page_title: Guinea-Bissau
section_title: Ethnic groups
hierarchical_section_title: Guinea-Bissau / Society / Ethnic groups
caption_attribution_description: English: Geographic location of Guinea-Bissau and present-day settlement pattern of the ethnic groups. The main ethnic groups now present in Guinea-Bissau were already settled in the region in the 15th century, at the time of arrival of the Portuguese. With the establishment of the Atlantic slave trade the region experienced an input of Europeans, in their vast majority males, whose genetic imprint is undetermined. Many of the ethnic barriers were brought down, in particular the endogamic practices, promoting an intense cultural contact and higher levels of admixture between groups than before.
context_page_description: Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers 36,125 square kilometres with an estimated population of 1,874,303. It borders Senegal to the north and Guinea to the south-east.
  Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Kaabu, as well as part of the Mali Empire. Parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century, while a few others were under some rule by the Portuguese Empire since the 16th century. In the 19th century, it was colonised as Portuguese Guinea. Upon independence, declared in 1973 and recognised in 1974, the name of its capital, Bissau, was added to the country's name to prevent confusion with Guinea. Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability since independence, and only one elected president has successfully served a full five-year term. The new president is elected December 29 2019.
  Only about 2% of the population speaks Portuguese, the official language, as a first language, and 33% speak it as a second language. However, Creole is the national language and also considered the language of unity.
context_section_description: The population of Guinea-Bissau is ethnically diverse and has many distinct languages, customs, and social structures.
  Bissau-Guineans can be divided into the following ethnic groups:
  Fula and the Mandinka-speaking people, who comprise the largest portion of the population and are concentrated in the north and northeast;
  Balanta and Papel people, who live in the southern coastal regions; and
  Manjaco and Mancanha, who occupy the central and northern coastal areas.
  Most of the remainder are mestiços of mixed Portuguese and African descent.
  Portuguese natives comprise a very small percentage of Bissau-Guineans. After Guinea-Bissau gained independence, most of the Portuguese nationals left the country. The country has a tiny Chinese population. These include traders and merchants of mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry from the former Asian Portuguese colony of Macau.
caption: Guinea-Bissau present-day settlement pattern of the ethnic groups
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