Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau (), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( ), is a sovereign state in West Africa. It covers  with an estimated population of .

Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Gabu, as well as part of the Mali Empire. Parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century, while a few others were under some rule by the Portuguese Empire since the 16th century. In the 15th century, it was colonized as Portuguese Guinea. Upon independence, declared in 1973 and recognised in 1974, the name of its capital, Bissau, was added to the country's name to prevent confusion with Guinea (formerly French Guinea). Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability since independence, and no elected president has successfully served a full five-year term.

Only 14% of the population speaks noncreolized Portuguese, established as both the official and national language. Portuguese exists in creole continuum with Crioulo, a Portuguese creole spoken by half the population (44%) and an even larger number speaks it as second tongue, the remainder speak a variety of native African languages. There are diverse religions in Guinea-Bissau with no one religion having a majority. The CIA World Factbook (2018) states there are about 40% Muslims, 22% Christians, 15% Animists and 18% unspecified or other. The country's per-capita gross domestic product is one of the lowest in the world.

Guinea-Bissau is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Economic Community of West African States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Community of Portuguese Language Countries, La Francophonie and the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, and was a member of the now–defunct Latin Union.

History

Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Gabu, part of the Mali Empire; parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century. Other parts of the territory in the current country were considered by the Portuguese as part of their empire.Empire of Kaabu, West Africa. Access Gambia. Retrieved 22 June 2013. Portuguese Guinea was known as the Slave Coast, as it was a major area for the exportation of African slaves by Europeans to the western hemisphere.

Early reports of Europeans reaching this area include those of the Venetian Alvise Cadamosto's voyage of 1455,Alvise Cadamosto. Nndb.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013. the 1479–1480 voyage by Flemish-French trader Eustache de la Fosse, and Diogo Cão. In the 1480s this Portuguese explorer reached the Congo River and the lands of Bakongo, setting up the foundations of modern Angola, some 4200 km down the African coast from Guinea-Bissau.. win.tue.nl
thumb|left|Flag of the Portuguese Company of Guinea.
Although the rivers and coast of this area were among the first places colonized by the Portuguese, who set up trading posts in the 16th century, they did not explore the interior until the 19th century. The local African rulers in Guinea, some of whom prospered greatly from the slave trade, controlled the inland trade and did not allow the Europeans into the interior. They kept them in the fortified coastal settlements where the trading took place."A Brief History of Guinea-Bissau – Part 1". Africanhistory, US Department of State, at About.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013. African communities that fought back against slave traders also distrusted European adventurers and would-be settlers. The Portuguese in Guinea were largely restricted to the ports of Bissau and Cacheu. A small number of European settlers established isolated farms along Bissau's inland rivers.

For a brief period in the 1790s, the British tried to establish a rival foothold on an offshore island, at Bolama.British Library – Endangered Archive Programme (EAP). Inep-bissau.org (18 March 1921). Retrieved 22 June 2013. But by the 19th century the Portuguese were sufficiently secure in Bissau to regard the neighbouring coastline as their own special territory, also up north in part of present South Senegal.

An armed rebellion, begun in 1956 by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) under the leadership of Amílcar Cabral gradually consolidated its hold on the then Portuguese Guinea.Amilcar Cabral 1966 "The Weapon of Theory". Address delivered to the first Tricontinental Conference of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America held in Havana in January 1966. Marxists.org. Retrieved 22 June 2013. Unlike guerrilla movements in other Portuguese colonies, the PAIGC rapidly extended its military control over large portions of the territory, aided by the jungle-like terrain, its easily reached borderlines with neighbouring allies, and large quantities of arms from Cuba, China, the Soviet Union, and left-leaning African countries.The PAIC Programme Appendix. Marxists.org. Retrieved 22 June 2013. Cuba also agreed to supply artillery experts, doctors, and technicians. The PAIGC even managed to acquire a significant anti-aircraft capability in order to defend itself against aerial attack. By 1973, the PAIGC was in control of many parts of Guinea, although the movement suffered a setback in January 1973 when Cabral was assassinated.

Independence (1973)
thumb|PAIGC forces raise the flag of Guinea-Bissau in 1974.

Independence was unilaterally declared on 24 September 1973. Recognition became universal following 25 April 1974 socialist-inspired military coup in Portugal, which overthrew Lisbon's Estado Novo regime.Embassy of The Republic of Guinea-Bissau – Country Profile. Diplomaticandconsular.com (12 April 2012). Retrieved 22 June 2013.

Luís Cabral, brother of Amílcar and co-founder of PAIGC, was appointed the first President of Guinea-Bissau. Following independence, the PAIGC killed thousands of local Guinean soldiers who had fought along with the Portuguese Army against guerrillas. Some escaped to settle in Portugal or other African nations.Guiné-Bissau: Morreu Luís Cabral, primeiro presidente do país. Expresso.sapo.pt (30 May 2009). Retrieved 22 June 2013. One of the massacres occurred in the town of Bissorã. In 1980 the PAIGC acknowledged in its newspaper Nó Pintcha (dated 29 November 1980) that many Guinean soldiers had been executed and buried in unmarked collective graves in the woods of Cumerá, Portogole, and Mansabá.

The country was controlled by a revolutionary council until 1984. The first multi-party elections were held in 1994. An army uprising in May 1998 led to the Guinea-Bissau Civil War and the president's ousting in June 1999.Uppsala Conflict Data Program Conflict Encyclopedia, Guinea Bissau: government, in depth, Negotiations, Veira's surrender and the end of the conflict, viewed 12 July 2013, Elections were held again in 2000, and Kumba Ialá was elected president.Guinea-Bissau's Kumba Yala: from crisis to crisis. Afrol.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

In September 2003, a military coup was conducted. The military arrested Ialá on the charge of being "unable to solve the problems".Smith, Brian (27 September 2003) "US and UN give tacit backing to Guinea Bissau coup", Wsws.org, September 2003. Retrieved 22 June 2013 After being delayed several times, legislative elections were held in March 2004. A mutiny of military factions in October 2004 resulted in the death of the head of the armed forces and caused widespread unrest.

Vieira years
thumb|left|An abandoned tank from the 1998–1999 civil war in the capital Bissau, 2003.
In June 2005, presidential elections were held for the first time since the coup that deposed Ialá. Ialá returned as the candidate for the PRS, claiming to be the legitimate president of the country, but the election was won by former president João Bernardo Vieira, deposed in the 1999 coup. Vieira beat Malam Bacai Sanhá in a runoff election. Sanhá initially refused to concede, claiming that tampering and electoral fraud occurred in two constituencies including the capital, Bissau.GUINEA-BISSAU: Vieira officially declared president. irinnews.org (10 August 2005).

Despite reports of arms entering the country prior to the election and some "disturbances during campaigning," including attacks on government offices by unidentified gunmen, foreign election monitors described the 2005 election overall as "calm and organized".

Three years later, PAIGC won a strong parliamentary majority, with 67 of 100 seats, in the parliamentary election held in November 2008.Guinea Bissau vote goes smooth amid hopes for stability. AFP via Google.com (16 November 2008). Retrieved 22 June 2013. In November 2008, President Vieira's official residence was attacked by members of the armed forces, killing a guard but leaving the president unharmed.

On 2 March 2009, however, Vieira was assassinated by what preliminary reports indicated to be a group of soldiers avenging the death of the head of joint chiefs of staff, General Batista Tagme Na Wai, who had been killed in an explosion the day before.. news.com.au (2 March 2009). Vieira's death did not trigger widespread violence, but there were signs of turmoil in the country, according to the advocacy group Swisspeace. Military leaders in the country pledged to respect the constitutional order of succession. National Assembly Speaker Raimundo Pereira was appointed as an interim president until a nationwide election on 28 June 2009. It was won by Malam Bacai Sanhá of the PAIGC, against Kumba Ialá as the presidential candidate of the PRS.

On 9 January 2012, President Sanhá died of complications from diabetes, and Pereira was again appointed as an interim president. On the evening of 12 April 2012, members of the country's military staged a coup d'état and arrested the interim president and a leading presidential candidate. Former vice chief of staff, General Mamadu Ture Kuruma, assumed control of the country in the transitional period and started negotiations with opposition parties.

Politics

thumb|The National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau.
thumb|right|Public Order Police officer during a parade in Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a republic. In the past, the government had been highly centralized. Multi-party governance was not established until mid-1991. The president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. Since 1974, no president has successfully served a full five-year term.

At the legislative level, a unicameral Assembleia Nacional Popular (National People's Assembly) is made up of 100 members. They are popularly elected from multi-member constituencies to serve a four-year term. The judicial system is headed by a Tribunal Supremo da Justiça (Supreme Court), made up of nine justices appointed by the president; they serve at the pleasure of the president.Guinea-Bissau Supreme Court . Stj.pt. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

The two main political parties are the PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) and the PRS (Party for Social Renewal). There are more than 20 minor parties.Guinea-Bissau Political Parties. Nationsencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

Foreign relations

Guinea-Bissau follows a nonaligned foreign policy and seeks friendly and cooperative relations with a wide variety of states and organizations.

Military

A 2008 estimate put the size of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces at around 4,000 personnel.

Administrative divisions

Guinea-Bissau is divided into eight regions () and one autonomous sector (). These, in turn, are subdivided into 37 Sectors. The regions are:

Geography

thumb|230px|Rare salt water Hippopotamuses in Orango Island.	
thumb|230px|Caravela, Bissagos Islands.
thumb|230px|Typical scenery in Guinea-Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau is bordered by Senegal to the north and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west. It lies mostly between latitudes 11° and 13°N (a small area is south of 11°), and longitudes 13° and 17°W.

At , the country is larger in size than Taiwan or Belgium. It lies at a low altitude; its highest point is . The terrain of is mostly low coastal plain with swamps of Guinean mangroves rising to Guinean forest-savanna mosaic in the east. Its monsoon-like rainy season alternates with periods of hot, dry harmattan winds blowing from the Sahara. The Bijagos Archipelago lies off of the mainland.Nossiter, Adam (4 November 2009) "Bijagós, a Tranquil Haven in a Troubled Land", The New York Times, 8 November 2009

Climate

Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages . The average rainfall for Bissau is  although this is almost entirely accounted for during the rainy season which falls between June and September/October. From December through April, the country experiences drought.Guinea-Bissau Climate. Nationsencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

centre|600px

Environmental issues
Severe environmental issues include deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing and overfishing.

Economy

thumb|left|Seat of the Central Bank of Guinea-Bissau.
thumb|left|Petrol station in São Domingos.

Guinea-Bissau's GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world, and its Human Development Index is one of the lowest on earth. More than two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line.World Bank profile. World Bank.org (31 May 2013). Retrieved 22 June 2013. The economy depends mainly on agriculture; fish, cashew nuts and ground nuts are its major exports.

A long period of political instability has resulted in depressed economic activity, deteriorating social conditions, and increased macroeconomic imbalances. It takes longer on average to register a new business in Guinea-Bissau (233 days or about 33 weeks) than in any other country in the world except Suriname.

Guinea-Bissau has started to show some economic advances after a pact of stability was signed by the main political parties of the country, leading to an IMF-backed structural reform program.Guinea-Bissau and the IMF. Imf.org (13 May 2013). Retrieved 22 June 2013. The key challenges for the country in the period ahead are to achieve fiscal discipline, rebuild public administration, improve the economic climate for private investment, and promote economic diversification. After the country became independent from Portugal in 1974 due to the Portuguese Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution, the rapid exodus of the Portuguese civilian, military, and political authorities resulted in considerable damage to the country's economic infrastructure, social order, and standard of living.

After several years of economic downturn and political instability, in 1997, Guinea-Bissau entered the CFA franc monetary system, bringing about some internal monetary stability.CFA Franc and Guinea-Bissau. Uemoa.int. Retrieved 22 June 2013. The civil war that took place in 1998 and 1999, and a military coup in September 2003 again disrupted economic activity, leaving a substantial part of the economic and social infrastructure in ruins and intensifying the already widespread poverty. Following the parliamentary elections in March 2004 and presidential elections in July 2005, the country is trying to recover from the long period of instability, despite a still-fragile political situation.

Beginning around 2005, drug traffickers based in Latin America began to use Guinea-Bissau, along with several neighboring West African nations, as a transshipment point to Europe for cocaine.Guinea-Bissau:A narco-state?. Time. (29 October 2009). Retrieved 22 June 2013. The nation was described by a United Nations official as being at risk for becoming a "narco-state". The government and the military have done little to stop drug trafficking, which increased after the 2012 coup d'état.

Guinea-Bissau is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).

Society
Demographics

According to , Guinea-Bissau's population was  in , compared to 518,000 in 1950. The proportion of the population below the age of 15 in 2010 was 41.3%, 55.4% were aged between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.3% were aged 65 years or older.

Ethnic groups
thumb|330px|Guinea-Bissau present-day settlement pattern of the ethnic groups.
The population of Guinea-Bissau is ethnically diverse and has many distinct languages, customs, and social structures.

Bissau-Guineans can be divided into the following ethnic groups:
Fula and the Mandinka-speaking people, who comprise the largest portion of the population and are concentrated in the north and northeast;
Balanta and Papel people, who live in the southern coastal regions; and
Manjaco and Mancanha, who occupy the central and northern coastal areas.
Most of the remainder are mestiços of mixed Portuguese and African descent, including a Cape Verdean minority.Guinea-Bissau ethnic classifications, Joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

Portuguese natives comprise a very small percentage of Bissau-Guineans. After Guinea-Bissau gained independence, most of the Portuguese nationals left the country. The country has a tiny Chinese population.China-Guinea-Bissau. China.org.cn. Retrieved 22 June 2013. These include traders and merchants of mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry from Macau, a former Asian Portuguese colony.

Major cities

thumb|right|190px|Guinea-Bissau's second largest city, Gabú
thumb|right|190px|Port of Bissau
thumb|right|190px|Bridge in São Vicente, Cacheu
Main cities in Guinea-Bissau include:http://www.citypopulation.de/GuineaBissau.html

 Rank  City  Population 2015 estimate 1  Bissau  489,050  Bissau 2  Gabú  48,670  Gabú 3  Bafatá  37,985  Bafatá 4  Bissorã  29,468  Oio 5  Bolama  16,216  Bolama 6  Cacheu  14,320  Cacheu 7  Bubaque  12,922  Bolama 8  Catió 11,498  Tombali 9  Mansôa  9,198  Oio 10  Buba  8,993  Quinara

Languages

thumb|left|Voter education posters in the Kriol language for Guinea-Bissau legislative election, 2008, Biombo Region.
Despite being a small country Guinea-Bissau has several ethnic groups which are very distinct from each other, with their own cultures and languages. This is due that Guinea-Bissau was a refugee territory due to migrations within Africa. Colonization and miscegenation brought Portuguese and the Portuguese creole, the Kriol or crioulo.Língua e Desenvolvimento: O caso da Guiné-Bissau José Barbosa – Universidade de Lisboa.

Although perceived as one of the national languages of Guinea-Bissau since independence, Standard Portuguese is spoken mostly as a second language, with few native speakers and often confined to the intellectual and political elites. It is the language of government and national communication as a legacy of colonial rule. Portuguese is the only language with official status; schooling from primary to university levels is conducted in Portuguese although only 67% of children have access to any formal education. Data suggested the number of Portuguese speakers ranges from 11 to 15%. The Portuguese creole is spoken by 44% which is effectively the national language of communication among distinct groups for most of the population. The Creole is still expanding, and it is understood by the vast majority of the population. However, decreolization processes are occurring, due to undergoing interference from Standard Portuguese and the creole forms a continuum of varieties with the standard language, the most distant are basilects and the closer ones, acrolects. A Post-creole continuum exists in Guinea-Bissau and Crioulo 'leve' ('soft' Creole) variety being closer to the Portuguese-language norm.

The remaining rural population speaks a variety of native African languages unique to each ethnicity: Fula (16%), Balanta (14%), Mandinga (7%), Manjaco (5%), Papel (3%), Felupe (1%), Beafada (0.7%), Bijagó (0.3%) and Nalu (0.1%) English (35%) which form the ethnic African languages spoken by the population.Crioulo, Upper Guinea. Ethnologue.org. Retrieved 22 June 2013. Most Portuguese and Mestiços speakers also have one of the African languages and Kriol as additional languages. Ethnic African languages are not discouraged, in any situation, despite their lower prestige. These languages are the link between individuals of the same ethnic background and daily used in villages, between neighbors or friends, traditional and religious ceremonies, and also used in contact between the urban and rural populations. However, none of these languages are dominant in Guinea-Bissau. French is taught as a foreign language in schools because Guinea-Bissau is surrounded by French-speaking nations. Guinea-Bissau is a full member of the Francophonie.WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF LA FRANCOPHONIE'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE. Francophonie.org. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

Religion

thumb|Men in Islamic garb, Bafatá, Guinea-Bissau.

As of 2017, Islam is practiced by 45% of the country's population.CIA World Factbook entry Most of Guinea-Bissau's Muslims are of the Sunni denomination with approximately 2% belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect.

Approximately 22% of the country's population belong to the Christian community and 31% continue to hold Indigenous beliefs. However, many residents practice syncretic forms of Islamic and Christian faiths, combining their practices with traditional African beliefs."Guinea-Bissau", CIA the World Factbook, Cia.gov. Retrieved 5 February 2012."Guinea-Bissau", Encyclopædia Britannica Muslims dominate the north and east, while Christians dominate the south and coastal regions. The Roman Catholic Church claims most of the Christian community.

Health
The WHO estimates there are fewer than 5 physicians per 100,000 persons in the country,The WHO identified only 78 physicians in the entire Guinea-Bissau health workforce in 2009 data. () And the World Bank estimates that Guinea-Bissau had 1,575,446 residents in 2008. At the current rate of growth, 2009 population was expected to reach about 1.61 million people. Only 0.0048% are known to be medical doctors involved in patient care. The WHO estimate an average of about 20 per 100,000 across Africa, but reports a density per 10,000 population of <0.5 in its Physicians data covering the period to 2009. Guinea-Bissau has an unusually high ratio of nursing staff to doctors: including nurses and midwives; there are 64 medical professionals per 100,000 Bissau-Guineans down from 12 per 100,000 in 2007.The WHO estimates that there were 188 physicians working in the entire country  (). And the World Bank estimates that Guinea-Bissau had 1,541,040 residents in 2007 (). So, about 0.0122% of the permanent population were known to be medical doctors involved in patient care, .

The prevalence of HIV-infection among the adult population is 1.8%.The WHO estimates a 1.8% HIV-infection rate from 2007 data among 15- to 49-year-old Bissau-Guineans – see statistics on page 65 of: . (The section's introduction describes estimation methodology). Only 20% of infected pregnant women receive anti retroviral coverage to prevent transmission to newborns., only 20% of HIV-infected mothers or sufferers with advanced cases had anti-retroviral drug access, see: . Coverage in the general population is lower.

Malaria kills more residents; 9% of the population have reported infection, – 148,542 reported cases in 2008. It causes three times as many deaths as AIDS.According to the 2010 WHO report, the latest Malaria mortality rate per 100,000 Bissau-Guineans (180) is substantially greater than that for AIDS (65). () Among children younger than 5, malaria is nine times more deadly (p. 65). In 2008, fewer than half of children younger than five slept under antimalaria nets or had access to antimalarial drugs.

The WHO's estimate of life expectancy for a female child born in 2008 was 49 years, and 47 years for a boy.. Healthy life expectancy at birth was 42. The probability of dying between a live-birth and age 5 was 19.5% (down from 24% in 1990, p.51).

Despite lowering rates in surrounding countries, cholera rates were reported in November 2012 to be on the rise, with 1,500 cases reported and nine deaths. A 2008 cholera epidemic in Guinea-Bissau affected 14,222 people and killed 225.

The 2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Guinea Bissau was 1000. This compares with 804.3 in 2008 and 966 in 1990. The under-5 mortality rate, per 1,000 births, was 195 and the neonatal mortality as a percentage of under-5 mortality was 24. The number of midwives per 1,000 live births was 3; one out of eighteen pregnant women die as a result of pregnancy. According to a 2013 UNICEF report, 50% of women in Guinea Bissau had undergone female genital mutilation.UNICEF 2013, p. 27. In 2010, Guinea Bissau had the seventh-highest maternal mortality rate in the world.

Education

thumb|left|Lusophone University, Bissau.
Education is compulsory from the age of 7 to 13. Pre-school education for children between three and six years of age is optional and in its early stages. There are five levels of education: pre-school, elemental and complementary basic education, general and complementary secondary education, general secondary education, technical and professional teaching, and higher education (university and non-universities). Basic education is under reform, and now forms a single cycle, comprising 6 years of education. Secondary education is widely available and there are two cycles (7th to 9th classe and 10th to 11th classe). Professional education in public institutions is nonoperational, however private school offerings opened, including the Centro de Formação São João Bosco (since 2004) and the Centro de Formação Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (since 2011).

Higher education is limited and most prefer to be educated abroad, with students preferring to enroll in Portugal. A number of universities, to which an institutionally autonomous Faculty of Law as well as a Faculty of MedicineThe latter is maintained by Cuba and functions in different cities.

Child labor is very common. The enrollment of boys is higher than that of girls. In 1998, the gross primary enrollment rate was 53.5%, with higher enrollment ratio for males (67.7%) compared to females (40%).<ref name=ilab>"Guinea-Bissau". 2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor (2002). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.</ref>

Non-formal education is centered on community schools and the teaching of adults. In 2011 the literacy rate was estimated at 55.3% (68.9% male, and 42.1% female).

Conflicts
Usually, the many different ethnic groups in Guinea-Bissau coexist peacefully, but when conflicts do erupt, they tend to revolve around access to land.

Culture
thumb|right|Hotels at Bissagos Islands
thumb|Carnival in Bissau.
thumb|left|250px|Bissau-Guinean women in the capital, Bissau
thumb|National singer Manecas Costa.

Media

Music

The music of Guinea-Bissau is usually associated with the polyrhythmic gumbe genre, the country's primary musical export. However, civil unrest and other factors have combined over the years to keep gumbe, and other genres, out of mainstream audiences, even in generally syncretist African countries.Lobeck, Katharina (21 May 2003) Manecas Costa Paraiso di Gumbe Review. BBC. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

The calabash is the primary musical instrument of Guinea-Bissau,The Kora. Freewebs.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013. and is used in extremely swift and rhythmically complex dance music. Lyrics are almost always in Guinea-Bissau Creole, a Portuguese-based creole language, and are often humorous and topical, revolving around current events and controversies.Radio Africa: Guinea Bissau vinyl discography. Radioafrica.com.au. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

The word gumbe is sometimes used generically, to refer to any music of the country, although it most specifically refers to a unique style that fuses about ten of the country's folk music traditions.http://gumbe.com Gumbe Tina and tinga are other popular genres, while extent folk traditions include ceremonial music used in funerals, initiations and other rituals, as well as Balanta brosca and kussundé, Mandinga djambadon, and the kundere sound of the Bissagos Islands.Music of Guinea-Bissau. Ccas11bijagos.pbworks.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.

Cuisine

Rice is a staple in the diet of residents near the coast and millet a staple in the interior. Fruits and vegetables are commonly eaten along with cereal grains. The Portuguese encouraged peanut production. Vigna subterranea (Bambara groundnut) and Macrotyloma geocarpum (Hausa groundnut) are also grown. Black-eyed peas are also part of the diet. Palm oil is harvested.

Common dishes include soups and stews. Common ingredients include yams, sweet potato, cassava, onion, tomato and plantain. Spices, peppers and chilis are used in cooking, including Aframomum melegueta seeds (Guinea pepper).

Film
Flora Gomes is an internationally renowned film director; his most famous film is Nha Fala ().Nha Fala/My Voice. spot.pcc.edu (2002) Gomes's Mortu Nega (Death Denied) (1988)Mortu Nega. California Newsreel. Newsreel.org. Retrieved 22 June 2013. was the first fiction film and the second feature film ever made in Guinea-Bissau. (The first feature film was N’tturudu, by director Umban u’Kest in 1987.) At FESPACO 1989, Mortu Nega won the prestigious Oumarou Ganda Prize. Mortu Nega is in Creole with English subtitles. In 1992, Gomes directed Udju Azul di Yonta,Udju Azul di Yonta. California Newsreel. Newsreel.org. Retrieved 22 June 2013. which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. Gomes has also served on the boards of many Africa-centric film festivals.Flora Gomes The Two Faces of War: National Liberation in Guinea-Bissau. Watsoninstitute.org (25 October 2007). Retrieved 22 June 2013.

Sports
Football is the most popular sport in Guinea-Bissau. The Guinea-Bissau national football team is the national team of Guinea-Bissau and is controlled by the Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau. They are a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA. Other football clubs include Desportivo Quelele, FC Catacumba, FC Catacumba São Domingos, FC Cupelaoo Gabu, FC Djaraf, FC Prabis and FC Babaque.

See also

Outline of Guinea-Bissau
Index of Guinea-Bissau-related articles
Transport in Guinea-Bissau
2010 Guinea-Bissau military unrest
List of Bissau-Guineans

References

Further reading

Abdel Malek, K.,"Le processus d'accès à l'indépendance de la Guinée-Bissau", In : Bulletin de l'Association des Anciens Elèves de l'Institut National de Langues et de Cultures Orientales, N°1, Avril 1998. – pp. 53–60
Forrest, Joshua B., Lineages of State Fragility. Rural Civil Society in Guinea-Bissau (Ohio University Press/James Currey Ltd., 2003)
Galli, Rosemary E, Guinea Bissau: Politics, Economics and Society, (Pinter Pub Ltd., 1987)
Lobban Jr., Richard Andrew and Mendy, Peter Karibe, Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, third edition (Scarecrow Press, 1997)
Vigh, Henrik, Navigating Terrains of War: Youth And Soldiering in Guinea-Bissau, (Berghahn Books, 2006)

External links

Link collection related to Guinea-Bissau on bolama.net
Country Profile from BBC News

Guinea-Bissau from UCB Libraries GovPubsGuinea-Bissau at Encyclopædia Britannica''

Key Development Forecasts for Guinea-Bissau from International Futures

Government

Constitution of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: Prime Minister’s fate unknown after apparent military coup – West Africa – Portuguese American Journal
Guinea-Bissau Holds First Post-Coup Election
Trade
Guinea-Bissau 2005 Summary Trade Statistics
News media
news headline links from AllAfrica.com
 Tourism

 Health
The State of the World's Midwifery – Guinea-Bissau Country Profile

 GIS information
Master Thesis about the developing Geographical Information for Guinea-Bissau

 
Category:Economic Community of West African States
Category:Former Portuguese colonies
Category:Least developed countries
Category:Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
Category:Member states of the African Union
Category:Member states of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries
Category:Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Category:Member states of the United Nations
Category:Portuguese-speaking countries and territories
Category:Republics
Category:States and territories established in 1974
Category:West African countries
Category:Small Island Developing States
Category:1974 establishments in Guinea-Bissau
Category:Countries in Africa