Guinea-Bissau Geography Profile 2008

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Geographic coordinates

12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries

total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Coastline

350 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain

mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m

Natural resources

fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use

arable land: 8.31%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 84.77% (2005)

Irrigated land

250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

31 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%)
per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland