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: 10.67%
permanent crops: 1.78%
other: 87.55% (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 2003 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea Geography 2003 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Guinea-Bissau Geography 2003 should be addressed to the CIA.