Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Angola and South Africa

Map references: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 825,418 sq km
land area: 825,418 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Land boundaries: total 3,824 km, Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 855 km, Zambia 233 km

Coastline: 1,572 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: short section of boundary with Botswana is indefinite; quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with South Africa over Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands has been resolved and these territories were transferred to Namibian sovereignty on 1 March 1994

Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east

Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, fish; suspected deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 64%
forest and woodland: 22%
other: 13%

Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: very limited natural water resources; desertification
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

NOTE: The information regarding Namibia on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Namibia Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Namibia Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.