| Mare aux Hippopotames | |
|---|---|
 Map at entrance | |
| Location | Burkina Faso |
| Nearest city | Bala |
| Area | 163 km² |
| Established | 1937 |
| Designated | 27 June 1990 |
| Reference no. | 491[1] |
The Mare aux Hippopotames (Lake of Hippopotamuses) is a lake and national park in Burkina Faso, created in 1937 and designated in 1977 as the only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the nation. The park was created around a freshwater lake and includes surrounding pools and marches in the flood plain of the Black Volta River, and surrounding forests. The park is home to about 100 hippos; about 1000 eco-tourists visit each year.[citation needed] It is located about 60 kilometers (37 mi) north of Bobo-Dioulasso, and is itself about 163 square kilometres (63 sq mi) in size.
Mare aux Hippopotames is among the wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention.[2]
