| Location | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
|
| Geographic coordinates | 22 00 S, 17 00 E |
|
| Zone | Africa |
|
| Area | total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
|
| Land boundaries | total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km |
|
| Coastline | 1,572 km |
|
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
| Climate | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
|
| Terrain | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
|
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m |
|
| Natural resources | diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
|
| Irrigated land | 1,572 km |
|
| Natural hazards | prolonged periods of drought |
|
Environment -
current issues | very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas |
|
Environment -
international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, 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 | 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 |
|
