Guinea-Bissau

Bissau serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Guinea-Bissau, positioned in Western Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Bafatá, Gabú — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Bissau is the capital of one of Africa's smallest and poorest countries, its administrative buildings including a large derelict presidential palace — built by the Portuguese and abandoned mid-construction at independence in 1974 — that stands as an accidental monument to the interrupted colonial project, while the active Bandim Market nearby represents the resilient informal economy that sustains daily life.

With a population of approximately 2.1M, Guinea-Bissau is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Portuguese, Creole, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Guinea-Bissau is reached via the dialling code +245. Guinea-Bissau's multiple ethnic groups — Fula, Balanta, Mandinka, Manjaco, and others — navigated independence from Portugal in 1974 under Amílcar Cabral's PAIGC movement, producing one of Africa's few independence leaders (Cabral was assassinated in 1973) whose intellectual legacy as a political thinker influenced liberation movements across the continent.

Guinea-Bissau spans 36,125 km², in the Western Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 12.0°N, 15.0°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.

The official currency is the West African CFA franc (Fr), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Guinea-Bissau's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

Football holds a special place in the heart of Guinea-Bissau's national identity. Football is Guinea-Bissau's dominant sport, with the national team's Africa Cup of Nations qualification becoming a significant national achievement for a country with fewer than 2 million people — but the Balanta ethnic group's wrestling traditions, performed at harvest celebrations, represent the athletic culture that predates football by centuries.

The highest point in Guinea-Bissau is Unnamed peak (Boé), rising to 262 metres above sea level. The Bijagós Archipelago off Guinea-Bissau's coast — 88 islands and islets, only 20 inhabited — is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve harbouring the world's largest hippopotamus population living in a marine (rather than freshwater) environment, nesting sea turtles including the largest Atlantic green turtle nesting site, and 150,000 wintering shorebirds using the tidal mudflats as a refuelling stop on Atlantic flyways.