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Guinea Bissau is a West African country. It is bathed by
the Atlantic Ocean to the west and is bordered by
Senegal to the north and Guinea to the east and
south. Its surface is 36 120 km2 , including
the archipelago of Bijagós. The main cities are Bissau,
the capital, with 388 000 inhabitants (2009), Bafatá (22
521 inhab.), Gabú (14 430 inhab.), Mansôa (7821 inhab.)
And Catió (9898 inhab.). The relief of the country is
predominantly flat, with the coast deeply cut by wide
estuaries. The Bijagós archipelago is a string of
islands scattered off the coast. In the coastal
lowlands, the climate is humid tropical, with high
rainfall. Inland, the climate is dry tropical, with a
shorter rainy season.
Economy
The country's main economic activity is agriculture. The
crops for export are acaju nut and peanut while rice,
sweet potato, cassava, corn, sorghum and sugarcane
support the domestic market.
The industry is also in a state of underutilization,
based on small industries of food products (such as
frozen fish and preserves), palm oil, shelled peanuts,
textiles and drinks.
On the other hand, sectors such as fishing and
forestry have excellent prospects for
development. Guinea-Bissau's main trading partners are
Portugal, India, the Netherlands and China.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 0.2.
Population
The population was, in 2009, 1 449 230 inhabitants,
which is equivalent to a population density of 39.2
inhab./km2. The birth and death rates are,
respectively, 37.22% and 16.53%. Average life expectancy
is 46.87 years. The value of the Human Development Index
(HDI) is 0.373 and the value of the Gender-adjusted
Development Index (IDG) is 0.353 (2001). It is estimated
that, in 2025, the population will be 2 200 000
inhabitants. The main ethnic groups in Guinea-Bissau are
the Balantas (27%), the Fulas (23%), the Mandingas
(12%), the Manjacos (11%) and the Papers
(10%). Traditional beliefs are followed by 54% of the
population, while Muslims account for 38% and Christians
account for 8%. The official language is Portuguese.
History
In fact, and even though the origin of this country goes
back more than 1000 years ago (when the Guinean coastal
zone was occupied by farmers specialized in rice culture
and salt production, later forming the Gabu kingdom,
under the influence of the Mali empire), the Portuguese
are due to explore this territory. In 1446, Diogo Gomes
and Luís de Cadamosto arrived at the great rivers of
present-day Guinea-Bissau, but it was only 20 years
later that the Portuguese Crown formalized its
sovereignty over the then "Guinea of Cape Verde", in
order to ensure trade in slaves, first to the Cape Verde
islands, later to Brazil. However, Portugal had to fight
against the interests of France and England over the
territory, two powers that frequently boycotted
Portuguese activities, as happened in the exploration of
the factories of Cacheu (1588) and Bissau (1687). The
first negotiations took place in 1870, but only between
Portugal and France, coming to fruition only in 1905.
However, Portugal was imposing its territorial
ambitions, often through force, managing, in 1915, to
define the current Guinean borders.
The widespread peace experienced over the next five
decades was interrupted when, in 1961, the first attacks
by nationalist guerrillas against the Portuguese
administration took place. This movement, led by Amílcar
Cabral, founder of the African Party for the
Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC),
was inspired by the growth of African nationalism and
the consequent independence of neighboring countries,
such as Ghana and French Guinea. It was, moreover, in
the capital of this country (Conakri) that Amílcar
Cabral, in August 1961, declared an armed struggle
against the colonizing power. And until 1974 (one year
after Cabral's assassination), there was a war in the
territory, which would lead to independence on September
10 of that year, a fact related, above all, to the
overthrow of the dictatorial regime that lived in
Portugal. Luís de Almeida Cabral, Cape Verdean and half
brother of Amílcar Cabral, became the first president of
Guinea-Bissau, but in 1980, Guinean João Bernardo Vieira
led a coup that broke with the Cape Verde / Guinea
Bissau. The new president of the Council of State,
commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and
secretary-general of the PAIGC, was concerned, from then
on, to reestablish cultural and political ties with
Portugal, as a means of economic restructuring of the
country.
Until 1991, a Constitution was in force that allowed
only the existence of the PAIGC; this situation has
changed in order to avoid dissatisfaction on the part of
the four main ethnic groups, the Balantas Bassa, the
Fulas, the Mandingas and the Manjacos, although the
formation of parties with tribal, regional or even
religious roots was not authorized.
On March 21, 1994, Vieira postponed the first
multiparty presidential and legislative elections,
arguing with insufficient logistical and economic
conditions. The elections ended on July 3 of that year,
with Vieira's main opponent being the leader of the
Social Renewal Party (PRS), Kumba Ialá. The first
results gave Vieira an insufficient victory, which
forced a second round to be held, the results of which,
although all opposition parties supported Ialá, were
favorable to Vieira, who obtained more than 52% of the
votes.
Between June and August 1998, Guinea-Bissau
experienced a period of civil war. A group of military
personnel from the armed forces, led by Ansumane Mané,
revolted against the policy of President Nino Vieira,
who reacted to the attack using the support of
Senegalese forces to fight the rebels.
Despite the ceasefire, signed on August 25, 1998,
military offensives continued and, in May 1999, Nino
Vieira applied for asylum to Portugal, which allowed him
to enter the country. The Junta Militar, which then
governed Guinea-Bissau, did not authorize Vieira's
departure without first going through a trial in a
national court. In the January 2000 elections, the PAIGC
leader lost to Kumba Ialá, one of the founders of the
PRS, who became president of the country until September
2003, when he resigned after a military coup to
overthrow him. In the face of the country's economic and
social crisis, the Armed Forces chief of staff claimed
Kumba Ialá's inability to resolve the most pressing
problems of the Guinean people. A Military Committee for
the Reposition of the Constitutional and Democratic
Order (CMROCD) was created, which announced two names
for the positions of interim President of the Republic
and Prime Minister, Henrique Rosa and Artur Sanha
(Secretary General of the PRS), respectively. In the
legislative elections held in late March 2004, the
winner was PAIGC, led by Carlos Gomes Júnior, who did
not reach an absolute majority. After six years in
exile, Nino Vieira returned to the country and decided
to run for the presidential elections in July 2005,
which gave him the victory, becoming once again the
president of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. At the end
of October of the same year, Carlos Gomes Júnior was
dismissed by the head of state and replaced by Aristides
Gomes as prime minister.
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