Komoé River

The Komoé River, or Comoé River. is a river in West Africa. The river originates on the Sikasso Plateau of Burkina Faso,[1] flow through the Cascades de Karfiguéla, forms a short section of the border between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast until it enters Ivory Coast, where it is the major drainage for northeastern portion of that country before emptying into the Atlantic.[2] The banks of the Komoé are shaded by riparian forests along most of it length providing an important habitat for wildlife and a source of agricultural water.[2] Where reliable floodplains form in Ivory Coast, rice may be grown.[2] A portion of the river in northern Ivory Coast is the source of the vegetative richness that earned that area a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, Comoé National Park.[2]

Komoé River
Comoé River
The Comoé River near Folonzo
Map of Côte d'Ivoire showing the Komoé River in the eastern part of the country
Location
CountryBurkina Faso, Ivory Coast
Physical characteristics
SourceSikasso Plateau
  locationBobo-Dioulasso Department, Houet Province, Burkina Faso
  coordinates10°58′N 004°30′W
  elevation525 m (1,722 ft)
MouthGrand-Bassam
  location
Gulf of Guinea, Atlantic Ocean, Ivory Coast
  coordinates
5°11′30″N 003°43′20″W
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length759 km (472 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  rightLéraba River
Along the Komoé River, 1892

Course

Course of Komoé River

The Komoé River is approximately 759 km long. It rises on the Sikasso Plateau and in the Sindou Hills flowing south over several cataracts with several falls including the "Chutes de la Komoé" and Karifiguela Falls.[3] Upstream of the Karifiguela Falls it is known locally as the Koba River.[3] At 09°42′11″N 004°35′10″W it is joined from the right (west) by the Léraba River, whereafter it flows southeast and forms the border between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast for some 60 kilometres (37 mi), before it enters Ivory Coast four kilometres southwest of the village of Balanfodougou.

In Ivory Coast, it continues southeast, past the Comoé National Park, forming the border between its Zanzan District and Savanes District. At 09°10′26″N 003°53′33″W it turns south flowing through eastern Ivory Coast and emptying into the far eastern end of the Ébrié Lagoon complex and ultimately the Gulf of Guinea near the port of Grand-Bassam.[2]

Tributaries

References

  1. Rupley, Lawrence A.; Bangali, Lamissa; Diamitani, Boureima (2013). "Sikasso Plateau". Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-8108-6770-3.
  2. Mepham, Robert (1991). IUCN Directory of African Wetlands. Pinter Pub. Ltd. ISBN 2-88032-949-3.
  3. Rupley, Lawrence A.; Bangali, Lamissa; Diamitani, Boureima (2013). "Komoé". Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-8108-6770-3.


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