WHERE WE ARE

Independence was unilaterally declared on 24 September 1973. Recognition became universal following 25 April 1974. 

Monetary system:  CFA Franc

Surface: 36.125 Km2

Language: Portuguese and Creole. 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%), which form the ethnic African languages spoken by the population

Climate: Tropical. April is the hottest month, with temperatures between the 23-36 oC. and January the cooler month with temperatures between  19-24 oC. Rainy season are between June and September-October; from December through April, the country experiences drought.

Geography: 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.

Population: 1.726.170 
Capital: Bissau (population 492.000 )
Time Zone: GMT.

Religion:  Christianity is practiced by 62% of the country's population, with Muslims making up the remaining 38%.Most of Guinea-Bissau's Muslims are of the Sunni denomination with approximately 2% belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect. Other estimates claim that Christianity is not the dominant religion as there are 45% Muslims, 31% Animists and 22% Christians.

Politics: Guiné Bissau is a Republic. 

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

Cultura: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.The calabash is the primary musical instrument of Guinea-Bissau, 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.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.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. 

Health:  The WHO estimates there are fewer than 5 physicians per 100,000 persons in the country, down from 12 per 100,000 in 2007.The prevalence of HIV-infection among the adult population is 1.8%. Only 20% of infected pregnant women receive anti retroviral coverage to prevent transmission to newborns.Malaria kills more residents; 9% of the population have reported infection, it causes three times as many deaths as AIDS.[59] 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.

(information obtained from Wikipedia).

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