Country profile
Location
Guinea-Bissau is a West African country bordered by Guinea, Senegal, and the Atlantic Ocean. The country covers an area of approximately 13,948 square miles and has an estimated population of 1.9 million people.
Bissau, the name of its capital city, was added to the country’s name to distinguish it from Guinea.
Guinea-Bissau lies mostly between latitudes 11° and 13°N (a small area is south of 11°), and longitudes 13° and 17°W. At 36,125 square kilometers (13,948 sq mi), the country is larger in size than Taiwan, Belgium, or the U.S. state of Maryland. This small, tropical country lies at a low altitude; its highest point is 300 meters (984 ft). The interior is savanna, and the coastline is plain with swamps of Guinean mangroves. Its monsoon-like rainy season alternates with periods of hot, dry harmattan winds blowing from the Sahara. The Bijagos Archipelago extends out to sea.
As a tropical country on West Africa’s Atlantic coast that’s known for national parks and wildlife, the climate in Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages 26.3 °C (79.3 °F).
The islands off the coast of Guinea-Bissau (the Bijagos Archipelago) are of exceptional beauty. These islands are home to a group of indigenous people.
Government
Guinea-Bissau is a Republic. The President is the Head of State and the Prime Minister is the head of government.
Coat of Arms
Motto:
“Unidade, Luta, Progresso” (Portuguese)
“Unity, Struggle, Progress”
Guinea-Bissau is a member of several international organizations: the United Nations and many of its specialized and related agencies, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The national flag
Colours
The design of the national flag of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau consists of one vertical red line on the hoist side charged with a black five-pointed star; two horizontal lines on the fly side (yellow and green) and was adopted in 1973.
Symbolism
The red stripe represents the blood of the nation’s martyrs, the green stripe stands for the country’s forests and hope for the future, and the yellow stripe is a symbol of both the nation’s mineral resources and the sun.
