The Republic of Guinea-Bissau (Guiné-Bissau in Portuguese) is the former Portuguese Guinea, a small country wedged into the south side of West Africa between Senegal and the Republic of Guinea. Since becoming independent in 1974 the country has suffered from a series of unstable governments and a civil war during 1998-99. Most of Guinea-Bissau is quite low. Two large estuaries, the Rio Cacheu and the Rio Géba, separate the country into separate regions. The islands known as the Bijagós are scattered off the coast, obstructing navigation. The Portuguese built a number of lighthouses in Guinea to guide ships through these waters into the ports of Bissau and Bolama. Almost no information on these lighthouses is available so visitor accounts and photos would be very welcome. Portuguese is the official language of government and trade in Guinea-Bissau, although most of the population speaks a local Creole language. The Portuguese word for a lighthouse is farol, plural faróis; a small lightbeacon is often called a farolim. In Portuguese ilha is an island, ilhéu is an islet, cabo is a cape, ponta is a promontory or point of land, rocha is a rock, recife is a reef, baía is a bay, estreito is a strait, rio is a river, and porto is a port or harbor. Lighthouses in Guinea-Bissau are maintained by the Capitania dos Portos, Serviços de Marinha. The lights are reported to be in poor condition although the port authority worked to renovate them in 2007-08. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
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![]() Ilha Roxa (Ponta Barel) Light, Arquipélago dos Bijagós, December 2009 photo copyright Africa Princess; used by permission |
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![]() Ilhéu dos Passaros Light, Bissau, March 2018 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Helena Maria Pestana |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Senegal | South: Guinea
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Posted September 5, 2005. Checked and revised April 26, 2024. Lighthouses: 15. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.