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Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic
Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than half the size of
Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 3,824 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South
Africa 855 km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline: 1,572 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 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, lead,
tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower,
fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: prolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh
water resources; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography
Namibia surface area of 824 268km is situated on the south-western
Atlantic coast of the African sub-continent, bordering on Angola
and Zambia in the north, South Africa in the south and Botswana
in the east.
Namibia has four primary geographic regions. Namibia derived its
name from the Namib Desert, a unique geological feature renowned
for the pristine and haunting quality of its landscape. Namib, which
consists of a long, narrow coastal desert between the Kunene River
and Sandwich Harbour.
Its major portion lies in Namibia, extending from the Kunene River
in the north for some 1600km southwards to the Orange River. There
are a number of features of this coastal desert that makes it quite
unlike any spot on earth.
First and most famously, it is the richest source of diamonds on
the planet, and Namibia is as a result the world's largest diamond
producer. Secondly, the dry and hot Namibian shoreline is situated
right at the point where the icy waters of the Atlantic hit the
continent-Antarctic water meets African desert and the result is
often unbelievable fog.
This highly mysterious coast is now the site of the 19,000 sq. mile
(49,000 sq. km) Namib-Naukluft National Park.
In the north lies the Etosha Pan, this area remains sufficiently
fertile to support great herds of antelope species (including gemsbok,
impala, and springbok), zebra, and most famously, elephants.
Many other species of wildlife abound as well, and the Etosha Pan
is now the center of one of the finest game parks on the African
continent.
A high escarpment occupies Namibia's center plain. Windhoek, the
capital and the only city of any size, is located smack dab in the
middle of the country.
In the northern part of the central plain is the Waterberg Plateau,
a 150-sq. mi. (400 sq. km) shelf that rises 150 metres straight
from the surrounding plain. The plateau is well watered and lush,
and is home to several rare and endangered species.
Climate
Namibia has a dry climate typical of a semi-desert country where
droughts are a regular occurrence. Usually days are warm and very
hot, while nights are generally cool.
The average day temperature in the summer varies from 20°C to 34°C
and average night temperature during winter is from 0°C to 10°C.
Temperatures in the interior are lower because of the altitude,
while along the coast the cold Benguela Current has a modifying
influence.
The Benguela is the prime determinant of the climate of the Namib,
as it reduces rainfall and causes the omnipresent fog typical of
the coast.
Rain in Namibia usually falls during summer, with a short rainy
season in November and the main rainy season from February to March.
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