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

Geographic coordinates 12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map references Africa

Area
total: 36,120 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km

Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries
total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Coastline 350 km

Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

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 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: 11%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 87% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 170 sq km (1998 est.)

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, Law of the Sea, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland

NOTE: The information regarding Guinea-Bissau on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea-Bissau Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Guinea-Bissau Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.