea-Bissau was changed from colony to overseas province in 1952; soon afterward an African nationalist movement arose, led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). After sporadic violence, the party launched a war of independence in the early 1960s. By September 1973 the rebels proclaimed an independent republic and sought international recognition. On September 10, 1974, Portugal formally granted Guinea-Bissau independence. The new government, under the presidency of PAIGC leader Luis de Almeida Cabral, established a monopoly over foreign trade and moved toward a socialist state by authorizing nationalization of all landholdings. President Cabral was overthrown in a coup led by Prime Minister João Bernardo Vieira in November 1980. Elected to five-year terms in 1984 and 1989, President Vieira's and his military-dominated government survived a coup attempt in November 1985. Vieira was reelected again in 1994.