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: 36,125 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 28,120 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 8,005 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 138

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

Land boundaries:
total: 762 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (2): Guinea 421 km, Senegal 341 km

Coastline:
350 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]

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
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly low-lying coastal plain with a deeply indented estuarine coastline rising to savanna in east; numerous off-shore islands including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos consisting of 18 main islands and many small islets

Elevation:
mean elevation: 70 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m

Natural resources:
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use:
agricultural land: 44.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 8.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 6.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 29.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 55.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 0% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
approximately one-fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast; the remainder is distributed among the eight other, mainly rural, regions

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Environment - current issues:
deforestation (rampant felling of trees for timber and agricultural purposes); soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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