Page last updated on January 28, 2014

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
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 79
land: 245,717 sq km
water: 140 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
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
320 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt

Land use:
arable land: 11.59%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 2.81%
other: 85.6% (2011)

Irrigated land:
949.2 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
226 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.55 cu km/yr (39%/10%/51%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 64.3 cu m/yr (2005)

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