It is located in the area of former French West Africa. It has an area of km. It is bordered to the east by Nigeria to the west by Togo to the northwest by Burkina Fasso to the northeast by Niger and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the smallest countries in Africa. It extends from the Niger River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south for km with a maximum width in the north of km and a narrower coastline of km. The average height is m. Generally it is an undulating plain with some hills and mountains. f The country is divided into four main areas from south to north. The sandy coastal zone with a maximum elevation of m is km wide. It is swampy and has lakes and lagoons connected to the ocean.
It is followed by the plains of the south of the country with an altitude ranging between and m crisscrossed by valleys that run from north to south along the Couffo Zou and Quemé rivers. Below is an area of flat land with rocky hills reaching CXB Directory between Nikki and Savé. Finally the Atakora mountain range extends between the northwest border and Togo with a maximum elevation on the border of m at Mount Sokbaro. The Alibori and Sotas rivers flow north in this region to the Niger River which marks the northeastern border. The Pendiari River turns southwest when it reaches the border with Burkina Fasso marked by the river itself to Togo and is a tributary of the Volta River. The Ouémé and Couffo rivers drain most of southern Benin and the Mono River which forms part of the border with Togo drains the southwest. On the coast lakes Ahémé and Nokoué are the estuaries of two rivers whose part closest to the sea is blocked by the sand bar.
The coast of Benin is a straight sand bar battered by strong waves and having no natural harbours. Behind the sand bar is a series of shallow lagoons into which the rivers flow. Towards the north extends a very fertile lowland with intensive cultivation called the Terre de Barre. The Lama swamp is to the north that floods during the rainy season with peat soils that are difficult to use and beyond lies another area of intense cultivation: the territory of the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey. Most of the rest of the country has poor soils often lateritic which slope towards the north until reaching the edge of the upper plateau m of ancient rocks and extremely arid soils. To the northwest are the rugged Atakora Mountains.
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