Bolama
Guinea-Bissau
port town located on the northeast side of Bolama Island, Guinea-Bissau. Bolama Island and town lie between mainland Guinea and the Bijagós Islands. The town served as the capital of Portuguese Guinea until 1941, when it was replaced by Bissau. In the late 1860s the island was claimed by Britain, but U.S. Pres. Ulysses S. Grant (Grant, Ulysses S.), acting as arbitrator, awarded the island to Portugal. After the 1940s the town declined in importance and population. Pop. (2004 est.) 9,188.
region, Guinea-Bissau
region made up of the Bijagós Islands in western Guinea-Bissau. The archipelago extends southwestward into the Atlantic Ocean and contains Bolama Island, which is located in the northeastern part of the region and is separated from Quinará region by a channel. Farther southwest, the islands of the region include Galinhas, Formosa, Caravela, Caraxe, Uno, Unhocomo, Orango, Canogo, Orangozinho, Roxa, João Vieira, and Meio. Mangrove forests and swamps predominate on the islands. Oil palms and rice are the major crops on the islands of Bolama and Formosa. Caravela Island has phosphate deposits. Bolama town is the regional capital. A road extends west across Bolama Island. The main ethnic group in the Bolama region is the Bijagós. Pop. (2004 est.) 27,959.