Benin vs. Nigeria
Geography
| Benin | Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon |
| Geographic coordinates | 9 30 N, 2 15 E | 10 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 112,622 sq km land: 110,622 sq km water: 2,000 sq km | total: 923,768 sq km land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania | about six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,123 km border countries (4): Burkina Faso 386 km, Niger 277 km, Nigeria 809 km, Togo 651 km | total: 4,477 km border countries (4): Benin 809 km, Cameroon 1975 km, Chad 85 km, Niger 1608 km |
| Coastline | 121 km | 853 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north | varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north |
| Terrain | mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains | southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 273 m | highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 380 m |
| Natural resources | small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber | natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 31.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 22.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 3.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 4.9% (2018 est.) forest: 40% (2018 est.) other: 28.7% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 78% (2018 est.) arable land: 37.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 7.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 33.3% (2018 est.) forest: 9.5% (2018 est.) other: 12.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 230 sq km (2012) | 2,930 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March | periodic droughts; flooding |
| Environment - current issues | inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification (the spread of the desert into agricultural lands in the north is accelerated by regular droughts) | serious overpopulation and rapid urbanization have led to numerous environmental problems; urban air and water pollution; rapid deforestation; soil degradation; loss of arable land; oil pollution - water, air, and soil have suffered serious damage from oil spills |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, 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, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Tropical Timber 2006 |
| Geography - note | sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands | the Niger River enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea |
| Total renewable water resources | 26.39 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 286.2 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west at shown in this population distribution map | largest population of any African nation; significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
