A neighbor of Senegal and Guinea in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast, Guinea-Bissau is about half the size of South Carolina. The country is a low-lying coastal region of swamps, rain forests, and mangrove-covered wetlands, with about 25 islands off the coast. The Bijagos archipelago extends 30 mi (48 km) out to sea.
Country lead by President: Joćo Bernardo Vieira (2005)
Prime Minister: Martinho Ndafa Kabi (2007)
Population
1,442,029 (growth rate: 2.1%); birth rate: 37.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 105.2/1000; life expectancy: 46.9; density per sq mi: 133
Land Area
10,811 sq mi (28,000 sq km); total area: 13,946 sq mi (36,120 sq km)
Monetary unit
CFA Franc Language
Portuguese (official), Criolo, African languages
Ethnicity African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Religion indigenous beliefs 50%, Islam 45%, Christian 5%
Transportation Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 4,400 km; paved: 453 km; unpaved: 3,947 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 4 largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2004). Ports and harbors: Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim. Airports: 28 (2004 est.).
