GUINEA-BISSAU

Officialname:RépublicadaGuiné-BissauFormofgovernment:Republicwithonelegislativehouse(NationalPeople’sAssembly[1022])Headofstate:PresidentJoséMárioVazHeadofgovernment:PrimeMinisterUmaroSissocoEmbaloCapitalBissauOfficiallanguage:PortugueseOfficialreligion:none

Monetaryunit:CFAfrancPopulation:1,834,000Totalarea:(sqmi)13,948Urban-ruralpopulation

Urban:48.6% Rural:51.4%Lifeexpectancy:

Male:(2015)48.2 Female:(2015)52.3Literacy:Male:68.2%Female:48.3%GNIpercapita:(U.S.$)590

INTRODUCTION WhentheformercolonyofPortugueseGuineawonitsindependencein1974aftermorethan10yearsofwarfare,itbecametheRepublicofGuinea-Bissau,asmallWestAfricannation.TheBijagósArchipelago,lyingoffthecoasttothesouthwest,formspartofthecountry.ItisoneofthepoorestcountriesinAfrica,andthenameGuinearemainsasourceofdebate.ItisperhapsaversionofanAmazigh(Berber)wordmeaning“landoftheblacks.”Thecountryalsousesthenameofitscapital,Bissau,todistinguishitfromGuinea,itsneighbortotheeastandsouth.LANDandCLIMATEAlthoughsmall,thecountrycanbedividedintothreeregions:coastallowlands,theinteriorplain,andthenortheasternhighlands.Rainfallishighestalongthecoast,averaging100inches(254centimeters)peryear.Butislessthan50inches(130centimeters)inthehighlands.AprilandMayarethehottestmonths,andtemperaturescanreachthehigh90sF.Guinea-Bissau’sthreeecologicalzones—thetidalestuaries,theheavilyforestedinteriorplain,andthesavanna—arehometoremarkablydiversefloraandfauna.Aquaticbirdssuchasflamingosandpelicansareespeciallynumerousinthecoastalswamps,whicharealsoinhabitedbyavarietyofreptilessuchassnakes,crocodiles,andendangeredseaturtles.Thearealsohometoauniquebreedofsaltwaterhippopotamuses.Intheplainsandforests,lizards,gazelles,antelopes,monkeysandapes,parrots,hyenas,andleopardsabound.PEOPLEThefourmajorethnicgroupsinthepopulationaretheBalante,Fulani,Mandyako,andMalinke.TheofficiallanguageisPortuguese,butCrioulo,amixtureofPortugueseandnationaldialectscameaboutduringtheslavetrade,isspokenthroughoutthecountry.Some40percentofthepeoplepracticeIslam,andanotherone-fifthisCatholic.Muchoftherestofthepopulationpracticestraditionalbeliefs,includingworshipingancestorsand

animals.

PopulationgrowthinGuinea-BissauislowerthanthatoftherestoftheAfricancontinent.LifeexpectancyforbothmenandwomeniswellbelowtheAfricanaverageandsubstantiallylowerthantheworldaverage,andinfantmortalityishigh.ThepopulationofGuinea-Bissauis,onthewhole,veryyoung:abouttwo-fifthsofthepopulationisunderage15andabouttwo-thirdsunder30.Guinea-Bissaudoesnothaveasignificantexpatriatepopulationlivingoutsidethecountry,exceptthoseintheneighboringcountriesofGuineaandSenegal.

Thepoorperformanceoftheeconomyhasledtoavarietyofsocialills.Healthconditionsareamongtheworstintheworld.Illiteracyisextremelyhigh,andonlyabout40percentofschoolagedchildren(7-14)attendschool.ECONOMY Guinea-Bissauisunderdeveloped.About60percentofnationalproductioncomesfromagriculture,mostatthesubsistencelevelwhich.Andfarmingemploysmorethan75percentofthelaborforce.Leadingcropsincluderice,millet,rootsandtubers,andvariousfruits.Sincemorethan70percentofthelandisforested,woodisthemostcommonfuel.Muchlumberisalsousedforindustrialpurposes.Woodproductsareamongthecountry’sleadingexports;cashewnutsarebyfarthetopexport,however.

HISTORYThepre-colonialhistoryofGuinea-Bissauhasnotbeenfullydocumentedinthearchaeologicalrecord.Though,theareahasbeenoccupiedforatleastamillennium,firstbyhuntersandgatherersandlaterbydecentralizedagriculturalistswhousedironimplementsfortheirricefarming.Startinginthe13thcenturygold,slaves,andmarinesaltwereexportedfromGuineatowardtheinterioroftheMaliempire,whichruleoverthearea,whichwwasthenknownasGuinea-Bissau.ContactswiththeEuropeanworldbeganwiththePortugueseexplorersandtraderswhoarrivedinthefirsthalfofthe15thcentury.AlthoughPortugalhadlongclaimedit,Portuguesecontroloverthecolonywasnotachieveduntil1915.ResistancetoPortugueseruleeruptedin1961,andindependencewaswonin1974.Initially,Guinea-Bissauwasasocialistdictatorship.Politicalunrestcontinuedafterindependence,andthegovernmentwasoverthrowninamilitarycoupin1980.Thecoupwasstagedinprotestagainstpartofthe1980constitutionthatpromotedCapeVerdedominationinitsunificationwithGuinea-Bissau.Underanewconstitutionin1984theCouncilofStatereplacedtheRevolutionaryCouncilthathadtakenoverthecountryfouryearsearlier.InMay1991theparliamentlegalizedoppositionparties,ending17yearsofone-partyrule.Thecountryhelditsfirstmultipartyelectionsin1994.Anattemptedmilitarycoupin1998developedintoabloodycivilwar,followedbyasuccessfulmilitarycoupin1999.Electionswereheldagainin2000,but

coupattemptscontinued.Theelectedpresidentwasoverthrownbyanothermilitarycoupin2003.Underatransitionalgovernment,legislativeelectionswereheldin2004,andinthe2005presidentialelection,JoãoBernardoVieira(whowasinpowerfrom1980to1999)emergedthevictor.MountingconflictbetweenthemilitaryeliteandVieira’sadministrationgeneratedincreasingdomesticinstability.Vieirasurvivedtwocoupattemptsin2008.InMarch2009,however,hewasassassinatedbysoldiersinretaliationforabombattackthathadclaimedthelifeofthechiefofthearmedforces.ParliamentaryleaderRaimundoPereiratookpowerasinterimpresident,andnewelectionswereheldinJuneandJuly.MalamBacaiSanháwonthepresidencyinarunoffvoteandwasswornintoofficeonSeptember8.FUNFACT:Thecountriesproportionoflandunderforest(73percent)isthesecondhighestinAfricaafterGabonFUNFACT:OffthecoastofGuinea-BissauistheBijagosArchipelago,agroupofabout88islandsandisletslocatedintheAtlanticOcean.Onlysome20islandsarepopulatedyear-round.FUNFACT:Thecountryisnowtheworld’ssixth-largestproducerofcashews.FUNFACT:ThecountrymadeitsOlympicdebutatthe1996AtlantaGames,whereitcompetedinwrestlingevents.