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Destination : GUINEA - BISSAU

Guinea-Bissau is among the world's least developed nations. The principal economic activity is agriculture. Cashew crops have increased in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. It is located in West Africa and is bounded by Senegal and the Republic of Guinea. It encompasses the adjacent Bijagós Islands and the island of Bolama. The country rises from a coastal plain broken up by numerous inlets through a transitional plateau to mountains on the border with Guinea. Thick forest and mangrove swamp cover the area nearest the Atlantic Ocean and savannah covers the inland areas.
The capital of Guinea-Bissau is the city of Bissau (pop. 200,000 est.) Other important cities are : Bafata, Gabu, Canchungo. The Museum of African Artefacts is a treasure trove of traditional sculpture, pottery, weaving and basketware. Bolama, the original capital of Guinea-Bissau, is now an attractive ruin, and the island is worth seeing with good beaches.

In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998, created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war and the military's predilection for governmental meddling.

The population of Guinea-Bissau is ethnically diverse with distinct languages, customs, and social structures. Most people are agriculturalists, with traditional religious beliefs (animism); 30% percent are Muslim, principally Fula and Mandinka-speaker concentrated in the north and northeast. Other important groups are the Balanta and Papel, living in the southern coastal regions, and the Manjaco and Mancanha, occupying the central and northern coastal areas. The various groups mix easily in urban areas, where there is a notable lack of tribal tensions.

Guinea-Bissau exports some fish and seafood, along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. License fees for fishing provided the government with revenues of $13.5 million in 1992. Rice is the major crop and staple food. Rice production has increased by more than 10% per year since 1983, largely because of improved economic incentives. However, rice imports remain high--up to 80,000 tons per year.