Geography of Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau's topography.

The terrain of Guinea-Bissau is mostly low coastal plain with swamps of Guinean mangroves rising to Guinean forest-savanna mosaic in the east.[1] A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,203km² of tidal flats in Guinea-Bissau, making it the 28th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area. [2]

The lowest point on Guinea-Bissau is at sea level at the Atlantic Ocean.[1] The highest point in Guinea-Bissau is Monte Torin with an elevation of 262 m (860 ft).[1]

Natural resources found in Guinea-Bissau include fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone and unexploited deposits of petroleum.[1] 10.67% of the land is arable and 235.6 square kilometres are irrigated.[1]

Natural hazards include a hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze that may reduce visibility during the dry season and brush fires.[1] Severe environmental issues include deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing and overfishing.[1]

Near the Senegal border there have been historic sightings of the painted hunting dog, Lycaon pictus, but that endangered canid may now be extirpated in that locale.[3]

Guinea-Bissau's climate is tropical. This means it is generally hot and humid. It has a monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds and a dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds.[1]

Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The average rainfall for the capital city Bissau is 2,024 millimetres (79.7 in) although this is almost entirely accounted for during the rainy season which falls between June and September/October. From December through April, the country receives very little rainfall.

Typical scenery in Guinea-Bissau.

Eastern Guinea-Bissau High plain mountains near the border with Guinea

Praia de Ofir, Bijagós Islands, Guinea-Bissau

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

12°00′N 15°00′W

Map references

Area

• Total: 36,125 km²
• Land: 28,120 km²
• Water: 8,005 km²

Area—comparative

Slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries

• Total: 762 km
• Border countries: Guinea 421 km, Senegal 341 km

Coastline

350 km

Maritime claims

• Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
• Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)

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, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use

• Arable land: 10.67%
• Permanent crops: 8.89%
• Other: 80.44% (2012 est.)

Irrigated land

223.6 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources

31 km³

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

• Total: 0.18 km³/yr (18%/6%/76%)
• Per capita: 135.7 m³/yr (2005)

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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
• Signed, but not ratified: None of the selected agreements[1]

This is a list of the extreme points of Guinea-Bissau, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point – the northern section of the border with Senegal*
• Easternmost point – unnamed location on the border with Guinea immediately south-west of the Guinean village of Sofan, Gabú Region
• Southernmost point – unnamed headland on Ilha Cataque, Tombali Region
• Westernmost point - Cape Roxo at the point where the border with Senegal enters the Atlantic Ocean, Cacheu Region
• *Note: Guinea-Bissau does not have a northernmost point, the border here being formed by a straight horizontal line

• Guinea-Bissau

• C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
• U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.