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Botswana vs. Namibia

Geography

BotswanaNamibia
LocationSouthern Africa, north of South AfricaSouthern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
Geographic coordinates22 00 S, 24 00 E22 00 S, 17 00 E
Map referencesAfricaAfrica
Areatotal: 581,730 sq km

land: 566,730 sq km

water: 15,000 sq km
total: 824,292 sq km

land: 823,290 sq km

water: 1,002 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than Texas; almost four times the size of Illinoisalmost seven times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Land boundariestotal: 4,347.15 km

border countries (4): Namibia 1544 km, South Africa 1969 km, Zambia 0.15 km, Zimbabwe 834 km
total: 4,220 km

border countries (4): Angola 1427 km, Botswana 1544 km, South Africa 1005 km, Zambia 244 km
Coastline0 km (landlocked)1,572 km
Maritime claimsnone (landlocked)territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climatesemiarid; warm winters and hot summersdesert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrainpredominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwestmostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Elevation extremeshighest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m

mean elevation: 1,013 m
highest point: Konigstein on Brandberg 2,573 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 1,141 m
Natural resourcesdiamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silverdiamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish, note, suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
Land useagricultural land: 45.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 45.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 19.8% (2018 est.)

other: 34.4% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: 47.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 46.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 8.8% (2018 est.)

other: 44% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land20 sq km (2012)80 sq km (2012)
Natural hazardsperiodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibilityprolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issuesovergrazing; desertification; limited freshwater resources; air pollutiondepletion and degradation of water and aquatic resources; desertification; land degradation; loss of biodiversity and biotic resources; wildlife poaching
Environment - international agreementsparty to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - notelandlocked; population concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the countrythe Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world; Namibia is the 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; Namib-Naukluft National Park (49,768 sq km), is the largest game park in Africa and one of the largest in the world
Total renewable water resources12.24 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)39.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionthe population is primarily concentrated in the east with a focus in and around the captial of Gaborone, and the far central-eastern city of Francistown; population density remains low in other areas in the country, especially in the Kalahari to the west as shown in this population distribution mappopulation density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola as shown in this population distribution map

Source: CIA Factbook