FACT FILE

Location:	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates:	6 30 N, 9 30 W
Map references:	Africa
Area:	total: 111,370 sq km water: 15,050 sq km land: 96,320 sq km
Area - comparative:	slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:	total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Coastline:	579 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 200 NM
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
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
Natural resources:	iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Land use:	arable land: 2% permanent crops: 2% other: 96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:	30 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:	dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
Environment - current issues:	tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements:	party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:	facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture