Bissau () is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

, and largest city of

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...

. Bissau had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the

Geba River The Geba is a river of West Africa that rises in the northernmost area of Guinea in the Fouta Djallon highlands, passes through southern Senegal, and reaches the Atlantic Ocean in Guinea-Bissau. It is about in total length. In Senegal, the r ...

estuary, off the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, and its administrative and military centre.

Etymology

The term Bissau may have come from the name of a clan N'nssassun, in its plural form Bôssassun.
direct link to pdf
Intchassu (Bôssassu) was the name given to the nephew of King Mecau—the first sovereign of the

island of Bissau An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

—, son of his sister Pungenhum. Bôssassu formed a clan of the Papel peoples.

History

The city was founded in 1687 by

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

as a fortified port and trading center. In 1942 the capital of

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...

was transferred from Bolama to Bissau. After the declaration of independence by the anti-colonial guerrillas of PAIGC in 1973, the capital of the rebel territories was declared to be Madina do Boe, while Bissau remained the colonial capital. When Portugal granted independence, following the military coup of April 25 in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Bissau became the capital of the new independent state. Bissau was the scene of intense fighting during the beginning and end of the Guinea-Bissau Civil War in 1998 and 1999.

Geography and climate

DC - Foto Serra No 142 - Vista aérea parcial e Ilhéu do Rei - Bissau

Bissau is located at 11°52' North, 15°36' West (11.86667, -15.60
GNS: Country Files
on the

estuary, off the

. The land surrounding Bissau is extremely low-lying, and the river is accessible to ocean-going vessels despite its modest discharge for about beyond the city. Bissau has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

( Köppen ''Aw''), not quite wet enough to qualify as a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

(''Am'') but much wetter than most climates of its type. Almost no rain falls from November to May, but during the remaining five months of the year the city receives around of rain.

Demographics

At the 1979 census, Bissau had a population of 109,214. By the 2015 census Bissau had a population of 492,004.

Economy

Bissau is the country's largest city, major port, educational, administrative, industrial and military center.

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

milk products Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

, and

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

are the chief products. Bissau is also the main city of the fishing and agricultural industry in the country.

Transportation

Air

Bissau is served by Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, the country's sole international airport, which currently offers flights from six different airlines.

Highways

The main highway connecting Bissau to the rest of the nation and the continent is the

Trans–West African Coastal Highway The Trans–West African Coastal Highway or TAH 7 is a transnational highway project to link 12 West African coastal nations, from Mauritania in the north-west of the region to Nigeria in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landloc ...

. There are also many smaller national highways that connect to other big cities such as Bafatá and Gabu.

Education

The main secondary school institutions in Bissau are the

National Lyceum Kwame N'Krumah The National Lyceum Kwame N'Krumah (Portuguese: ''Liceu Nacional Kwame N'Krumah'', LNKN) is a Bissau-Guinean educational institution, based in Bissau, the country's capital. It is the oldest public secondary education institution and one of the mo ...

and the Bethel-Bissau Adventist School. The main higher education institutions in the city are the Amílcar Cabral University, the Catholic University of Guinea Bissau, and the Jean Piaget University of Guinea-Bissau. The city of Bissau still has two international schools: * Escola Portuguesa da Guiné-Bissau * Escola Portuguesa Passo a Passo

Culture

Attractions include the Portuguese-built Fortaleza de São José da Amura barracks from the 18th century, containing Amílcar Cabral's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

, the Pidjiguiti Memorial to the dockers killed in the Bissau Dockers' Strike on August 3, 1959, the Guinea-Bissau National Arts Institute, Bissau New Stadium and local

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

es. Many buildings in the city were ruined during the Guinea-Bissau Civil War (1998–1999), including the Guinea-Bissau Presidential Palace and the Bissau French Cultural Centre (now rebuilt), and the city centre is still underdeveloped. Because of the large populations of Muslims in Bissau,

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

is also an important celebration.

Sports

Football is the most popular sport in the country, as well as in the city. Many teams are based in the city, such as:

UD Internacional Uniao Desportiva Internacional is a Guinea-Bissauan football club based in Uniao. They play in the top division in Guinean football, the Campeonato Nacional da Guine-Bissau. Achievements *Campeonato Nacional da Guiné-Bissau The Campeonato N ...

, SC de Bissau, SC Portos de Bissau,

Sport Bissau e Benfica Sport Bissau e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica de Bissau, is a football club from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, that plays in the Campeonato Nacional da Guiné-Bissau, the top flight of Bissau-Guinean football. Benfica Bissau is considered to the t ...

, and

FC Cuntum ) , founded = 27 December 1997 , ground = Estádio Lino Correia Bissau, Guinea-Bissau , capacity = 5,000 , chairman = , manager = , league = Campeonato Nacional da Guiné-Bissau , season = 2018 , position = 6th , pattern_ ...

. Stadiums that are located in the city are Estádio Lino Correia and

Estádio 24 de Setembro Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro is a multi-purpose stadium in Bissau, Guinea Bissau. The stadium opened its doors in 1989. It is currently used primarily for football matches, and the stadium holds 15,000 people. It is currently the home ground ...

Religion

The majority of the population of Bissau is with the majority being

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

(50%), then

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

(34%) and

animists Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, huma ...

(7.9%).

Places of Worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

mosques. There are also some

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

churches and temples such as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau (

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Evangelical Churches Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

, and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. File: Catedral de Bissau (2).jpg ,

Bissau Cathedral Bissau Cathedral ( pt, Catedral de Bissau), also known as Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Candelária (Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria) is a Catholic cathedral in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. It is the centre of the Catholic Church in Guinea-Bissau ...

File: Mesquita em Bissau.jpg,

Mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

in Bissau

Notable people

Benvindo António Moreira Benvindo António Moreira (born 10 November 1989 in Bissau) is a footballer who plays for Tirsense. Benvindo began his playing career with Boavista F.C. and moved to C.D. Aves when the club was relegated from the Liga de Honra The Liga Portugal ...

(born 1989), footballer

Gallery

File:Bissau geba.png, View of Bissau from

File:Bissau1.jpg, ''Ministério da Justiça'' - Guinea-Bissau's Justice Ministry File:Praça Che Guevara, Bissau.jpg, Che Guevara Square, Bissau File:STCP_1.JPG, Public transport in Bissau File:20130610 - Monumento aos Heróis da Independência.jpg, A landmark monument in the city center File:Edif%C3%ADcio_da_Galp_em_Bissau.jpg, Administration building of the Portuguese energy company Galp File:Agencia BCEAO em Bissau.jpg, An ECOWAS branch in Bissau File:Bissau paigc hq.jpg, PAIGC's headquarters File:Guine.jpg, Residential area in Bissau File:Pal%C3%A1cio_da_Rep%C3%BAblica_(fundos).jpg, Guinea-Bissau's Presidential Palace File:Centre culturel franco-bissau-guinéen, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.jpg, French Culture Centre in Bissau File:Solar_panels_(482989866).jpg,

Solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...

s on a rooftop of a building File:Bissau,_CTT.jpg, Central Post Office building File:Museu_Etnogr%C3%A1fico_Nacional,_Bissau.jpg, ''Museu Etnográfico Nacional'' - National Ethnographic Museum File:Avenida_dos_Combatentes_da_Liberdade_da_P%C3%A1tria,_Bissau_(1).jpg, ''Combatentes da Liberdade'' Avenue, Bissau File:Alfândega de Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.jpg, Bissau-Guinean Customs Agency, ''Porto de Bissau'' File:Hotel_Imp%C3%A9rio,_Bissau.jpg, One of the hotels in the city File:Porto_de_Bissau_01.jpg,

Port of Bissau The Port of Bissau, also known as Porto Pidjiguiti, is the chief port of Guinea-Bissau. Located on Geba River, it serves the capital of Bissau. It has two piers and a jetty. The port's Pidjiguiti docks were the site of the Pidjiguiti massacre on 3 ...

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Bissau is twinned with: * Águeda Municipality, Portugal *

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

, Senegal *

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

, People's Republic of China * Agadir, Morocco *

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba *

, Portugal *

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, Nigeria *

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, Angola *

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, Taiwan *

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, Cape Verde *

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, Turkey *

Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...

, Portugal

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Populated places established in 1687 Former Portuguese colonies Capitals in Africa Populated places in Guinea-Bissau Populated coastal places in Guinea-Bissau Geba River Regions of Guinea-Bissau Sectors of Guinea-Bissau 1687 establishments in Portuguese Guinea 1687 establishments in Africa