Guinea-Bissau vs. Senegal
Geography
| Guinea-Bissau | Senegal | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
| Geographic coordinates | 12 00 N, 15 00 W | 14 00 N, 14 00 W |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 36,125 sq km land: 28,120 sq km water: 8,005 sq km | total: 196,722 sq km land: 192,530 sq km water: 4,192 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut | slightly smaller than South Dakota; slightly larger than twice the size of Indiana |
| Land boundaries | total: 762 km border countries (2): Guinea 421 km, Senegal 341 km | total: 2,684 km border countries (5): The Gambia 749 km, Guinea 363 km, Guinea-Bissau 341 km, Mali 489 km, Mauritania 742 km |
| Coastline | 350 km | 531 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| 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 | tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind |
| Terrain | mostly low-lying coastal plain with a deeply indented estuarine coastline rising to savanna in east; numerous off-shore islands including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos consisting of 18 main islands and many small islets | generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 70 m | highest point: unnamed elevation 2.8 km southeast of Nepen Diaka 648 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 69 m |
| Natural resources | fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum | fish, phosphates, iron ore |
| Land use | agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.) forest: 55.2% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 46.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 17.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.1% (2018 est.) forest: 43.8% (2018 est.) other: 9.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 250 sq km (2012) | 1,200 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires | lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation (rampant felling of trees for timber and agricultural purposes); soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; periodic droughts; seasonal flooding; overfishing; weak environmental protective laws; wildlife populations threatened by poaching |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland | westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal |
| Total renewable water resources | 31.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 38.97 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | approximately one-fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast; the remainder is distributed among the eight other, mainly rural, regions as shown in this population distribution map | the population is concentrated in the west, with Dakar anchoring a well-defined core area; approximately 70% of the population is rural as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
