Page last updated on January 28, 2014

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Geographic coordinates:
12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 36,125 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 138
land: 28,120 sq km
water: 8,005 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
350 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain:
mostly low-lying coastal plain with a deeply indented estuarine coastline rising to savanna in east; numerous off-shore islands including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos consisting of 18 main islands and many small islets

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 8.3%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 84.78% (2011)

Irrigated land:
225.6 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
31 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.18 cu km/yr (18%/6%/76%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 135.7 cu m/yr (2005)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland