Two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia.
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao): Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, and Tombali. Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos.
Population:
1,345,479 (July 2002 est.)
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Geographic coordinates:
12° 00' N, 15° 00' W
Area total:
36,120 sq. km
Land area:
28,000 sq. km
Water area:
8,120 sq. km
Total land boundaries:
724 km
Borders with neighbor countries:
Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Coastline:
350 km
Elevation extremes:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m - unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Internet country code:
.gw
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF) responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States, previously the Guinea-Bissau peso (GWP) was used
Name - conventional long form:
Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Name - conventional short form:
Guinea-Bissau
Name - local long form:
Republica da Guine-Bissau
Name - local short form:
Guine-Bissau
Former name:
Portuguese Guinea
Independence:
24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau), 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
Constitution:
16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996