Thegeography ofGuinea-Bissau is that of low coastal plains bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The country bordersSenegal in the north andGuinea in the southeast.
The terrain of Guinea-Bissau is mostly low coastal plain with swamps ofGuinean mangroves rising toGuinean forest-savanna mosaic in the east.[1] A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,203km² of tidal flats in Guinea-Bissau, making it the 28th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.[2]
Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid impact occurred 400 km of the west-African coast. The 2022 discoveredNadir buried Crater has a diameter of 9 km. The impact caused an earthquake of 6.5 magnitude and created a 1 km high tsunami. The combined forces could be an explanation for the extremely scarred coastline of Guinea-Bissau.
The lowest point on Guinea-Bissau is at sea level at the Atlantic Ocean.[1] The highest point in Guinea-Bissau is Dongol Ronde with an elevation of 277 m (909 ft).[1]The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa authored in 1992 citesFouta Djallon at 262 m (860 ft) as the highest.[3]
Natural resources found in Guinea-Bissau include fish,timber,phosphates,bauxite, clay,granite, limestone and unexploited deposits ofpetroleum.[1] 10.67% of the land is arable and 235.6 square kilometres are irrigated.[1]
Natural hazards include a hot, dry, dustyharmattan haze that may reduce visibility during the dry season and brush fires.[1] Severe environmental issues includedeforestation;soil erosion;overgrazing andoverfishing.[1]
Near the Senegal border there have been historic sightings of thepainted hunting dog,Lycaon pictus, but thatendangered canid may now beextirpated in that locale.[4]
Guinea-Bissau'sclimate is tropical. This means it is generally hot and humid. It has amonsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds and a dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds.[1]
Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The average rainfall for the capital city Bissau is 2,024 millimetres (79.7 in) although this is almost entirely accounted for during the rainy season which falls between June and September/October. From December through April, the country receives very little rainfall.
| Climate data for Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (1974–1994) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.7 (98.1) | 38.3 (100.9) | 38.9 (102.0) | 41.1 (106.0) | 39.4 (102.9) | 35.6 (96.1) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.8 (91.0) | 33.9 (93.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 35.6 (96.1) | 41.1 (106.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.1 (88.0) | 32.8 (91.0) | 33.9 (93.0) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.8 (91.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 29.4 (84.9) | 30.0 (86.0) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.7 (89.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.5 (88.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.4 (75.9) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.4 (79.5) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.9 (80.4) | 24.8 (76.6) | 26.3 (79.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.8 (64.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 18.9 (66.0) | 21.1 (70.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 16.7 (62.1) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.0 (68.0) | 15.0 (59.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 12.2 (54.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.8 (0.03) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.8 (0.03) | 17.3 (0.68) | 174.8 (6.88) | 472.5 (18.60) | 682.5 (26.87) | 434.9 (17.12) | 194.8 (7.67) | 41.4 (1.63) | 2.0 (0.08) | 2,022.8 (79.63) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 248 | 226 | 279 | 270 | 248 | 210 | 186 | 155 | 180 | 217 | 240 | 248 | 2,707 |
| Source 1: Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial[5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: World Climate Guides (sunshine only)[6] | |||||||||||||
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This is a list of the extreme points ofGuinea-Bissau, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
Fouta Djallon in Guinea, the highest point in Guinea-Bissau being only 262m