Geography

Stretched between the Niger River in the northeast and the Atlantic Ocean on the south, Lopongo is a small Sub-Saharan nation bordered by four countries: Nigeria to the east, Chad to the northeast, Burkina Faso and Guinea to the west. The independent and relatively affluent state of Sao Roque, a former Portuguese colony lying across the Gulf of Guinea, is connected to the Lopongan port of Duambouti by regular ferry service.
The country can be divided into four main areas from the south to the north:

• The low-lying, sandy, coastal plain is flat (highest elevation 10 meters). Near the coast, it is marshy and dotted with swamps, lakes and lagoons communicating with the ocean; further mainland, the region of lowland plains contains forests, bush and farmland.


• Dense bushy and rain-forested plains dotted with rocky hills mostly cover the central part of the country, whose altitude seldom reaches 400 meters. More farmland is found along the roads from Banda to Djougou, and in the Port Durame district.


• To the west and southwest lie two groups of mountains, the Bombali group south of Duambouti and the Sokbano group south of Djougou. The highest mountain of Lopongo is Mount Sokbano with a height of 986 meters. A valley running northeast to southwest along the Oueme River and the main road between Banda e Djougou splits the two plateaus.


• In the north, in the Kandi e Malanville districts, the sub-Saharan savanna is covered with thorny scrubs and huge baobab trees. Some forests line the banks of river Niger.

Lopongo has a tropical climate, hot and humid for most part of the year. The rainy season occurs between April and June as well as between September and October in the southern regions. The northern region is the driest part of the country, with near-desertic stretches at the border with Chad south of River Niger.
There are three major cities in Lopongo. The political capital is Banda, where the only international airport of the country is located. Two important ports are in Duambouti and Port Durame, respectively the second and third largest cities in the country.
The town of Ouidah, on the southern coast, is the spiritual capital of Lopongo.