Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, at the mouth of the River Geba; 423,000 residents (UNdata 2011). Important port city with export of copra, palm oil, rice and more. International Airport. University, Research Institute. Founded in 1687 by the Portuguese, large slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Taken over in 1941 as the capital of Portuguese Guinea after Bolama. The city was severely damaged in a riot in 1998, and almost the entire population fled the city.