Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total:
2,505,810 kmē
land:
2.376 million kmē
water:
129,810 kmē
Area - comparative: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the United States
Land boundaries:
total:
7,687 km
border countries:
Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km
Coastline: 853 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
18 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)
Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Red Sea 0 m
highest point:
Kinyeti 3,187 m
Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
5%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
46%
forests and woodland:
19%
other:
30% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 19,460 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries