Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone |
Geographic coordinates: | 11 00 N, 10 00 W |
Map references: | Africa |
Area: | total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Oregon |
Land boundaries: | total: 3,399 km border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km |
Coastline: | 320 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate: | generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds |
Terrain: | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m |
Natural resources: | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt |
Land use: | arable land: 4.47% permanent crops: 2.64% other: 92.89% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 950 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season |
Environment - current issues: | deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands |