Guinea-Bissau

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

• 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

agricultural land:

29.9% (2023 est.)

arable land:

14.1% (2023 est.)

permanent crops:

8.9% (2023 est.)

permanent pasture:

6.9% (2023 est.)

forest:

75% (2023 est.)

other:

0% (2023 est.)

• approximately one fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast;
• the remainder is distributed among the eight mainly rural regions, as shown in this population distribution map

noun:

Bissau-Guinean(s)

adjective:

Bissau-Guinean

total:

18.5 years (2025 est.)

male:

17.8 years

female:

18.9 years

• approximately one fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast;
• the remainder is distributed among the eight mainly rural regions, as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

45.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

52 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

40.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

64.5 years (2024 est.)

male:

62.2 years

female:

66.8 years

total:

3.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

1.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

6.7% (2025 est.)

male:

13.2% (2025 est.)

female:

0.5% (2025 est.)

women married by age 15:

8.1% (2019)

women married by age 18:

25.7% (2019)

men married by age 18:

2.2% (2019)

• deforestation (overharvesting of trees for timber and agricultural purposes);
• soil erosion;
• overgrazing;
• overfishing

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

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

agricultural land:

29.9% (2023 est.)

arable land:

14.1% (2023 est.)

permanent crops:

8.9% (2023 est.)

permanent pasture:

6.9% (2023 est.)

forest:

75% (2023 est.)

other:

0% (2023 est.)

urban population:

45.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

289,500 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

10.1% (2022 est.)

municipal:

34.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

11.9 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

144 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Guinea-Bissau

conventional short form:

Guinea-Bissau

local long form:

Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form:

Guine-Bissau

former:

Portuguese Guinea

etymology:

• the country is partly named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea;
• the name itself is derived from the Tuareg word aginaw , meaning "black people;" Bissau, the name of the capital city, distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea and is derived from the local Bijuga people

name:

Bissau

geographic coordinates:

11 51 N, 15 35 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the name is derived from the local Bijuga people and is used to distinguish the country from neighboring Guinea

• mixed system of civil law, which incorporated Portuguese law at independence;
• influenced by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), African Francophone Public Law, and customary law

history:

promulgated 16 May 1984

amendment process:

• proposed by the National People’s Assembly if supported by at least one third of its members, by the Council of State (a presidential consultant body), or by the government;
• passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly;
• constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government and national sovereignty cannot be amended

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

legislature name:

People's National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular)

legislative structure:

unicameral

number of seats:

102 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

proportional representation

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

11/23/2025

parties elected and seats per party:

• Inclusive Alliance Platform/Terra Coalition (54);
• Movement for Democratic Alternation (MADEM G.15) (29);
• Party for Social Renewal (PRS) (12);
• Bissau-Guinean Workers’ Party (6);
• Other (1)

percentage of women in chamber:

9.8%

expected date of next election:

November 2029

highest court(s):

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (consists of 9 judges and organized into Civil, Criminal, and Social and Administrative Disputes Chambers)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges nominated by the Higher Council of the Magistrate, a major government organ responsible for judge appointments, dismissals, and judiciary discipline;
• judges appointed by the president for life

subordinate courts:

• Appeals Court;
• regional (first instance) courts;
• military court

note: the Supreme Court has both appellate and constitutional jurisdiction

• African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde or PAIGC
• Democratic Convergence Party or PCD
• Movement for Democratic Alternation Group of 15 or MADEM-G15
• National People’s Assembly – Democratic Party of Guinea Bissau or APU-PDGB
• New Democracy Party or PND
• Party for Social Renewal or PRS
• Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID
• Union for Change or UM

chief of mission:

Ambassador Maria Da Conceição NOBRE CABRAL (since 18 September 2024)

chancery:

918 16th Street, NW (Mezzanine Suite); Washington DC 20006

telephone:

[1] (202) 872-4222

FAX:

[1] (202) 872-4226

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael RAYNOR (since 20 April 2022)

mailing address:

2080 Bissau Place, Washington DC 20521-2080

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://gw.usmission.gov/

title:

"Esta e a Nossa Patria Bem Amada" (This is Our Beloved Country)

lyrics/music:

Amilcar Lopes CABRAL/XIAO He

history:

• adopted 1974;
• a delegation from Portuguese Guinea visited China in 1963 and heard music by XIAO He;
• Amilcar Lopes CABRAL, the leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement, asked the composer to create a piece that would inspire his people to fight for independence

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagós Archipelago – Omatí Minhô (n)

• extremely poor West African economy;
• ethnically diverse labor force;
• increasing government expenditures;
• slight inflation due to food supply disruptions;
• major cashew exporter;
• systemic banking instabilities and corruption;
• vulnerable to oil price shocks

total:

2.8% (2024 est.)

male:

3.4% (2024 est.)

female:

2% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

3.4% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

26.1% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

total subscriptions:

0 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2022 est.) less than 1

• 1 state-owned TV station, Televisao da Guine-Bissau (TGB) and a second station, Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP) Africa, operated by Portuguese public broadcaster (RTP);
• 1 state-owned radio station, several private radio stations, and some community radio stations;
• multiple international broadcasters are available (2019)

total:

7,000 (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2023 est.) less than 1

total ports:

2 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

0

very small:

2

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Bissau, Rio Cacheu

• the Armed Forces (FARP) are focused on external security, but also has some internal security duties;
• the FARP and the paramilitary National Guard have been influential in the country’s politics since independence and have attempted several coups;
• since the 2000s, the FARP has undergone various attempts at defense and security sector reforms under the auspices of the African Union, the EU, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), and the UN (2025)