Geography of Guinea-Bissau
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: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 250 sq km (2003) |
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, 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 further inland |