| Location : |
Southern Africa, north of South Africa |
| Geographic Coordinates : |
22 00 S, 24 00 E |
| Map References : |
Africa |
| Area : |
total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km
water: 15,000 sq km |
| Area - Comparative : |
slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land Boundaries : |
total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km |
| Climate : |
semiarid; warm winters and hot summers |
| Terrain : |
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest |
| Elevation Extremes : |
lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m |
| Natural Resources : |
diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver |
| Land Use : |
arable land: 0.65%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99.34% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
10 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural Hazards : |
periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility |
| Environment - Current Issues : |
overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources |
| Environment - International Agreements : |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - Note : |
Landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country. |
