Guinea-Bissau

Country	Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Capital	Bissau
Independence	24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)
National holiday	Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Population	1,660,870 (July 2013 est.)
Sex ratio	1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.58 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Nationality	Bissau-Guinean(s)
Religions	Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%
Languages	Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Literacy	age 15 and over can read and write total population: 55.3% male: 68.9% female: 42.1% (2011 est.)
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 land: 28,120 sq km water: 8,005 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 elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m
Natural resources	fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Industries	Agricultural products processing, Beer, Soft drinks
Exports - commodities	Fish, Shrimp; Cashew nuts, Peanuts, Palm kernels, Sawn lumber
Imports - commodities	Foodstuffs, Machinery and transport equipment, Petroleum products
Land use	arable land: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005)
Irrigated land	250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	31 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%) per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)
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, 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