Cote d&'Ivoire's Geography | Cote d&'Ivoires Geography
 Cote d'Ivoire MapLocation: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 322,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 3,110 km border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km Coastline: 515 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October) Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower Land use: arable land: 9.75% permanent crops: 13.84% other: 76.41% (2001) Irrigated land: 730 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible Environment - current issues: deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated |
