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South Africa vs. Botswana

Geography

South AfricaBotswana
LocationSouthern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of AfricaSouthern Africa, north of South Africa
Geographic coordinates29 00 S, 24 00 E22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map referencesAfricaAfrica
Areatotal: 1,219,090 sq km

land: 1,214,470 sq km

water: 4,620 sq km

note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
total: 581,730 sq km

land: 566,730 sq km

water: 15,000 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly less than twice the size of Texasslightly smaller than Texas; almost four times the size of Illinois
Land boundariestotal: 5,244 km

border countries (6): Botswana 1969 km, Lesotho 1106 km, Mozambique 496 km, Namibia 1005 km, Eswatini 438 km, Zimbabwe 230 km
total: 4,347.15 km

border countries (4): Namibia 1544 km, South Africa 1969 km, Zambia 0.15 km, Zimbabwe 834 km
Coastline2,798 km0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
none (landlocked)
Climatemostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nightssemiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Terrainvast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plainpredominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Elevation extremeshighest point: Ntheledi (Mafadi) 3,450 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 1,034 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m

mean elevation: 1,013 m
Natural resourcesgold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gasdiamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Land useagricultural land: 79.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 9.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 69.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 7.6% (2018 est.)

other: 13% (2018 est.)
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 land16,700 sq km (2012)20 sq km (2012)
Natural hazards

prolonged droughts

volcanism: the volcano forming Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands, which last erupted in 2004, is South Africa's only active volcano

periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Environment - current issueslack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; desertification; solid waste pollution; disruption of fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctionsovergrazing; desertification; limited freshwater resources; air pollution
Environment - international agreementsparty to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 - noteSouth Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatinilandlocked; population concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country
Total renewable water resources51.35 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)12.24 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionthe population concentrated along the southern and southeastern coast, and inland around Pretoria; the eastern half of the country is more densly populated than the west as shown in this population distribution mapthe 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

Source: CIA Factbook