Guinea-Bissau's Geography | Guinean Geography

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 land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 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: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use: arable land: 10.67% permanent crops: 8.82% other: 80.51% (2001)

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



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