Botswana Geography - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates

22 00 S, 24 00 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 581,730 sq km

land: 566,730 sq km

water: 15,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas; almost four times the size of Illinois

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 4,347.15 km

border countries (4): Namibia 1544 km, South Africa 1969 km, Zambia 0.15 km, Zimbabwe 834 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

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

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver

Land use

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

20 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

12.24 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

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

Natural hazards

periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility

Environment - international 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

landlocked; population concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country

NOTE: The information regarding Botswana on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Botswana 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Botswana 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.