Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. In the rainy season, the country receives between 600 and 900 mm (23.6 and 35.4 in) of rainfall; in the dry season, the harmattan – a hot dry wind from the Sahara – blows.
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) 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 (a small area is north of 15°), and longitudes 6°W and 3°E. The land is green in the south, with forests and fruit trees, and desert in the north.
Southwest of Bobo Dioulasso is the town of Banfora, from where the impressive Karfiguéla Waterfalls can be seen, located 12km (3 miles) northwest of the town. Approximately 50km (31 miles) west of Banfora is the town of Sindou, the area where the extraordinary Sindou Rock Formations can be seen.