Cote Divoire Geography - 2024

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

Geographic coordinates

8 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 322,463 sq km

land: 318,003 sq km

water: 4,460 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries

total: 3,458 km

border countries (5): Burkina Faso 545 km; Ghana 720 km; Guinea 816 km; Liberia 778 km; Mali 599 km

Coastline

515 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate

tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

Terrain

mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

Elevation

highest point: Monts Nimba 1,752 m

lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m

mean elevation: 250 m

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower

Land use

agricultural land: 64.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 14.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 41.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 32.7% (2018 est.)

other: 2.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

730 sq km (2012)

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s): Lagune Aby - 780 sq km

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Volta (410,991 sq km)

Population distribution

the population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors as shown in this

Natural hazards

coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Geography - note

most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated