Rio Mansoa

Rio Mansoa

The Río Mansoa is a watercourse that flows through the north of Guinea-Bissau and is one of the most important rivers in the country. The river's mouth is located not far from the national capital, Bissau. The Canal do Impernal, which bisects the river and forms the island of Bissau, joins the Mansoa River with the Geba River before its mouth. Its waters also border the Bissau archipelago. The river originates in the north-western part of the Bambadinca sector of the Bafatá region, crossing the entire Oio region from east to west until it reaches the border with the Cacheu and Biombo regions. The river has two main sources of water, and has two estuaries, as it bifurcates to form the Cajegute Canal. The main branch of the river has its estuary at the Geba-Caio Canal, while the Cajegute branch of the river has its estuary at the confluence of the Santa Catarina and Jata canals. Rice cultivation on mangrove plantations in the Mansoa Basin has been an important agricultural activity in the country for at least 500 years. Located near the source of the Mansôa River, the town of Mansoa and its area in central Guinea-Bissau is also an agricultural area, with rice cultivation in the western coastal areas, palm trees in the central and eastern coastal areas, and mixed forests in the northeast.