Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Maritime claims: Climate: Terrain: Elevation: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 196,722 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 192,530 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 4,192 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 88
slightly smaller than South Dakota
total: 2,684 km
border countries (5): The Gambia 749 km, Guinea 363 km, Guinea-Bissau 341 km, Mali 489 km, Mauritania 742 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
531 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
mean elevation: 69 m
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation southwest of Kedougou 581 m
fish, phosphates, iron ore
agricultural land: 46.8%
arable land 17.4%; permanent crops 0.3%; permanent pasture 29.1%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 43.8%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 9.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
1,200 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal