Geography of Burkina Faso
Location: | Western Africa, north of Ghana |
Geographic coordinates: | 13 00 N, 2 00 W |
Map references: | Africa |
Area: | total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Colorado |
Land boundaries: | total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
Climate: | tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Terrain: | mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
Natural resources: | manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt |
Land use: | arable land: 17.66% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 82.12% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 250 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | recurring droughts |
Environment - current issues: | recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |