Guinea-Bissau, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, has a swampy coast, with forests changing to grasslands in the east. Guerrilla warfare liberated a mix of ethnic groups from Portuguese rule in 1974. In 1994 the country’s first multiparty elections were held. An army uprising four years later led to a bloody 1998-99 civil war, which caused severe damage to the nation’s infrastructure. Political instability continued with a military coup in 2003. Guinea-Bissau is among the world’s least developed countries, with most people engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing—cashew nuts are the main export crop.
FAST FACTS
Population: 1,586,000
Capital: Bissau; 336,000
Area: 36,125 square kilometers (13,948 square miles)
Language: Portuguese, Crioulo, African languages
Religion:indigenous beliefs, Muslim, Christian
Currency: CFA franc
Life Expectancy: 45
GDP per Capita: U.S. $700
Literacy Percent: 42
ECONOMY
- Industry: Agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
- Agriculture: Rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca); timber; fish
- Exports: Cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber
Source: The National Geographic
CIA- The World Factbook
