The Komoé River or Comoé River is a river in West

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. The river originates on the Sikasso Plateau of

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to ...

, flow through the Cascades de Karfiguéla, forms a short section of the border between Burkina Faso and

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...

until it enters Ivory Coast, where it is the major drainage for northeastern portion of that country before emptying into the Atlantic. The banks of the Komoé are shaded by

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ...

forests along most of it length providing an important habitat for wildlife and a source of agricultural water. Where reliable

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goud ...

s form in Ivory Coast,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domesticate ...

may be grown. A portion of the river in northern Ivory Coast is the source of the vegetative richness that earned that area a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

designation, Comoé National Park.

Course

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. Upstream of the Karifiguela Falls it is known locally as the Koba River. At 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 , 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 it turns south flowing through eastern Ivory Coast and emptying into the far eastern end of the

Ébrié Lagoon The Ébrié Lagoon lies in Ivory Coast, separated for almost all of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. The long lagoon is linked to the sea by the Vridi Canal, while the Comoë River flows into it. The lagoon averages ...

complex and ultimately the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is ...

near the port of

Grand-Bassam Grand-Bassam () is a town in southeastern Ivory Coast, lying east of Abidjan. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Grand-Bassam Department; it is also a commune. During the late 19th century, Grand-Bassam was briefly the French colonial ...

Tributaries

* Léraba River at a right tributary from the west, * Boin River at a left tributary from the north in Comoé National Park.

References

Rivers of Burkina Faso Rivers of Ivory Coast Burkina Faso–Ivory Coast border International rivers of Africa {{IvoryCoast-river-stub