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
Map at entrance
Location	Burkina Faso
Nearest city	Bala
Area	163 km2
Established	1937
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	27 June 1990
Reference no.	491[1]

Mare aux Hippopotames

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11°36′43″N 3°55′00″W / 11.61194°N 3.91667°W / 11.61194; -3.91667

Mare aux Hippopotames is among the wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention.^[2]