| Location | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo |
| Geographic coordinates | 8 00 N, 2 00 W |
| Map references | Africa |
| Area | total: 238,533 sq km land: 227,533 sq km water: 11,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,420 km border countries (3): Burkina Faso 602 km, Cote d'Ivoire 720 km, Togo 1098 km |
| Coastline | 539 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north |
| Terrain | mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Afadjato 885 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 190 m |
| Natural resources | gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone |
| Land use | agricultural land: 69.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 20.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 11.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 36.5% (2018 est.) forest: 21.2% (2018 est.) other: 9.7% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 340 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 56.2 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds from January to March; droughts |
| Geography - note | Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake (manmade reservoir) by surface area (8,482 sq km; 3,275 sq mi); the lake was created following the completion of the Akosombo Dam in 1965, which holds back the White Volta and Black Volta Rivers |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
