Location & Area:

• Officially, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, a tropical nation with a coastline at the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa. It shares borders with Senegal and Guinea.
• It covers an area of 36,125 sq km (13,948 sq miles).

Capital:

• Bissau

National Day:

• September 24

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-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.

Population:

• 1,833,247 (July 2018 estimate)

Languages:

• Portuguese (official);
• Crioulo (lingua franca)

Flag:

• Flag of Guinea-Bissau is two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band.

Currency:

• CFA franc

Administrative divisions:

• It is divided into 9 regions: Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama/Bijagos, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara and Tombali.

Constitution:

• It was adopted in 1984, promulgated on May 16, 1984 and amended in 1991, 1993, 1996.

Regime:

• Semi-Presidential Republic

President of Guinea-Bissau:

• José Mário Vaz

Natural resources:

• Fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum.

Economy:

• Agriculture products: Rice, corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish.
• Industries: Agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks.
• Main exports: Fish, shrimp; cashews, peanuts, palm kernels, raw and sawn lumber.
• Main imports: Foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products.