Guinea-Bissau

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Known for being an exporter of cashew and peanuts, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau has only been in existence for just over 50 years. Before contact with European explorers, Guinea-Bissau was part of the Mali empire. When first contact was made between European explorers and the Mali Empire, the territory of Guinea-Bissau started to become more autonomous and established trading rights with Portuguese settlers until it became a Portuguese colony at the end of the 17th century. Since then, Guinea-Bissau became a central hub for the European slave trade. From the ends of the 19th century until the second half of the 20th century, freedom movements had started to grow and clashes between Portugal and the inhabitants of Guinea-Bissau became more frequent. From 1956, several organizations arose that wanted an independent Guinea-Bissau and from 1963 until 1974 a war for independence ensued. After proclaiming independence in 1974 which coincided with a military coup in Portugal, Portugal agreed to an independent Guinea-Bissau. Since its independence, fighting between several factions as well as more than 10 military coup attempts have taken place which have thrown Guinea-Bissau into a period of instability. 

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Temperature

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Proximity

Economic organizations

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With a population of nearly 2 million people, Guinea-Bissau is the 149th most populous state in the world. There are more than 15 indigenous tribes residing in Guinea-Bissau with the Fulani, Balante and Diola being the largest. These tribes each speak their own language and use Portuguese as their second language in order to establish intertribal communication. 

Population

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Emigration

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Literacy

Health

Guinea-Bissau has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world. With a rank of 183, the average life expectancy is 59.4 years with women reaching 61.3 years and men reaching 57.3 years. One of the leading causes of death are communicable diseases such as malaria and HIV. Noncommunicable diseases which are related to the use of alcohol and tobacco and a low standard of healthcare which especially impacts women during childbirth. 

Population density (in km2)

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Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

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Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Guinea-Bissau spends US$19 million, or around 1.37 percent of its GDP on its military. This makes Guinea-Bissau the 162nd highest military spender in the world representing 0.001 percent of total global military expenditure. 

The Armed Forces of Guinea-Bissau consists of an Air Force, a Navy and land forces. Aside from its Army, there is a compulsory conscription for civilians between the age of 18 and 25. In total, Guinea-Bissau spends US$19 million, or around 1.37 percent of its GDP on its military. This makes Guinea-Bissau the 162nd highest military spender in the world representing 0.001 percent of total global military expenditure. 

Military membership

It is a member of four international military organizations which makes it the 115th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • Non-Aligned Movement 

Military membership

International wars

Guinea-Bissau has partaken in one international war. This is: 

  • Guinea-Bissau War of Independence 1963-1974 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

It is a member of eight international political organizations which makes it the 174th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • African Union 
  • Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie 
  • Community of Portuguese Language Countries 
  • Organization of Islamic Cooperation 
  • Interpol 
  • World Organization for Animal Health 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Because of corruption as well as interference from military organizations and executions of its president, Guinea-Bissau has seen a large discrepancy between the intended democratic system and the reality of the last 50 years. This makes Guinea-Bissau the 120th most democratic state in the world. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Guinea-Bissau are in the form of a presidential republic where the Prime Minister is head of government, and the president is head of state. 

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Guyana.

Most of its terrain consists of density forested areas with some lightly forested Savannah terrain to its northern border with Senegal. Most of its terrain is also flat with the exception of the southeastern border with Guinea where the mountain range of Guinea crosses the border into Guinea-Bissau. To the west, it has some offshore islands which also borders the Atlantic Ocean. 

Guinea-Bissau is a member of 11 international economic organizations which makes it the 126th most connected state. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • African development Bank 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • Islamic Development Bank 
  • West African Development Bank 
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States 
  • Economic Community of West African States 
  • International Solar Alliance 
  • Group of 77 

It has the 180th highest GDP in the world which stands at US$1.35 billion and represents 0.002 percent of total global GDP. 

It also has the 175th highest GDP per surface area which stands at US$37,183 per square kilometer or US$96,304 per square mile. 

Its GDP per capita is the 179th highest in the world with US$730. 

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average citizen makes.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Guinea-Bissau. 

It has the 128th highest population density in the world with 51 people per square kilometer or 132 people per square mile. 

Around 100,000 people, or 6.2 percent of the population has migrated to other states. The most popular destinations are Senegal and Portugal which combined represent more than 60 percent of all emigrants. 

Immigration to Guinea-Bissau has been limited by the government as well as local officials. Around 1.62 percent of the population or just over 25,000 people have migrated to Guinea-Bissau. Migration to Guinea-Bissau mainly comes from neighbouring states with Senegal and Guinea representing nearly 80 percent of all immigrants. 

Despite having a compulsory educational system between the ages of six and 14, the average enrolment rates have been increasing slightly over the last decades and still remain just over 50 percent. Therefore, the literacy rate in Guinea-Bissau is the 172nd highest in the world and stands at 64.2 percent. 

The government of Guinea-Bissau grants freedom of religion towards all religions and there have been no reports of interreligious clashes or government interference in religious organizations. Because of the presence of large religious group, Guinea-Bissau is the third most multi religious state in the world. 

Christianity is represented by 18.1 percent of the population which makes Guinea-Bissau the 143rd most Christian state in the world. Due to its Portuguese colonial history, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest denomination. 

With 36,306 square kilometers or 11,018 square miles, Guinea-Bissau is the 134th largest state in the world. This makes Guinea-Bissau slightly larger than Moldova and slightly smaller than Bhutan. 

It has a total water surface area of 8045 square kilometers or 3106 square miles which ranks it as the 156th largest in the world. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Guinea-Bissau is home to some of the largest river deltas in the world. More than 22 percent of the territory of Guinea-Bissau consists of surface water. The largest river of Guinea-Bissau is the Rio Corubal which flows from the most Eastern border with Guinea through Guinea-Bissau. Another large river is the Geba River which flows from the northern border with Senegal into a river delta with the river Corubal that goes into the Atlantic Ocean. 

 

Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.

Guinea-Bissau is the 22nd warmest state in the world with an average temperature of 26.8 degrees Celsius or 80.3 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a tropical climate, and its seasons are determined by a dry and wet season.  

During the wet season, between June and October, the average temperature goes up to 30.9 degrees Celsius or 87.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the dry season, which spans from December to March, the average temperature goes down to 22.4 degrees Celsius or 72.3 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Because of its location in the tropical sphere as well as its location near the Atlantic Ocean, Guinea-Bissau receives of fairly high amount of rainfall. This rainfall is unevenly spread out with the coastal area receiving four times as much rainfall as the inland area. On average, Guinea-Bissau receives 182 centimetres or 71.6 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 37th highest in the world. 

The capital of Guinea-Bissau, Bissau, is a home to around 350,000 people. It is interesting to note that the capital that is closest located to Bissau is Banjul the Gambia, a state that does not border Guinea-Bissau. The distance to Banjul is 185.3 kilometers or 115.1 miles. The capital that is furthest located from Bissau is Honiara of the Solomon Islands with a distance of 19,496 kilometers or 12,114 miles. 

Since its independence, infighting as well as military coups have severely dampened economic growth. This has led to a decline in export due to damaged infrastructure and has forced the government of the Guinea-Bissau to accept loans from the international monetary fund. Because of limited economic prospects, a black market has been developed in Guinea-Bissau which is responsible for a large share of the export of narcotics to Europe. Most of its legal exports are in the form of agricultural goods such as nuts shrimp and palm oil. Most of these goods are being exported to India which is solely responsible for more than 85 percent of total exports. Most of its imports comes from Portugal and Senegal which combined are responsible for nearly 80 percent of total imports. 

Its purchasing power per capita is the 177th highest in the world with US$2072. 

Islam is followed by 45.1 percent of the population which makes it the 49th most Islamic state in the world. The Sunni denomination, with the Maliki school of thought represents more than 90 percent of all Muslims. The remaining 10 percent is largely represented by the Shia denomination. 

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Guinea-Bissau. 

There are no official Hindu organizations in Guinea-Bissau. 

Jews represent 0.03 percent of the population. These are mainly migrants from Cape Verde with a Jewish background. 

Other religions, mainly traditional African religions, are practiced by 19.75 percent of the population. However, there are many tribes that combine mainstream religion with indigenous traditional religions which makes it hard to find official statistics. 

Irreligion is represented by 2.78 percent of the population.