Geography
Guinea-Bissau
Area
land
28,120 sq km
water
8,005 sq km
total
36,125 sq km
Climate
tropical; typically hot and humid; a monsoonal rainy season occurring from June to November influenced by southwesterly winds; a dry season from December to May characterized by northeasterly harmattan winds
Terrain
predominantly a low-lying coastal plain with a highly indented estuarine coastline, transitioning to savanna in the east; features many offshore islands, including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos, which comprises 18 primary islands and numerous smaller islets
Land use
other
0% (2023 est.)
forest
75% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
29.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 14.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 8.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 6.9% (2023 est.)
Location
Located in Western Africa, it lies along the North Atlantic Ocean, situated between Guinea and Senegal
Coastline
350 km
Elevation
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Dongol Ronde 277 m
mean elevation
70 m
Irrigated land
250 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
762 km
border countries
Guinea 421 km; Senegal 341 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
during the dry season, the hot, dry, and dusty harmattan haze may impair visibility; occurrences of brush fires
Geography - note
this small nation exhibits swampy terrain along its western coastline and has low-lying areas inland
Natural resources
resources include fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, and untapped petroleum deposits
Area - comparative
slightly less than three times the area of Connecticut
Geographic coordinates
12 00 N, 15 00 W
Population distribution
around one fifth of the population resides in the capital city of Bissau on the Atlantic coast; the rest is spread across eight predominantly rural regions, as depicted in this population distribution map