Guinea-Bissau:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Guinea-Bissau:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation.

Location	Definition Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Geographic coordinates	Definition 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references	Definition Africa
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries	Definition total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline	Definition 350 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	Definition tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain	Definition mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Natural resources	Definition fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 31 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%) per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Environment - current issues	Definition deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland

Guinea-Bissau: Geography

Guinea-Bissau:
Geography