Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Area:
total area: 111,370 sq km
land area: 96,320 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total 1,585 km, Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Coastline: 579 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 3%
meadows and pastures: 2%
forest and woodland: 39%
other: 55%
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil
erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of rivers from the dumping
of iron ore tailings and of coastal waters from oil residue and raw
sewage
natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December
to March)
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94; signed,
but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation