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Geography of Botswana

Location:Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Geographic coordinates:22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km
water: 15,000 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Terrain:predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Elevation extremes:lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m
Natural resources:diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Land use:arable land: 0.65%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99.34% (2005)
Irrigated land:10 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Environment - current issues:overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements:party to: 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:landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

Botswana Quickstats

  • Population: 1,815,508
  • Area: 600,370 sq km
  • Density: 3.0 /km² (220th)
  • GDP (total): $18.72 billion (114th)
  • GDP (per capita): $11,400 (60th)
  • Literacy: 81.2%

Languages of Botswana

  • Setswana 78.2%
  • Kalanga 7.9%
  • Sekgalagadi 2.8%
  • English 2.1%
  • Other 8.6%

Useful to know

  • Currency: Pula (BWP)
  • Dial code: +267

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