Geography of Botswana
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 |
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
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% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 10 sq km (2003) |
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 |