Geography of Namibia
Location: | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
Geographic coordinates: | 22 00 S, 17 00 E |
Map references: | Africa |
Area: | total: 825,418 sq km land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly more than half the size of Alaska |
Land boundaries: | total: 3,936 km border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km |
Coastline: | 1,572 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate: | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
Terrain: | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m |
Natural resources: | diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
Land use: | arable land: 0.99% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 80 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | prolonged periods of drought |
Environment - current issues: | very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, 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: | first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip |