Geography and Environment of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, a landlocked country, is located in the middle of West Africa’s "hump." Covering 274,000 square kilometers. Burkina Faso is bordered on the north and west by Mali, on the northeast by Niger, on the southeast by Benin and on the south by Togo, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire. Burkina is a savanna plateau, with an average elevation of 500 meters. The highest point is Tenakourou (747 meters), in the west. Burkina Faso’s three main rivers are the Mouhoun, the Nazinou, and the Nakambe, tributaries that form Ghana’s Volta River. Much of Burkina lies in the Sahel, the fringe of the Sahara. The north gradually dries out into scrub and semi-desert, but comes to life during the rainy season, with green shrubs and thorn trees. Toward the south are areas of savannah and wooded savannah, including the shea and baobab trees that are of agricultural importance. Wildlife in Burkina’s eastern and southern areas includes elephants, antelope, hippos, monkeys, crocodiles, lions and buffalo. Bird and insect life is rich and varied.

Detailed geography