Guinea vs. Cote d'Ivoire
Geography
| Guinea | Cote d'Ivoire | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia |
| Geographic coordinates | 11 00 N, 10 00 W | 8 00 N, 5 00 W |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,717 sq km water: 140 sq km | total: 322,463 sq km land: 318,003 sq km water: 4,460 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon; slightly larger than twice the size of Pennsylvania | slightly larger than New Mexico |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,046 km border countries (6): Cote d'Ivoire 816 km, Guinea-Bissau 421 km, Liberia 590 km, Mali 1062 km, Senegal 363 km, Sierra Leone 794 km | total: 3,458 km border countries (5): Burkina Faso 545 km, Ghana 720 km, Guinea 816 km, Liberia 778 km, Mali 599 km |
| Coastline | 320 km | 515 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Climate | generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds | 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 | generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior | mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 472 m | highest point: Monts Nimba 1,752 m lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m mean elevation: 250 m |
| Natural resources | bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt | 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: 58.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 43.5% (2018 est.) forest: 26.5% (2018 est.) other: 15.4% (2018 est.) | 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 | 950 sq km (2012) | 730 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season | coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; inadequate potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices lead to environmental damage; water pollution; improper waste disposal | 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 |
| 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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, 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, 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 |
| Geography - note | the Niger and its important tributary the Milo River have their sources in the Guinean highlands | most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated |
| Total renewable water resources | 226 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 84.14 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | areas of highest density are in the west and south; interior is sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map | 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 |
Source: CIA Factbook
