Geography of Guinea-Bissau

File:Guinea-Bissau Topography.png

The terrain of Guinea-Bissau is mostly low coastal plain with swamps of Guinean mangroves rising to Guinean forest-savanna mosaic in the east. A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,203km² of tidal flats in Guinea-Bissau, making it the 28th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area. {{cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=N.J. |last2=Phinn |first2=S.R. |last3=DeWitt |first3=M. |last4=Ferrari |first4=R. |last5=Johnston |first5=R. |last6=Lyons |first6=M.B. |last7=Clinton |first7=N. |last8=Thau |first8=D. |last9=Fuller |first9=R.A. |title=The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats |journal=Nature |date=2019 |volume=565 |issue=7738 |pages=222–225 |doi=10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8 |pmid=30568300 |s2cid=56481043 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0805-8}}

Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid impact occurred 400 km of the west-African coast. The 2022 discovered Nadir buried Crater has a diameter of 9 km. The impact caused an earthquake of 6.5 magnitude and created a 1 km high tsunami. The combined forces could be an explanation for the extremely scarred coastline of Guinea-Bissau.

The lowest point on Guinea-Bissau is at sea level at the Atlantic Ocean. The highest point in Guinea-Bissau is Dongol Ronde with an elevation of {{convert|277|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa authored in 1992 cites Fouta Djallon at {{convert|262|m|ft|abbr=on}} as the highest.{{Cite book |last=Sayer |first=Jeffrey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zv2wCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA200 |title=The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa |date=1992-06-18 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-349-12961-4 |language=en |quote="Fouta Djallon in Guinea, the highest point in Guinea-Bissau being only 262m"}}

Natural resources found in Guinea-Bissau include fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone and unexploited deposits of petroleum. 10.67% of the land is arable and 235.6 square kilometres are irrigated.

Natural hazards include a hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze that may reduce visibility during the dry season and brush fires. Severe environmental issues include deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing and overfishing.

Near the Senegal border there have been historic sightings of the painted hunting dog, Lycaon pictus, but that endangered canid may now be extirpated in that locale.C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101209234758/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209234758/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 |date=December 9, 2010 }}

{{Further|Climate change in Africa}}

Guinea-Bissau's climate is tropical. This means it is generally hot and humid. It has a monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds and a dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds.[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/guinea-bissau/ U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. World Factbook]

File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 GNB 1991–2020.svg

Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages {{convert|26.3|C|F}}. The average rainfall for the capital city Bissau is {{convert|2024|mm|in|1}} although this is almost entirely accounted for during the rainy season which falls between June and September/October. From December through April, the country receives very little rainfall.

File:Climate diagram of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.svg

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (1974–1994)

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 36.7

|Feb record high C = 38.3

|Mar record high C = 38.9

|Apr record high C = 41.1

|May record high C = 39.4

|Jun record high C = 35.6

|Jul record high C = 33.3

|Aug record high C = 32.8

|Sep record high C = 33.9

|Oct record high C = 34.4

|Nov record high C = 35.0

|Dec record high C = 35.6

|year record high C = 41.1

|Jan high C = 31.1

|Feb high C = 32.8

|Mar high C = 33.9

|Apr high C = 33.3

|May high C = 32.8

|Jun high C = 31.1

|Jul high C = 29.4

|Aug high C = 30.0

|Sep high C = 30.0

|Oct high C = 31.1

|Nov high C = 31.7

|Dec high C = 30.6

|year high C = 31.5

|Jan mean C = 24.4

|Feb mean C = 25.6

|Mar mean C = 26.6

|Apr mean C = 27.0

|May mean C = 27.5

|Jun mean C = 26.9

|Jul mean C = 26.1

|Aug mean C = 26.4

|Sep mean C = 26.4

|Oct mean C = 27.0

|Nov mean C = 26.9

|Dec mean C = 24.8

|year mean C = 26.3

|Jan low C = 17.8

|Feb low C = 18.3

|Mar low C = 19.4

|Apr low C = 20.6

|May low C = 22.2

|Jun low C = 22.8

|Jul low C = 22.8

|Aug low C = 22.8

|Sep low C = 22.8

|Oct low C = 22.8

|Nov low C = 22.2

|Dec low C = 18.9

|year low C = 21.1

|Jan record low C = 12.2

|Feb record low C = 13.3

|Mar record low C = 15.6

|Apr record low C = 16.7

|May record low C = 17.2

|Jun record low C = 19.4

|Jul record low C = 19.4

|Aug record low C = 19.4

|Sep record low C = 19.4

|Oct record low C = 20.0

|Nov record low C = 15.0

|Dec record low C = 12.8

|year record low C = 12.2

|Jan rain mm = 0.5

|Feb rain mm = 0.8

|Mar rain mm = 0.5

|Apr rain mm = 0.8

|May rain mm = 17.3

|Jun rain mm = 174.8

|Jul rain mm = 472.5

|Aug rain mm = 682.5

|Sep rain mm = 434.9

|Oct rain mm = 194.8

|Nov rain mm = 41.4

|Dec rain mm = 2.0

|rain colour = green

|Jan sun = 248

|Feb sun = 226

|Mar sun = 279

|Apr sun = 270

|May sun = 248

|Jun sun = 210

|Jul sun = 186

|Aug sun = 155

|Sep sun = 180

|Oct sun = 217

|Nov sun = 240

|Dec sun = 248

|source 1 = Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial{{cite web

| url = http://www.ucm.es/info/cif/station/gu-bissa.htm

| title = GUINEA-BISSAU - BISSAU

| access-date = 2011-10-04

| publisher = Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas

| archive-date = 2007-08-07

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070807092004/http://www.ucm.es/info/cif/station/gu-bissa.htm

| url-status = live

}}

|source 2 = World Climate Guides (sunshine only){{cite web

| url = http://www.ucm.es/info/cif/station/gu-bissa.htm

| title = Bissau Climate Guide

| access-date = 2011-10-04

| publisher = Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas

| archive-date = 2007-08-07

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070807092004/http://www.ucm.es/info/cif/station/gu-bissa.htm

| url-status = live

}}

|date=August 2010

}}

{{Main|Bissagos Islands}}

File:Paesaggio Guinea-Bissau0001.JPG

File:20130613-DSC_9133_(9291669831)_(2).jpg near the border with Guinea]]

File:Praia de Ofir, Bolama, Guiné-Bissau – 2018-03-03 – DSCN1195.jpg, Guinea-Bissau]]

File:GuineaBissau2025OSM.png

; Location

: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

; Geographic coordinates

: {{coord|12|00|N|15|00|W|type:country}}

; Map references

; Area:

:* Total: 36,125 km²

:**country rank in the world: 134th

:* Land: 28,120 km²

:* Water: 8,005 km²

; Area comparative

:* Australia comparative: slightly more than {{sfrac|1|2}} the size of Tasmania

:* Canada comparative: approximately {{sfrac|1|2}} the size of New Brunswick

:* United Kingdom comparative: approximately {{sfrac|3|5}} larger than Wales

:* United States comparative: approximately {{sfrac|1|8}} larger than Maryland

:* EU comparative: slightly more than {{sfrac|1|2}} the size of Ireland

; Land boundaries

;* Total: 762 km

;* Border countries: Guinea 421 km, Senegal 341 km

; Coastline

: 350 km

; Maritime claims

;* Territorial sea: {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on}}

;* Exclusive economic zone: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}}

; Terrain

: Mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

; Elevation extremes:

:* Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

; Natural resources

: Fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum

; Land use:

:* Arable land: 10.67%

:* Permanent crops: 8.89%

:* Other: 80.44% (2012 est.)

; Irrigated land

: 223.6 km² (2003)

; Total renewable water resources

: 31 km³

; Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

:* Total: 0.18 km³/yr (18%/6%/76%)

:* Per capita: 135.7 m³/yr (2005)

; 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

:* Signed, but not ratified: None of the selected agreements

This is a list of the extreme points of Guinea-Bissau, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point – the northern section of the border with Senegal*
• Easternmost point – unnamed location on the border with Guinea immediately south-west of the Guinean village of Sofan, Gabú Region
• Southernmost point – unnamed headland on Ilha Cataque, Tombali Region
• Westernmost point - Cape Roxo at the point where the border with Senegal enters the Atlantic Ocean, Cacheu Region
• *Note: Guinea-Bissau does not have a northernmost point, the border here being formed by a parallel of latitude.

• Guinea-Bissau

{{Reflist}}

• C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101209234758/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg]
• U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/guinea-bissau/]

{{Guinea-Bissau topics}}

{{Geography of Africa}}

{{Africa topic|Climate of}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of Guinea-Bissau}}