Location Western Africa, north of Ghana

Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references Africa

Area
total: 274,200 sq km
water: 400 sq km
land: 273,800 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 1,000 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, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver

Land use
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87% (1998 est.)

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, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas

NOTE: The information regarding Burkina Faso on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Burkina Faso Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Burkina Faso Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.