South Africa vs. Botswana
Geography
| South Africa | Botswana | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa | Southern Africa, north of South Africa |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 00 S, 24 00 E | 22 00 S, 24 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 1,219,090 sq km land: 1,214,470 sq km water: 4,620 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) | total: 581,730 sq km land: 566,730 sq km water: 15,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Texas | slightly smaller than Texas; almost four times the size of Illinois |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,244 km border countries (6): Botswana 1969 km, Lesotho 1106 km, Mozambique 496 km, Namibia 1005 km, Eswatini 438 km, Zimbabwe 230 km | total: 4,347.15 km border countries (4): Namibia 1544 km, South Africa 1969 km, Zambia 0.15 km, Zimbabwe 834 km |
| Coastline | 2,798 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights | semiarid; warm winters and hot summers |
| Terrain | vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain | predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Ntheledi (Mafadi) 3,450 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,034 m | highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m mean elevation: 1,013 m |
| Natural resources | gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver |
| Land use | agricultural land: 79.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 69.2% (2018 est.) forest: 7.6% (2018 est.) other: 13% (2018 est.) | agricultural 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.) |
| Irrigated land | 16,700 sq km (2012) | 20 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | prolonged droughts volcanism: the volcano forming Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands, which last erupted in 2004, is South Africa's only active volcano | periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility |
| Environment - current issues | lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; desertification; solid waste pollution; disruption of fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctions | overgrazing; desertification; limited freshwater resources; air pollution |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party 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 |
| Geography - note | South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatini | landlocked; population concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country |
| Total renewable water resources | 51.35 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 12.24 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the population concentrated along the southern and southeastern coast, and inland around Pretoria; the eastern half of the country is more densly populated than the west as shown in this population distribution map | the 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 map |
Source: CIA Factbook
