Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a West African country on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and one of the small African countries bordered by Senegal to the north and Guinea to the south and east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west was formerly called Portuguese Guinea and after independence the name of the capital Bissau was added to the name of Guinea to prevent confusion with the Republic of Guinea

Meadows and pastures cover about half of the land, while forests and bushes cover about a third. Guinea-Bissau extends to the Archipelago of Bisagos, a group of islands full of natural attractions off the west coast. The country penetrates many rivers, and the ocean waters penetrate deep inside the land. The cultivated areas represent a small portion of the land where the savannas cover the interior and the forests cover the coasts. The climate is tropical and it is divided into two seasons only. Monsoon rains occur, with southwest winds, between June and November

The population of Guinea-Bissau is about 1,586,000 people, according to the census [2005], while the 2002 census reached 1,345,479, and Africans constitute about 85% of the total population of the country. The rest, which is 15%, mostly includes groups of African and Portuguese dualities, known locally as mulattos. The lineage origins of the African population go back to about twenty ethnic groups. The arrangement of these ethnic groups by size is as follows: Balantan, Mangako, Fulani, Malanke or Mandingo and Hausa

Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 80% of the population living on less than a dollar a day. On December 16, 2000 the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank announced that Guinea-Bissau’s debt will be reduced by $ 790 million under the debt reduction program for the poorest countries

The economy of Guinea-Bissau is mainly dependent on agriculture, especially agriculture and animal husbandry, and has promising potentials in the areas of forestry and fishing. Among the most important agricultural products: rice, white corn, beans, cassava, American cashew, peanuts, cotton, wood, and fish. And the American cashew is especially the most important export product. The country is also rich in bauxite and phosphate

The Korobal River has great potential in hydroelectric generation. Guinea-Bissau relies on importing oil, although some riparian oil fields have been discovered. Industrial activity is limited and is limited to small industries associated with agriculture, for the production of light consumer goods

Large quantities of bauxite and phosphorus will be extracted at the beginning of the year 2010

Years of coups and civil wars have occurred and have been used in the past few years as a transit point for cocaine smugglers from Latin America to Europe. Political instability has increased over the past few years after Latin American drug smuggling gangs took advantage of weak police dominance on the coast and remote airports to smuggle cocaine through Africa to Europe. Smuggling gangs with vast resources and well-armed have speed boats and planes that have been able to purchase the cooperation of some senior officials of the army and government in one of the poorest countries in the world

Guinea-Bissau agricultural and mineral resources and its industrial potential remain untapped. More than 50% of the total workforce is employed in cultivating the land. As for the main agricultural crops, they include: beans, coconut, palm kernels, corn, peanuts and rice. During the liberation war, agricultural activity was disrupted, as large areas of agricultural land were destroyed. As a result of this situation, the countries that were exporting rice had to import it, to provide for their needs of this important food crop

Because of its small size, the industrial sector absorbs a small percentage of the total workforce in this country. The construction sector and the food industry are the most industrial sectors that absorb labor. Peanuts, cashews and shrimp are among the main exports of Guinea-Bissau. In addition, there are some other exports such as coconut and palm kernels that grow in abundance along the beaches of the Pegasus Islands. Fuel and cotton textiles are at the top of the list. Portugal is the main trading partner of Guinea-Bissau

After the end of the liberation war, increasing agricultural production was one of the main priorities of the government, with the aim of providing the country's food needs. That is why the state has worked to plan projects aimed at benefiting from uncultivated land and modernizing agricultural technologies. The aim of these projects was also to provide employment opportunities for those involved in liberation fights

The governments that followed independence also planned; To exploit the country's mineral wealth, such as bauxite, copper, phosphate, zinc and other minerals. However, due to political instability and the scarcity of trained and skilled workers, post-independence governments have had little success in implementing development projects

Guinea-Bissau suffers from a dearth of roads. That is why river transport is an essential means of transportation. The cashews, the Korobal, and the Zepa rivers are characterized by their depth of navigation, allowing the giant ships to cross these rivers at distances of up to about 130 km. Besides this, there are many small airports scattered in different parts of the country

Guinea-Bissau has a tropical climate with dry season and wet season. The average temperature during the dry season, which runs between December and May - about 23 ° C. In the wet season - which runs from June to November - the average temperature is around 28 ° C. The heavy rains reach their peak during the months of July and August. The average annual rainfall ranges between 240 cm in the central regions and 140 cm in the interior