Geography
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Benin and Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 1 10 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
56,790 sq km
land area:
54,390 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total:
1,647 km
border countries:
Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline:
56 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
30 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain:
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Pic Baumann 986 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble
Land use:
arable land:
25%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
4%
forest and woodland:
28%
other:
42%
Irrigated land:
70 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; recent droughts affecting agriculture
natural hazards:
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Tropical Timber 94
