Benin Geography - 2021

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo

Geographic coordinates

9 30 N, 2 15 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 112,622 sq km

land: 110,622 sq km

water: 2,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries

total: 2,123 km

border countries (4): Burkina Faso 386 km, Niger 277 km, Nigeria 809 km, Togo 651 km

Coastline

121 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim

continental shelf: 200 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain

mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation

highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 273 m

Natural resources

small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Land use

agricultural land: 31.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 22.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3.5% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 4.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 40% (2018 est.)

other: 28.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

230 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

26.39 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

the population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west at shown in this population distribution map

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands