Not sure if this is the right thread, but anyone has a map of the subdivisions of Portuguese Guinea and Spanish Guinea? in preference ones from the 1960s shortly before their independence, would they be more or less like what Guiné-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea are today?
In Metropolitan Portugal, Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese India, the largest territorial divisions were districts, these were further divided into
concelhos (municipal councils) in Metropolitan Portugal and Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese India and Macau. In Portuguese Guinea, Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Timor the districts were divided into
concelhos only if there was some sort of town or city with a larger "civilised population". The more rural/native areas were
circunscrições (circumscriptions; singular:
circunscricão). The
conselho had at its head an elected mayor, whereas the
circunscricão was administered by a
chefe de posto or administrator appointed by the overseas ministry.
Portuguese Guinea in 1974 was divided into 12 divisions with Bafatá, Bissau, and Bolama all being
conselhos. The other 9 were
circunscrições, these were: Bijagós (capital Bubaque), Bissorã, Cacheu (Teixeira Pinto), Catió, Farim, Fulacunda, Gabú (Nova Lamego), Mansôa and São Domingos. Unless specified, the administrative centre corresponds to the name of the division.
After independence the old divisions became regions. In 1976 the name of Catió was changed to Tombali, and the eastern part of Fulacunda was annexed to it. The remainder of Fulacunda was renamed Buba, and its capital moved from Fulacunda to Buba. São Domingos and the western part of Farim were annexed to Cacheu. Oio formed by merging Bissorã, Mansôa, and the remainder of Farim. Bijagós merged with Bolama. In 1990 Bissau region was split into Bissau and Biombo. Also, the name of Buba region was changed to Quinara.