Burkina Faso Geography:
Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references:
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 1000 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: 14.43%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 85.38%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
250 sq km (1998 est.)
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, 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 (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |
