ason
(December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain: mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the
country 300 m

Natural resources: fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited
deposits of petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 38%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 17 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce
visibility during dry season; brush fires

Environment--current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
overgrazing; overfishing

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People

Population: 1,234,555 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 260,821; female 259,520)
15-64 years: 55% (male 322,607; female 356,513)
65 years and over: 3% (male 16,233; female 18,861) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.31% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 38.23 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 15.13 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 109.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.57 years
male: 47.91 years
female: 51.28 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Guinean (s)
adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups: African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%,
Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53.9%
male: 67.1%
female: 40.7% (1997 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
local long form: Republica da Guine