World Factbook
Guinea-Bissau
Republica da Guine-Bissau
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
28,120 sq km
water
8,005 sq km
total
36,125 sq km
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-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
Land use
other
0% (2023 est.)
forest
75% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
29.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 14.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 8.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 6.9% (2023 est.)
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Coastline
350 km
Elevation
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Dongol Ronde 277 m
mean elevation
70 m
Irrigated land
250 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
762 km
border countries
Guinea 421 km; Senegal 341 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Geography - note
this small country is swampy along its western coast and is low-lying inland
Natural resources
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Area - comparative
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Geographic coordinates
12 00 N, 15 00 W
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 mainly rural regions, as shown in this population distribution map