[1] Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, its administrative and military center.

[3] From well before the arrival of Europeans to the early 20th century, the island of Bissau was governed as a kingdom inhabited by the Papel people.

Although the king of Bissau Bacompolco refused them permission to build a fort, he did grant them a trading factory, from which they shipped thousands of slaves, among other things.

In response the Portuguese Conselho Ultramarino [pt] established the captaincy-general of Bissau, and by 1696 the town had a fort, a church, and a hospital.

[8] It was the main emporium for trade on and south of the Geba river,[9] and was rivaling if not eclipsing Cacheu in importance.

King Incinhate emerged from the ensuing succession dispute despite tacit Portuguese opposition, and relations rapidly deteriorated.

[11] When Captain-General Pinheiro tried to enforce Portugal's monopoly in defiance of the Papel policy of free trade, Incinhate surrounded the incomplete fort and threatened to massacre the inhabitants.

[12] Unable to enforce a trading monopoly or collect duties from foreign shipping, the Portuguese soon abandoned the fort.

[13] They returned in 1753 but, faced with determined Papel resistance, were unable to build a new fort and left two years later.

[8] The fort was rebuilt by the Grão Pará and Maranhão Company in 1775 to better project Portuguese power and store more slaves for shipment to Brazil.

The city rebounded after peace returned, holding more than 25% of the country's population during the 2009 census and witnessing the erection of many new and rehabilitated buildings.

[1] Bissau is the country's largest city, major port, and educational, administrative, industrial and military center.