Guinea-Bissau vs. Guinea
Geography
| Guinea-Bissau | Guinea | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone |
| Geographic coordinates | 12 00 N, 15 00 W | 11 00 N, 10 00 W |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 36,125 sq km land: 28,120 sq km water: 8,005 sq km | total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,717 sq km water: 140 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut | slightly smaller than Oregon; slightly larger than twice the size of Pennsylvania |
| Land boundaries | total: 762 km border countries (2): Guinea 421 km, Senegal 341 km | total: 4,046 km border countries (6): Cote d'Ivoire 816 km, Guinea-Bissau 421 km, Liberia 590 km, Mali 1062 km, Senegal 363 km, Sierra Leone 794 km |
| Coastline | 350 km | 320 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| 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 | 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 | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 70 m | highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 472 m |
| Natural resources | fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt |
| Land use | agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.) forest: 55.2% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 58.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 43.5% (2018 est.) forest: 26.5% (2018 est.) other: 15.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 250 sq km (2012) | 950 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation (rampant felling of trees for timber and agricultural purposes); soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing | deforestation; inadequate potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices lead to environmental damage; water pollution; improper waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo River have their sources in the Guinean highlands |
| Total renewable water resources | 31.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 226 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| 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 other, mainly rural, regions as shown in this population distribution map | areas of highest density are in the west and south; interior is sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
