| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
10 00 N, 8 00 E
|
| Area: |
total:
923,768 sq km
land:
910,768 sq km
water:
13,000 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly more than twice the size of California
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
4,047 km
border countries:
Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km
|
| Maritime claims: |
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
|
| Climate: |
varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
|
| Terrain: |
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Chappal Waddi 2,419 m
|
| Natural resources: |
natural gas, petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, arable land
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
33%
permanent crops:
3%
permanent pastures:
44%
forests and woodland:
12%
other:
8% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
9,570 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural hazards: |
periodic droughts
|
| Environment - current issues: |
soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification
|
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
|
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