The geography of Guinea-Bissau

Geographic location

Situated in West Africa, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau borders Senegal to the north and east, Guinea to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. In terms of area, the Guyanese territory occupies the position of 135th largest country in the world. For comparison, with 36,126 km², Guinea-Bissau is larger than countries such as Belgium, Haiti and Israel.

The country consists of a continental part, where is located its capital and most populous city, Bissau, and an island part, the Bijagós Archipelago. The archipelago, which was classified by UNESCO in 1996, is a protected reserve of the biosphere, formed by about 88 islands, less than 20 of which are inhabited. The main island of the Archipelago is called Bubaque and is part of the Orango National Park, which is a habitat of saltwater hippos.

Five geographical areas can be distinguished in the Bijagós Archipelago: the northwest zone, where you can find Caravela, Keré and Carache; the northeast, where Taiwan, Ponta and May are located; the south zone, where are Orangozinho, Meneque, Canogo, Orango Grande; the eastern area, where the Island of Galinhas, Canhabaque, Soga, Rubane and Bubaque are located; and, finally, the west side, where the islands of Uno, Uracane, Eguba, Unhocomozinho and Unhocomo are located. In addition to the aforementioned Orango National Park, there is another marine national park, the João Vieira and Poilão National Park, and the Community Protected Marine Area of the Formosa, Nago and Tchediã Islands (Urok).

Territory

The territory of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau is divided administratively between the autonomous sector of Bissau and eight other regions: Bafatá, Biombo, Bolama/Bijagós, Cacheu, Gabú, Oio, Quinara and Tombali. In turn, these eight regions are divided into 36 sectors, which are divided into several sections. Such sections are composed of villages, called Tabancas. Not only the precariousness and lack of accessibility leave these villages very far from the capital, for example, but also the very geography of the country.

Due to its rivers and rivers (which are geomorphological accidents that present themselves as river valleys around the mouth of a river, in which a coastal valley remains submerged under the waters), often a distance that in a straight line does not represent a very large longitude, in reality, ends up taking hours to be traveled. This is because, by road, it is necessary to make long detours and bypass many geographical accidents until you reach the final destination.

Guinea-Bissau is a country that extends over a low altitude area, with its highest point being only 300 meters above sea level. The interior of the country is formed by savannas and its coastline is formed by a marshy plain. During the rainy season, which takes place between the months of May and October, almost 1/3 of the Guinean territory is flooded. During the dry season, warm winds come from the Sahara desert.