Geography & environment — Burkina Faso
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Burkina Faso: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
13 00 N, 2 00 W
- Total Area
105,869 Square Miles 274,200 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
105,714 Square Miles 273,800 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
154 Square Miles 400 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
1,984 Miles 3,193 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Physical geography
- Terrain
Mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast
- Highest Point
749 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Tena Kourou 749 m
- Lowest Point
200 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
- Natural Resources
Manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver
- Irrigated Land
97 Square Miles 250 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
Burkina Faso's climate is sunny, hot, dry, and dusty. The hot season is from mid-February to June, when maximum temperatures exceed 104°F in the shade. The rainy season typically lasts from June to September. The first rains, called the mango rains, usually begin in May/June and provide some relief from the heat and dust. Annual rainfall ranges from about 10 inches in the extreme north to nearly 40 inches in the south. Temperatures begin to moderate in late September/early October as the rainy season winds down. Mid-November to mid-February is the cool season with high temperatures in the 80s and lows in the 60s. The Harmattan, a hot, dust-laden wind from the Sahara, often blows in January and February, leading to reduced visibility and temporarily unpleasant living conditions.
- Terrain
Mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast
- Location
Western Africa, north of Ghana
- Total Area
105,869 Square Miles 274,200 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
Recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy
overgrazing
soil degradation
deforestation
- Environment - International Agreements
Party To: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements