Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W

Area: total:
- 239,460 sq km
- land: 230,940 sq km
- water: 8,520 sq km

Land boundaries:
- total: 2,094 km

border countries:
- Burkina Faso 549 km,
- Cote d'Ivoire 668 km,
- Togo 877 km

Coastline: 539 km

Maritime claims:
- territorial sea: 12 nm
- contiguous zone: 24 nm
- exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
- continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Elevation extremes:
- lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Natural resources:
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish,
rubber, hydropower

Land use:
- arable land: 16.26%
- permanent crops: 9.67%
- other: 74.07% (2001)

Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts

Environment - current issues:
recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake