Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a small country situated in Western Africa, bordered by Senegal, Guinea-Conakry and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is composed of an archipelago, the Bijagos, of more than 100 islands. Only twenty islands are populated year-round. Several ecosystems cohabitate on the islands, such as mangroves, coastal savanna, sand banks and palm forests.

Guinea-Bissau consists mostly of low coastal plains and low-lying plateaus with a highest point at around 300m in the east of the country. Swamps of mangroves rise to the forest-savanna in the eastern part of the country, where both the Cacheu and Geba rivers cross. The southern edge of the Senegal River basin meets with Guinea-Bissau’s interior plains.

Situated in the inter-tropical zone, with several winds circling near the Equator, Guinea-Bissau is composed of two distinct climatic regions: the tropical and humid sub-Guinean, which is characterized by heavy rainfall, and the tropical Sudanese region influencing the eastern half of the country, characterized by high temperature ranges -—
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The country is warm all year round, with an average temperature of 26°C, experiencing a dryer season with droughts between December and April, with a peak of temperature reaching nearly 30°C in April. Rainfall increases between May and November, reaching almost 500 mm in August. Climate fluctuations have been observed with the dry season lasting longer, especially in the eastern region of the country, and a late start of the rainy season beginning mid-June instead of mid-May. -—
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—- According to the United Nations University -—
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—- World Risk Index, Guinea-Bissau ranks 24^th in the list of world’s most at-risk country for natural hazards, and 5^th in Africa. The country is experiencing recurrent droughts, rising sea levels and deforestation.

Guinea-Bissau’s economy was traditionally primarily based on agriculture. According to the -—
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—-, roughly 10 per cent of the territory is classified as arable land. Agriculture accounts for about 68 per cent of employment in the country, roughly the same for women and men -—
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—-. The share of agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing in total value added has been relatively stable for decades at about 50 per cent; services accounted for about 36 per cent and industry for 13 per cent in 2019 -—
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—-. About one quarter of women and men are employed in services, and more than 9 per cent of men in industry, with women’s share about half of that -—
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—-. Inbound tourism expenditure’s share of GDP has been consistently low at about 1.5 per cent -—
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Cashew cultivation is important for Guinea-Bissau’s economy, both for economic performance and poverty reduction. The country’s international trade is highly concentrated: more than 80 per cent of exports go to India, with Singapore and the United States of America also being important export destinations -—
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Guinea-Bissau is culturally very rich and composed of diverse ethnic groups with different customs, languages and social structures. The unique music style of the country is called gumbe, and the primary musical instrument is the cabasa, with accompanying songs’ lyrics almost always in Guinea-Bissau creole.

People consume mostly rice on the coast and millet in the interior of the country, but common dishes also include soups and stews, sweet potato, plantain and cassava among others.

The most popular sport in Guinea-Bissau is football, with the national team being a member of the Confederation of Africa Football and FIFA.