Geography of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) is a landlocked Sahel country that shares borders with six nations. It lies between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea, south of the loop of the Niger River. The land is green in the south, with forests and fruit trees, and desert in the north. Most of central Burkina Faso lies on a savanna plateau, 198-305 meters (650-1,000 ft.) above sea level, with fields, brush, and scattered trees. Burkina Faso's game preserves--the most important of which are Arly, Nazinga, and W National Park--contain lionss, elephants, hippopotamus, monkeys, warthogs, and antelopes. Tourism is not well developed. Annual rainfall varies from about 100 centimeters (40 in.) in the south to less than 25 centimeters (10 in.) in the extreme north and northeast, where hot desert winds accentuate the dryness of the region. Burkina Faso has three distinct seasons: warm and dry (November-March), hot and dry (March-May), and hot and wet (June-October). Rivers are not navigable. Location:\nWestern Africa, north of Ghana Geographic coordinates: 13°00' N, 2°00' W Map references: Africa Area:\n
total: 274,200 km²\n
land: 273,800 km²\n
water: 400 km² Area - comparative: slightly larger than Colorado Land boundaries:\n
total: 3,192 km\n
border countries:\nBenin 306 km,\nCôte d'Ivoire 584 km,\nGhana 548 km,\nMali 1,000 km,\nNiger 628 km,\nTogo 126 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers Terrain:\nmostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast Elevation extremes:\n
lowest point:\nMouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m\n
highest point:\nTena Kourou 749 m Natural resources:\nmanganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver Land use:\n
arable land: 13%\n
permanent crops: 0%\n
permanent pastures: 22%\n
forests and woodland: 50%\n
other: 15% (1993 est.) Irrigated land:\n200 km² (1993 est.) Natural hazards:\nrecurring droughts Environment - current issues:\nrecent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation Environment - international agreements:\n
party to:\nBiodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands\n
signed, but not ratified:\nLaw of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban Geography - note:\nlandlocked Burkina Faso\nCategory:Burkina Faso