Burkina Faso is a landlocked Sahel country that shares borders with six nations. It lies between the Sahara desert and the Gulf of Guinea,south of the loop of the Niger River,mostly between latitudes 9°and 15°N,and longitudes 6°W and 3°E. The land is green in the south,with forests and fruit trees,and semi-arid in the north. Most of central Burkina Faso lies on a savanna plateau,198–305 metres (650–1,001 ft) above sea level,with fields,brush,and scattered trees. Burkina Faso's game preserves –the most important of which are Arly,Nazinga,and W National Park—contain lions,elephants,hippopotamus,monkeys,common warthogs,and antelopes. Previously the endangered painted hunting dog,Lycaon pictus occurred in Burkina Faso,but,although the last sightings were made in Arli National Park,the species is considered extirpated from Burkina Faso.
Benin,a narrow,key-shaped,north–south strip of land in West Africa,lies between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Its latitude ranges from 6°30′N to 12°30′N and its longitude from 1°E to 3°40′E. It is bounded by Togo to the west,Burkina Faso and Niger to the north,Nigeria to the east,and the Bight of Benin to the south.
The Hoggar Mountains are a highland region in the central Sahara in southern Algeria,along the Tropic of Cancer. The mountains cover an area of approximately 550,000 km.
The W National Park or W Regional Park is a major national park in West Africa around a meander in the River Niger shaped like the letter W. The park includes areas of the three countries Niger,Benin and Burkina Faso,and is governed by the three governments. Until 2008,the implementation of a regional management was supported by the EU-funded project ECOPAS. The three national parks operate under the name W Transborder Park.. The section of W National Park lying in Benin,measuring over 8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi),came under the full management of African Parks in June 2020. In Benin,W National Park is contiguous with Pendjari National Park which is also under the management of African Parks.
The Pendjari National Park lies in north western Benin,adjoining the Arli National Park in Burkina Faso. Named for the Pendjari River,the national park is known for its wildlife and is home to some of the last populations of big game like the African forest elephant,lion,hippopotamus,African buffalo,and various antelopes in West Africa. The park is also famous for its richness in birds.
The Niokolo-Koba National Park is a World Heritage Site and natural protected area in south eastern Senegal near the Guinea border. It is served by Niokolo-Koba Airport,an unpaved airstrip.
Oti-Kéran National Park is located in the north of Togo,in the Kara area. There is only one road going through this area. Not many tourists visit Togo as the main national parks are more accessible in Ghana.
Burkina Faso is largely wild bush country with a mixture of grass and small trees in varying proportions. The savanna region is mainly grassland in the rainy season and semi desert during the harmattan period. Fauna,one of the most diverse in West Africa,includes the elephant,hippopotamus,buffalo,monkey,lions,crocodile,giraffe,various types of antelope,and a vast variety of bird and insect life. The country has 147 mammal species,330 aquatic species including 121 species of fish and 2067 different plant species. Of the plant species,the dominant endemic species are shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii) and the baobab,the former plant species has immense economic value to the country.
Benin has varied resources of wildlife comprising flora and fauna,which are primarily protected in its two contiguous protected areas of the Pendjari National Park and W National Park. The former is known for many species of avifauna and the latter park is rich in mammals and predators. In addition,many other forest reserves are noted in the country but are not easily accessible,well protected or adequately surveyed for its wildlife resources. The protected area system of Benin defined as National Protected Area System is situated in the northern Benin,mostly with a woody savanna ecosystem. It covers 10.3% of the national territory and is part of the three nation transboundary W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) complex.
Arly-Singou is a 6,388 km2 (2,466 sq mi) large ecosystem in Burkina Faso. It encompasses the Arli National Park and the Singou Reserve. It is considered to comprise part of the most significant and important savanna woodland wildlife areas still existing in West Africa.
Deux Balés National Park is a national park located in central eastern Burkina Faso. It is within Mouhoun Province just west of the Black Volta River and at an elevation of 235-310m.
Singou Reserve is a complete reserve in Burkina Faso. Established in 1955,it is located in Gourma Province and covers an area of 1,926 km2 (744 sq mi).
Pama Reserve is a partial reserve in Burkina Faso. Established in 1955 it is located in Kompienga Province and covers an area of 2237 km2. Its eastern border is the Singou river,separating it from two other reserves,Singou and Arli. The western border is the national road N18 from Fada N'Gourma to Porga. In the South the reserve reaches the Pendjari river,being Burkina Faso's border with Benin. The reserve is home to elephants,hippopotamuses,lions and leopards and 450 species of flowering plants.
Bouba Njida National Park is a national park of Cameroon. A total of 23 antelope species occur in the park. The painted hunting dog,Lycaon pictus,had been observed in Bouba Njida National Park at the start of the 21st century. This population of the endangered canid is one of the few that remained in Cameroon as of the year 2000.
Dinder National Park is a national park and biosphere reserve in eastern Sudan,and is connected to Ethiopia's Alitash National Park.
The African wild dog,also called the painted dog or Cape hunting dog,is a wild canine which is a native species to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa,and the only extant member of the genus Lycaon,which is distinguished from Canis by dentition highly specialised for a hypercarnivorous diet,and by a lack of dewclaws. It is estimated that about 6,600 adults live in 39 subpopulations that are all threatened by habitat fragmentation,human persecution,and outbreaks of disease. As the largest subpopulation probably comprises fewer than 250 individuals,the African wild dog has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990.
Arly Airport is a public use airport located near Arli National Park or Arly,Tapoa Province,Burkina Faso. While the runway outline is clearly visible,it appears overgrown with vegetation and may be unusable. However,the airfield is still listed in the official ASECNA Aeronautical Information Publication for Burkina Faso and has an official IATA 3-letter code,though its 4-letter code does not appear to be recognised by ICAO.
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex,also known as the "WAP Complex",is a transboundary Natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Benin,Burkina Faso and Niger covering:
The Benin–Burkina Faso border is 386 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Togo in the southwest to the tripoint with Niger in the northeast.
