South Africa vs. Namibia
Geography
| South Africa | Namibia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 00 S, 24 00 E | 22 00 S, 17 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 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: 824,292 sq km land: 823,290 sq km water: 1,002 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Texas | almost seven times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly more than half the size of Alaska |
| Land boundaries | total: 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: 4,220 km border countries (4): Angola 1427 km, Botswana 1544 km, South Africa 1005 km, Zambia 244 km |
| Coastline | 2,798 km | 1,572 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
| Terrain | vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Ntheledi (Mafadi) 3,450 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,034 m | highest point: Konigstein on Brandberg 2,573 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 1,141 m |
| Natural resources | gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas | diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish, note, suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
| Land use | agricultural 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: 47.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 46.2% (2018 est.) forest: 8.8% (2018 est.) other: 44% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 16,700 sq km (2012) | 80 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 | prolonged periods of drought |
| Environment - current issues | lack 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 extinctions | depletion and degradation of water and aquatic resources; desertification; land degradation; loss of biodiversity and biotic resources; wildlife poaching |
| Environment - international agreements | party 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: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatini | the Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world; Namibia is the 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; Namib-Naukluft National Park (49,768 sq km), is the largest game park in Africa and one of the largest in the world |
| Total renewable water resources | 51.35 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 39.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the 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 map | population density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
