Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is a country in Africa. It borders Senegal to the north, Guinea to the south. The official language is Portuguese, and the capital is Bissau. About 1,442,000 people live in Guinea-Bissau as of 2006.[4] The country was a Portuguese colony in the 19th century. At that time is was called Portuguese Guinea. It became independent in 1973. In 1974, the name of the country's capital was added so that it would not be confused with the neighboring country Guinea (which was called French Guinea, and became independent in 1958). Equatorial Guinea is another country in Africa with Guinea in its name. It lies further east, between Cameroon and Gabon.
Republic of Guinea-Bissau República da Guiné-Bissau (in Portuguese) | |
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| Motto: | |
| Anthem: | |
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| Capital and largest city | Bissau 11°52′N 15°36′W / 11.867°N 15.600°W |
| Official languages | Portuguese |
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| Ethnic groups | African 99% (includes Balanta 30% Fula 20% Manjaca 14% Mandinga 13% Papel 7%) European and mulatto less than 1% |
| Demonym(s) | Bissau-Guinean(s)[1] |
| Government | Republic |
| Horta Inta-A Na Man | |
| Ilídio Vieira Té | |
| Legislature | National People's Assembly |
| Independence from Portugal | |
• Declared | 24 September 1973 |
• Recognized | 10 September 1974 |
| Area | |
• Total | 36,125 km2 (13,948 sq mi) (136th) |
• Water (%) | 22.4 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 2,080,000[2] (150th) |
• 2002 census | 1,345,479 |
• Density | 44.1/km2 (114.2/sq mi) (154th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2025 estimate |
• Total |  $6.620 billion[3] (172th) |
• Per capita | $3,280[3] (168th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $2.270 billion[3] (174th) |
• Per capita | $1,130[3] |
| Gini (1993) | 47 high |
| HDI (2010) | 0.289 low · 164th |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | 245 |
| Internet TLD | .gw |
Even though the official language of Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese, only about 35 percent of the people speak it. Most of the people speak a creole language, based on Portuguese, called Guinea-Bissau Creole. More than a quarter of the population of the country live in its capital.
Since its independence, Guinea-Bissau has seen many military-led governments. Its last war was the Guinea-Bissau Civil War, fough in 1998/1999. Since its indpendence, there were some democratic elections. These never led to a lasting democracy, though. Guinea-Bissau has had seversl authoritarian governments.
Corruption is common. Civil rights abuses are widespread. Guinea-Bissau is among the poorest countries in the world. There is almost no industry, most people live from farming. There are almost no exports, the only goods widely expoered are cashew nuts.
History: The leader of the country, fell from power because of the 2025 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état.
Regions and sectors
Guinea-Bissau is divided into 8 regions and one autonomous sector. These are divided into thirty-seven sectors. The regions are:
* autonomous sector
Guinea-Bissau Media
Guinea-Bissau (orthographic projection)
Location Guinea Bissau AU Africa
ECHO Guinea Bissau Editable A4 Landscape
First anthem of Cabo Verde
Slave trade in medieval Africa
Lesser coat of arms of Portuguese Guinea-Bissau
Flag of the Portuguese Company of Guinea
Comparison of Africa in the years 1880 and 1913
Portuguese Colonial War in Portuguese Guinea, 1968
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References
- ↑ Background Note: Guinea-Bissau (December 2009)US Department of State. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ↑ Template:Cite CIA World Factbook
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 (in en).
- ↑ Retrieved on 8 October 2007.
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