James Baquet One way friends can while away time is to quiz each other on fixed bits of knowledge: names of the authors of given works, for example, or capitals of the world’s countries. If you were playing this latter game, and your friend offered you “Guinea-Bissau,” you’d be in luck. You see, as mentioned previously, there are four countries with “Guinea” in their names. Three of these are located in a region of West Africa also named “Guinea.” These include Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, and today’s topic, Guinea-Bissau. When that country — formerly called Portuguese Guinea — gained independence in 1973, it attached the name of its capital to its country name to distinguish itself from its neighbors, especially Guinea, which had formerly been French Guinea. Equatorial Guinea had been Spanish Guinea. So yes, Guinea-Bissau, the name of the country, reveals that Bissau is the capital. Easy peasy! The people, by the way, are referred to as Bissau-Guineans. The word “Guinea” comes from a Portuguese word referring to the dark color of the inhabitants’ skin. The fourth “Guinea” is Papua New Guinea, in Oceania. Its name derives from the fact that the Spanish explorer, Ynigo Ortiz de Retez, who arrived in 1545, thought the people there resembled those he had seen in the Guinea region of West Africa. Guinea-Bissau is located south of The Gambia, and west and north of Guinea. The Atlantic Ocean makes up its western border. Since independence in 1973, no elected president has managed to fill out his full five-year term. This indicates a high level of political instability, resulting in part from disorder that existed long before independence was achieved. While Portuguese is the official language, it is a second language for most people. A Portuguese-based creole is widely spoken, and each of the several ethnic groups has its own tribal language, including the Fula (28.5 percent); the slightly less-numerous Balanta (22.5 percent); and the even smaller Mandinka (14.7 percent), descendants of the Mali Empire. About 40 percent of the people are Muslims, 22 percent Christians, and 15 percent Animists. Guinea-Bissau has one of the lowest per-capita gross domestic products in the world. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. a childish way to say “not difficult” 2. time in office 3. islands of the central and South Pacific 4. lack of order 5. set, predetermined 6. pass time pleasantly 7. shows 8. ask questions of 9. not the “mother tongue” 10. connected, added | 