Location:
Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:
22 00 S, 24 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 581,730 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 566,730 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 15,000 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 48

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,347.15 km
border countries (4): Namibia 1,544 km, South Africa 1,969 km, Zambia 0.15 km, Zimbabwe 834 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain:
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
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:
agricultural land: 45.8% arable land 0.6%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 45.2%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 19.8%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 34.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
20 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
12.24 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.19 cu km/yr (42%/19%/39%)
per capita: 107.3 cu m/yr (2005)

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 freshwater 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