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Benin vs. Niger

Geography

BeninNiger
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and TogoWestern Africa, southeast of Algeria
Geographic coordinates9 30 N, 2 15 E16 00 N, 8 00 E
Map referencesAfricaAfrica
Areatotal: 112,622 sq km

land: 110,622 sq km

water: 2,000 sq km
total: 1.267 million sq km

land: 1,266,700 sq km

water: 300 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than Pennsylvaniaslightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundariestotal: 2,123 km

border countries (4): Burkina Faso 386 km, Niger 277 km, Nigeria 809 km, Togo 651 km
total: 5,834 km

border countries (7): Algeria 951 km, Benin 277 km, Burkina Faso 622 km, Chad 1196 km, Libya 342 km, Mali 838 km, Nigeria 1608 km
Coastline121 km0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim

continental shelf: 200 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Climatetropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in northdesert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrainmostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountainspredominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Elevation extremeshighest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 273 m
highest point: Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m

lowest point: Niger River 200 m

mean elevation: 474 m
Natural resourcessmall offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timberuranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
Land useagricultural land: 31.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 22.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3.5% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 4.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 40% (2018 est.)

other: 28.7% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: 35.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 12.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 22.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 1% (2018 est.)

other: 63.9% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land230 sq km (2012)1,000 sq km (2012)
Natural hazardshot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to Marchrecurring droughts
Environment - current issuesinadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification (the spread of the desert into agricultural lands in the north is accelerated by regular droughts)overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; contaminated water; inadequate potable water; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction
Environment - international agreementsparty to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - notesandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islandslandlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture
Total renewable water resources26.39 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)34.05 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionthe population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west at shown in this population distribution mapmajority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin as shown in this population distribution map

Source: CIA Factbook