Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a predominantly low-lying country on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. The name Guinea is a matter of debate, possibly derived from a Berber word meaning "land of the blacks". The country also uses the name Bissau, its capital, to differentiate it from its eastern and southern neighbor Guinea. During the 15th and early 16th centuries, the Portuguese ruled the entire west coast of Africa. Their monopoly gradually gave way to invasions by the French, Dutch, English and other major European powers. The French also occupied the northern and southern borders of what is now Guinea-Bissau, and by the end of the 19th century had brought the Casamance region of southern Senegal completely under French rule. The British rivalled Portuguese power on the coast, and a long struggle between the two resulted in Guinea-Bissau coming under Portuguese rule. The three ecological zones of Guinea-Bissau are home to an extremely diverse flora and fauna. Aquatic and riverine birds like flamingos and pelicans are particularly abundant in coastal wetlands, where many reptiles such as snakes, crocodiles and sea turtles also live, the latter being endangered. Lizards, gazelles, antelopes, monkeys and apes, parrots, hyenas and leopards live in the plains and forests. While there was once a significant elephant population here, it has since basically disappeared. Unfortunately, many wild animals are hunted for their meat and skins. Guinea-Bissau's tropical marine environment has a great diversity of sea life, especially in and around the Bijagós Archipelago.