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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 00 N, 15 00 W
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 36,120 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
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Coastline:
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350 km
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
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Terrain:
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mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum
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Land use:
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arable land: 10.67%
permanent crops: 1.78%
other: 87.55% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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170 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland
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