Editing Atakora Department (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Benin Atakora dirt road.JPG|250px|thumb|left|Unpaved road in Atakora, near the [[Benin-Togo border|border]] with [[Togo]]]]
Atakora Department is located in the northwest of Benin, bordering [[Burkina Faso]] to the north, [[Alibori Department]] and [[Borgou Department]] to the east, [[Donga Department]] to the south and [[Togo]] to the west. The terrain is mainly forested mountains, from which two tributaries of the [[Niger River]] - the [[Mékrou River]] and the [[Pendjari River]] - originate.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJgnebGbAB8C&q=benin+geography&pg=PA93|pages=92–93|first=R. W. |last=McColl|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9780816072293}}</ref> Part of the [[Togo Mountains|Atakora Mountain Range]] is located in the region and continues into northeastern Togo.<ref>{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Niger|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ArS6_nGsar4C&q=atakora+mountain&pg=PA77|page=77|first1= Abdourahmane |last1=Idrissa|first2= Samuel|last2= Decalo|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2012|isbn=9780810860940}}</ref> The mountain range is characterised by numerous [[dambo]] areas (shallow wetlands) and head swamps.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Directory of African Wetlands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VLjafeXa3gMC&q=atakora+mountain&pg=PA309|first=R. H. |last=Hughes|publisher=IUCN|year=1992|isbn=9782880329495}}</ref> The bulk of the [[Pendjari National Park]] lies within Atakora.

The northern regions of Benin receive one season of rainfall from May to September, compared to the southern regions which receive two spells of rain from March to July and September to November. [[Harmattan]] winds blow from the northeast during the months of December to March. The country receives an average annual rainfall of around {{convert|1200|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 17|editor1-first=Peter|editor1-last= Haggett|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pR1Pszc1mVgC&q=benin+geography&pg=PA2325|page=2325|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2002|isbn=9780761473060}}</ref>

===Settlements===
[[Natitingou]] is the departmental capital; other major settlements include [[Boukoumbé]], [[Birni]], [[Firou]], [[Kouandé]], [[Péhunco]], [[Porga, Benin|Porga]], [[Tanguiéta]] and [[Toucountouna]].