Bissagos Islands
Encyclopedia
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
with an area of 2,624 km2 and a population of 30,000 (2006). They are a part of Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
.
Description
The population mostly speaks BijagoBijago language
Bijago, or Bidyogo, is the language of the Bissagos Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau. There are some difficulties of grammar and intelligibility between dialects, with the Kamona dialect of Caravela and Carache Islands being unintelligible to the others....
and has a considerable degree of autonomy.
The islands include Bolama
Bolama
Bolama is the closest of the Bijagós Islands to the mainland of Guinea-Bissau, and is also the name of the island's main town, the capital of the Bolama Region. Population 10,014 ....
, Bubaque
Bubaque
Bubaque is one of the Bijagós Islands in Guinea-Bissau, and is also the name of its main town. Population 9,244 . The island is known for its wildlife and is heavily forested. It is linked by ferry to Bissau and has an airstrip.-External links:...
, Carache
Carache
Carache or Caraxe is an island in the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau. Its area is 80 km²....
, Caravela
Caravela (Guinea-Bissau)
Caravela is the northernmost island of the Bissagos Islands of Guinea-Bissau.The island is heavily forested with mangroves. It also has white, sandy beaches.- Data and Facts :* Areal: 128 km²* Coastline: 56 km* Distance to next Island: 1 km...
, Enu, Formosa
Formosa (Guinea-Bissau)
Formosa is an island in the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau. Its area is 140 km². It is located right off the West coast of the northern half of Africa.- References :http://islands.unep.ch...
, Galinhas
Galinhas
Galinhas is an island in the Bijagós Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau, lying south west of Bolama. Sights on the island include the former Portuguese prison and governor's house. Some boats from Bissau to Bubaque call at the island....
, João Viera
João Viera
João Viera is an important sea turtle nesting island in the Bijagós Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau. It is also a centre for sea fishing and is the centre of the João Viera Marine Park....
, Maio, Meneque, Orango
Orango
Orango is one of the Bijagós Islands, located 60 kilometers off the coast of mainland Guinea-Bissau. It is the centre of the Ilhas de Orango National Park and has one town, Eticoga.Orango is known for its saltwater hippopotamuses....
, Orangozinho
Orangozinho
Orangozinho is an island in the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau. Its area is 107 km².- References :*http://islands.unep.ch...
, Ponta, Roxa
Roxa
Roxa other name Canhabaque is an island in the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau. Its area is 111 km²....
, Rubane, Soga, Unhacomo
Unhacomo
Unhacomo is an island in the Bissagos Islands of Guinea-Bissau....
, Uno
Uno (Guinea-Bissau)
Uno is an island in the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau. Its area is 104 km2.-References:*...
, and Uracane
Uracane
Uracane is an island in the Bissagos Islands of Guinea-Bissau....
.
The archipelago constitutes a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, known for animals including marine turtles and monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s and are mostly forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
ed.
History
In pre-European colonial times, the islands were central to the trade along the coast of West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
and they built up a powerful navy. In 1535, this enabled them to rout the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
when they attempted to conquer the islands, which were not taken by Portugal until 1936.
The Bissagos were visited by Austrian anthropologist and photographer Hugo Bernatzik
Hugo Bernatzik
Hugo Adolf Bernatzik , was an Austrian anthropologist and photographer.Bernatzik was the founder of the concept of alternative anthropology.-Biography:...
in 1930–1931, who documented daily life among the Bidyogo people.
Orango is run by a matriarchy, in which the women choose their husbands, making each spouse-to-be a single plate of food (often a traditional fish-eye platter). Agreement is marked by the eating of the fish.
Today, only twenty of the islands are inhabited and the others have only small populations of the Bijagós people. The southern islands are today a nature reserve. The islands of Bubaque
Bubaque
Bubaque is one of the Bijagós Islands in Guinea-Bissau, and is also the name of its main town. Population 9,244 . The island is known for its wildlife and is heavily forested. It is linked by ferry to Bissau and has an airstrip.-External links:...
, Bolama
Bolama
Bolama is the closest of the Bijagós Islands to the mainland of Guinea-Bissau, and is also the name of the island's main town, the capital of the Bolama Region. Population 10,014 ....
, and Caravela
Caravela (Guinea-Bissau)
Caravela is the northernmost island of the Bissagos Islands of Guinea-Bissau.The island is heavily forested with mangroves. It also has white, sandy beaches.- Data and Facts :* Areal: 128 km²* Coastline: 56 km* Distance to next Island: 1 km...
are the most populated and are visited by tourists. This continued even during the years of unrest in Guinea-Bissau as the islands remained isolated from those events.