Bissau () is the capital, 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 people Papels also known as Moium, Oium, Papei, Pepel or Pelels, are an ethnic group primarily located in Guinea Bissau, though are also found in Casamance (Senegal) and Guinea. Its population in Guinea Bissau is 183,000, with 9,000 living outside of th ...

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 The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Originally formed to peacefully campaign for independence from ...

in 1973, the capital of the rebel territories was declared to be

Madina do Boe Boe (full name Madina do Boe) is a settlement in the southeastern Gabú Region of Guinea-Bissau. The population is mostly of poor Fulani speaking herders. Although geologically rich in bauxite, the mineral deposits have not been exploited to any ...

, while Bissau remained the colonial capital. When Portugal granted independence, following the military coup of April 25 in Lisbon, 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 The Guinea-Bissau Civil War was fought from 7 June 1998 to 10 May 1999 and was triggered by an attempted coup d'état against the government of President João Bernardo Vieira led by Brigadier-General Ansumane Mané.Uppsala Conflict Data Progra ...

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 Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''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 seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...

s, hardwoods,

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 co ...

, palm oil,

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, an ...

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 Osvaldo Vieira International Airport , also known as Bissau-Bissalanca Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, as well as the Metropolitan Region of Bissau. It is the only international ai ...

, 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 Bafatá is a town in central Guinea-Bissau, known as the birthplace of Amílcar Cabral. The town has a population of 22,501 (2008 est). It is the capital of Bafatá Region as well as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bafatá, which was est ...

and Gabu.

Education

The main secondary school institutions in Bissau are the National Lyceum Kwame N'Krumah 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 Fort São José of Amura (Fortaleza de São José da Amura in Portuguese), also known locally as Amura Fort (Fortaleza de Amura), is a fortification located in the city of Bissau, region of Bissau, capital of Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa. Histor ...

barracks from the 18th century, containing

Amílcar Cabral Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral (; – ) was a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, pan-Africanist, intellectual, poet, theoretician, revolutionary, political organizer, nationalist and diplomat. He was one of Africa's foremo ...

's mausoleum, 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 sh ...

es. Many buildings in the city were ruined during the

(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 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 Sporting Clube de Bissau, usually known as Sporting de Bissau, is a football (soccer) club from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. History The club was founded on 30 January 1936 in Bissau, the club named after to that of the Portuguese club Sporting CP of L ...

, 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. Stadiums that are located in the city are

Estádio Lino Correia Estádio Lino Correia is a multi-use stadium in Bissau, Guinea Bissau. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the stadium of Estrela Negra de Bissau Estrela Negra de Bissau, usually known simply as Estrela Negra, is a t ...

and Estádio 24 de Setembro.

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 Abrah ...

(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'' (Χρ ...

(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, hu ...

(7.9%).

Places of Worship

Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

, they are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also some Christian churches and temples such as the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau ( la, Bissagen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Bissau in Guinea-Bissau. History Pope Pius XII created a Mission “sui iuris” comprising the then overseas colony of Portuguese Guinea on September 4 ...

(

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, and the

Universal Church of the Kingdom of God The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG; pt, Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, IURD) is an evangelical charismatic Christian denomination with its headquarters at the Temple of Solomon in São Paulo, Brazil. The church was founded in ...

. File: Catedral de Bissau (2).jpg , Bissau Cathedral 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 (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 The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...

branch in Bissau File:Bissau paigc hq.jpg,

'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 panels 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 Águeda () is a city and a municipality in Portugal. According to the Portuguese 2011 census, the municipality of Águeda had 47,729 inhabitants, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 14,504 (2001 data), while the remainder is distri ...

, Portugal *

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

, Senegal * Chongqing, People's Republic of China *

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, Morocco *

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, Cuba * Lisbon, Portugal *

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, Nigeria *

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, Angola *

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, Taiwan * Praia, Cape Verde *

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, Turkey *

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, 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