Cote d'Ivoire vs. Liberia
Geography
| Cote d'Ivoire | Liberia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone |
| Geographic coordinates | 8 00 N, 5 00 W | 6 30 N, 9 30 W |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 322,463 sq km land: 318,003 sq km water: 4,460 sq km | total: 111,369 sq km land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,049 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than New Mexico | slightly larger than Virginia |
| 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 | total: 1,667 km border countries (3): Guinea 590 km, Cote d'Ivoire 778 km, Sierra Leone 299 km |
| Coastline | 515 km | 579 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 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) | tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers |
| Terrain | mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest | mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Monts Nimba 1,752 m lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m mean elevation: 250 m | highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,447 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 243 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 | iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, 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.) | agricultural land: 28.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 5.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 20.8% (2018 est.) forest: 44.6% (2018 est.) other: 27.3% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 730 sq km (2012) | 30 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible | dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage, and from industrial, mining, and agricultural effluents | tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; hunting of endangered species for bushmeat; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage; pollution of rivers from industrial run-off; burning and dumping of household waste |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, 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 | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note | most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated | facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture |
| Total renewable water resources | 84.14 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 232 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| 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 population distribution map | more than half of the population lives in urban areas, with approximately one-third living within an 80-km radius of Monrovia as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
