South Africa vs. Zimbabwe
Geography
| South Africa | Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa | Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 00 S, 24 00 E | 20 00 S, 30 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: 390,757 sq km land: 386,847 sq km water: 3,910 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Texas | about four times the size of Indiana; slightly larger than Montana |
| 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: 3,229 km border countries (4): Botswana 834 km, Mozambique 1402 km, South Africa 230 km, Zambia 763 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 | tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) |
| Terrain | vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain | mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Ntheledi (Mafadi) 3,450 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,034 m | highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m mean elevation: 961 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 | coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals |
| 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: 42.5% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 31.3% (2018 est.) forest: 39.5% (2018 est.) other: 18% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 16,700 sq km (2012) | 1,740 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 | recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare |
| 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 | deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal 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, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi) |
| Total renewable water resources | 51.35 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 20 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 | Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
