Guinea-Bissau

Bissau is the capital of Guinea-Bissau—its name is literally built into the country’s name to avoid confusion with neighboring Guinea (whose capital is Conakry). The other options are capitals of nearby West African countries: Banjul (The Gambia), Dakar (Senegal), and Freetown (Sierra Leone). A former Portuguese colony known as Portuguese Guinea, Guinea-Bissau gained independence in 1973–74, and Bissau, a port city on the Geba River estuary, became its political and economic center. Memory tip: “Guinea-BisSAU has BiSSAU in it,” and for the region, think “BDFS” along the coast—Banjul, Dakar, Freetown—leaving Bissau for Guinea-Bissau.