Zambia vs. Namibia
Geography
| Zambia | Namibia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
| Geographic coordinates | 15 00 S, 30 00 E | 22 00 S, 17 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 752,618 sq km land: 743,398 sq km water: 9,220 sq km | total: 824,292 sq km land: 823,290 sq km water: 1,002 sq km |
| Area - comparative | almost five times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Texas | almost seven times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly more than half the size of Alaska |
| Land boundaries | total: 6,043.15 km border countries (8): Angola 1065 km, Botswana 0.15 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2332 km, Malawi 847 km, Mozambique 439 km, Namibia 244 km, Tanzania 353 km, Zimbabwe 763 km | total: 4,220 km border countries (4): Angola 1427 km, Botswana 1544 km, South Africa 1005 km, Zambia 244 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,572 km |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April) | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
| Terrain | mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mafinga Central 2,330 m lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m mean elevation: 1,138 m | highest point: Konigstein on Brandberg 2,573 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,141 m |
| Natural resources | copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower | 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 | agricultural land: 31.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 4.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 26.9% (2018 est.) forest: 66.3% (2018 est.) other: 2% (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 land | 1,560 sq km (2012) | 80 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | periodic drought; tropical storms (November to April) | prolonged periods of drought |
| Environment - current issues | air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; loss of biodiversity; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks | depletion and degradation of water and aquatic resources; desertification; land degradation; loss of biodiversity and biotic resources; wildlife poaching |
| Environment - international 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, 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 - note | landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi) | the 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 resources | 104.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 39.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | one of the highest levels of urbanization in Africa; high density in the central area, particularly around the cities of Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Mufulira as shown in this population distribution map | population 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
