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| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
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| Geographic coordinates: |
8 00 N, 1 10 E
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| Area: |
total:
56,785 sq km
land:
54,385 sq km
water:
2,400 sq km
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| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than West Virginia
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| Land boundaries: |
total:
1,647 km
border countries:
Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
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| Maritime claims: |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
30 NM
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| Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
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| Terrain: |
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
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| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mont Agou 986 m
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| Natural resources: |
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
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| Land use: |
arable land:
38%
permanent crops:
7%
permanent pastures:
4%
forests and woodland:
17%
other:
34% (1993 est.)
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| Irrigated land: |
70 sq km (1993 est.)
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| Natural hazards: |
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
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| Environment - current issues: |
deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas
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| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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