BissauGeneral Information about BissauBissau is the capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau in Africa. Bissau is also the nations administrative and millitary centre and the major port. Bissau was founded in 1687 by Portugal and was used as a trading centre and fortified port. In 1942 Bissau became the capital city of Portuguese Guinea before Guinea-Bissau became independent in 1974. Bissau remained the capital city of the nation.
Although the city dates so far back, it is still very underdeveloped. Many of Bissau's buildings were destoryed during the Guinea-Bissau Civil War, including the Guinea-Bissau Presidental Palace and the Bissau French Cultural Centre. The latter has since been rebuilt.
Other attractions in Bissau include the Guinea-Bissau National Arts Institute, the Bissau New Stadium, the Pidjiguiti Memorial (dedicated to the dockers who were killed during the Bissau Dockers Strike in 1959) and the Fortaleza d'Amura Barracks.
The Fortaleza d'Amura Barracks is one of the most interesting sites in Bissau as it contains Amilcar Cabral's mausoleum. Amilcar Cabral was an African agronomic engineer, writer, Marxist and politician. He was a very important part of the nationalism movements in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde and was the leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement. Members of his own party assassinated him in 1973, a few months before Guinea-Bissau gained independence. BACK TO TOP |
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