Guinea-Bissau Trivia

1. Red, gold and green are the main colours of the flag of Guinea-Bissau. What does the green represent?

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Hope

The green of the Guinea-Bissau flag can also be said to represent forests and agriculture. The red represents the blood of martyrs and the gold represents wealth, or the Sun. The black star on the red bit represents African unity. Red, green and gold are traditional Pan-African colours and can be found on the flags of other countries such as Benin, Cameroon and Ghana; the Guinea-Bissau flag was inspired by the Ghanaian flag.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Atlantic Ocean

Located on Africa's west coast, Guinea-Bissau is sandwiched between Senegal to the north and Guinea to the east and south. To its west is the Atlantic Ocean.

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: Guinea and Senegal

Senegal lies to the north and Guinea lies to the south and east. The archipelago nation of Cape Verde lies abou 658 miles (1061 km) to the west. Until 1980, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde were a single country. Prime Minister João Bernardo Vieira led a coup d'etat in Guinea-Bissau that brought him to power and separated the two nations, although relations between the two states were strained for decades.

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Tropical savannah

Bissau, the largest city of Guinea-Bissau, is reasonably wet for a tropical savannah climate, but has very little rainfall between December and April. A tropical savannah climate is also known as a tropical wet and dry climate, and areas with such climates are at increased risk of drought. They also features grasslands, or savannahs, rather than forests.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: This is Our Beloved Country

The Guinea-Bissau national anthem is "Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada" which translates to "This is Our Beloved Country". Written by Guinea-Bissau-born anti-colonial leader Amílcar Cabral, it was adopted as the country's anthem when independence was achieved in 1974. This same song was also the national anthem of the Cape Verde Islands until 1996. Of the alternatives are three more African anthems: the wonderfully-titled "Everyone Strum Your Koras, Strike the Balafons" is the national anthem of neighboring Senegal; the very patriotic-sounding "My Country, My Country, My Country" is the Egyptian anthem; and "Arise, O Compatriots" belongs to Nigeria.

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Senegal and Guinea

This is where things can get a little confusing. Guinea, as well as being the name of a country, is also the name of a region in West Africa which lies along the Gulf of Guinea. It also includes Benin, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea (which is further south), the Gambia, and parts of Nigeria and Cameroon. Guinea-Bissau was formerly known as Portuguese Guinea, but had 'Bissau' affixed to its name to avoid confusion with the country of Guinea, formerly known as French Guinea. (For similar reasons, Guinea is sometimes known as Guinea-Conakry.) Guinea-Bissau is bordered by Guinea to the south and east, and Senegal to the north, with the Atlantic Ocean on its west side.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Mali Empire

The Mali Empire, also known as Manden Kurufaba, was the empire of the Mandinka that stretched across West Africa for four centuries up until about 1600. Guinea-Bissau was part of the Kingdom of Gabu, which was part of the Mali Empire. The Jolof Empire covered northern Senegal and lasted from 1360 until 1890. The Oyo Empire was centered in Nigeria from 1400-1900. The Massina Empire was as 19th-century empire centered in modern-day Niger and Mali.

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: Bissau-Guineans

Did you guess correctly? Think of it as the capital city, Bissau, modifying the demonym Guinean. They are Guineans from Bissau, or Bissau-Guineans. Bissau-Guineans are a very ethnically diverse lot. The Balanta live along the southern coast and the Fula live in the north, but there are many other peoples, too. About half the population is Muslim and the rest practice Christianity (mostly Catholicism), or traditional animistic African religions.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Geba

Founded in 1687, the city of Bissau is home to about 400,000 people (2012 data), which is about a quarter of the country's population. The city's name was added to the county name when independence was achieved to avoid confusion with neighboring Guinea. The city is near the mouth of the Geba, a 340-mile long river that rises in Senegal and flows through Guinea-Bissau to the Atlantic Ocean.

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: Taiwan

At about 13,972 sq mi (36,188 sq km), Taiwan is very close to the size of Guinea-Bissau. To compare, Guinea-Bissau is larger than Belgium (11,787 sq mi or 30,528 sq km) and larger than the U.S. State of Maryland (12,407 sq miles or 32,133 sq km).

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Bissagos Islands

The Bissagos Islands - or Bijagós, as they are known locally - are located in the Bolama region in the south of Guinea-Bissau, and collectively, they are a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. They contain a rich variety of wildlife, including hippos, Nile crocodiles and marine turtles. There are 88 islands in total, with only around 20 islands being populated all year round; subsistence fishing and farming are the main industries. Although tourists do come to the islands via Senegal, tourism is not a major earner due to a lack of infrastructure and communication links. They have also been used as a tropical disease research site by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases, although the isolated nature of the islands also puts them at less risk of contamination than more populous areas.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: 1,000 feet

Guinea-Bissau consists mostly of low, coastal mangrove swamps rising to forested savannah as you move inland. The highest point rises to just less than 1,000 feet above sea level (around 300 meters), at an unnamed location in the northeast of the country.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Taiwan

Guinea-Bissau has a total area of 13,948 square miles, although more than 20% of that area is water. By comparison, the Asian island of Taiwan has a very similar total area of 13,974 square miles, although almost 90% of that country is on dry land. Of the alternatives, Sri Lanka is almost twice the size of Guinea-Bissau, with an area of 25,330 square miles. Iceland is even larger -- with an area of 40,000 square miles, Guinea-Bissau would fit almost three times into Iceland. Jamaica (4,244 square miles), on the other hand, would comfortably fit three times into Guinea-Bissau.

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: coastal plains rising to savannas

The coastal plain rises from the North Atlantic to savannas (grasslands with widely spaced trees) in the east -- but not very far. Guinea-Bissau's highest point is only about 984 ft (300 m), making it one of lowest countries in the world. There are some mangrove swamps on the coast. (Mangroves are medium-sized trees and shrubs that thrive in brackish water.) Unfortunately, the mangrove biomes are under threat throughout Western Africa from over-exploitation for firewood and from clearing for rice farming.

From Quiz A Tour of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Two

Guinea-Bissau shares a border with two different countries: Guinea and Senegal. Guinea is south of Guinea-Bissau, while Senegal is to the north.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Midnight

Guinea-Bissau lies approximately 15 degrees west of the Greenwich Meridian but it and the surrounding countries all set their clocks to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or Western European Time. During the winter months in the northern hemisphere, therefore, the time is the same in London as it is in Guinea-Bissau. (London would be one hour ahead of Guinea-Bissau between late March and mid-October because of the switch to British Summer Time.)

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: harmattan

The monsoon is the season of wind and rain in West Africa. When it is not monsoon time, the harmattan is the dry, dusty wind that blows from the Sahara through West Africa. When the harmattan wind blows, it brings a noticeable haze and may cause brush fires. A winter wind, it blows between the end of November and the middle of March, and it can be as cold as 37°F (3°C). Pretty cold for the tropics! This is not to be confused with the sirocco, a Mediterranean wind that blows across North Africa and Southern Europe and can reach hurricane force. A zephyr is a gentle wind that blows from west to east; something experienced in Greece, from which this words enters the language, but not so much in Guinea-Bissau.

From Quiz A Tour of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Eight

Guinea-Bissau is divided into eight unique regions. Each region is home to a wonderful selection of wildlife. The regions of Guinea-Bissau include: Tombali, Quinara, Bafata, Gabu, Oio, Cacheu, Biombo and Bolama. Each region is sub-divided into numerous sectors and there are a total thirty-seven sectors.

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Lagoas Cufada Natural Park

Lagoas Cufada Natural Park is Guinea-Bissau's largest wetlands reserve and its first protected area, established in 2000. It is located between the Buba and Corubal Rivers, in the Quinara region, and is home to around 250 species of bird, as well as white hippos, gazelles, African buffalo and hyenas. Although there are only a small number of chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau, as both deforestation and hunting are threats to the chimpanzee population, they can be found in the park and make their nests in oil palm trees.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Conakry

Conakry is the odd one out -- it is the capital and largest city in neighboring Guinea. Located in the central region, Bafatá is the capital of the region of the same name. It is also the birthplace of the writer of the country's national anthem, Amílcar Cabral. The market town of Gabú is the capital and largest population centre in the Gabú region which is in the far east of the country. Bissorã is the largest town in the Oio region to the north of the country.

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Bolama

Bolama is one of the Bijagós Islands, and its main town is also called Bolama and is the capital of the region of the same name. Of all the islands, it is the closest to the Guinea-Bissau mainland. The town of Bolama is twinned with Faro in the Portuguese Algarve. A bit of colonial history: the Portuguese and the British disputed over the ownership of Bolama, as the British wanted to annex the island to Sierra Leone, but the area was awarded to Portugal in 1870 by a commission chaired by Ulysses S Grant, and was made the capital of Portuguese Guinea. It was used as a port and trading centre, and later as a stop for seaplanes; a monument near the old Governor's Palace, in the shape of a broken wing, commemorates an Italian seaplane crashing during an aborted attempt to fly from Rome to Brazil. Lack of fresh water put colonists off living there, and it was replaced by Bissau as capital in 1942. Nowadays, Bolama is a biosphere reserve, and the abandoned buildings are home to colonies of fruit bats.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: Bijagós Archipelago

The Bijagós Archipelago consists of 88 islands stretching out into the Atlantic Ocean. Covering 1,184 square miles, the archipelago is slightly larger than Luxembourg. Only 20 of the islands are inhabited, of which Bubaque has the largest population and is also the site of the region's administrative capital. The alternatives are three more island groups in the Atlantic Ocean. The Abrolhos Archipelago is a group of five small islands and reefs off the southern coast of Brazil. The Lucayan Archipelago lies off the coast of North America and includes the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Chinijo Archipelago lies off the coast of Morocco and forms part of the Canary Islands.

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: archipelagos off the coast

Since 2005, Guinea-Bissau has served as a transit country for the drug trade between Latin America and Europe. The islands off the coast -- Arquipélago dos Bijagó, or Bissagos Archipelago -- make smuggling easier. In fact, even before European colonization, the Bissagos were important for West African traders in slaves. The ethnic inhabitants, the Bidyogo (or Bijagos), were skilled enough seamen in their almadias, or large ocean-going canoes holding 70 people, to hold off Portuguese invasion for a time. The wild terrain also made Portuguese conquest of the Bidyogo impossible until 1936, although the Portuguese had since 1870 occupied the Bissagos and forced the Bidyogo to harvest palm trees and build factories. Since 1996 the islands have been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for hippopotamus, marine turtles, manatees, migratory birds, palm forests, mangrove forests, and other native flora and fauna. Many sites have remained pristine because the Bidyogo animistic religion holds them sacred and therefore restricted from human access. The Bissagos are the only place on Earth where one can see hippos swimming in the ocean.

From Quiz Red, Gold & Green: The Land of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Guinea-Bissau Creole

The creole spoken in Guinea-Bissau is a type of Portuguese creole, or crioulu, and is similar to the creole of Cape Verde. Portuguese is the official language, used for administration, politics and educational programming, but Guinea-Bissau Creole is used for entertainment, literature and trade. A dialect of Guinea-Bissau Creole is also spoken in southern Senegal, particularly in the former Portuguese colony of Casamance, and the Gambia. The three main dialects of Guinea-Bissau Creole are Bissau and Bolama, Bafatá, and Cacheu-Ziguinchor.

From Quiz República da Guiné-Bissau

Answer: 26.3

Guinea-Bissau is warm year-round with little fluctuation in temperature from month to month. The hottest month is usually May, with an average temperature of 27.4, and the coldest is January with a 24.4 average. The yearly average is 26.3 Centigrade (or 79.3 Fahrenheit). The average rainfall annual rainfall in the capital is around 80 inches annually, and virtually all of that falls during the wet season, between June and October. From December through April, rainfall is very rare and nationwide droughts are the norm.

From Quiz Guinea-Bissau, Her Land and Her People

Answer: Ghana

The Ghanaians' struggle for freedom in the 1950s inspired the people of Guinea-Bissau to put up their own fight, which succeeded in 1974. Both flags use the the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia. On Guinea-Bissau's flag, two horizontal yellow and green bands sit next to a red vertical band with a black star. Ghana has three horizontal bands (red, yellow, green) with a black star in the center band. The colors mean different things to different countries, but specifically to Guinea-Bissau they signify the sun (yellow), hope (green), bloodshed (red), and African unity (black star).

From Quiz A Tour of Guinea-Bissau

Answer: Ilhas de Orango National Park

Ilhas de Orange National Park is a National Park in Guinea-Bissau. It has approximately 27,000 hectares of land, which allows the park's wildlife to roam freely. The park has breath-taking scenery, which includes tropical plants, highland and mangroves. There are many different types of vegetation in the park. The Karoo National Park is found in South Africa. The Saiwa Swamp National Park is located in Kenya. The Batéké Plateau National Park is in Gabon. All of these National Parks have a wonderful array of wildlife and magnificent scenery.

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