1989 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1989 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Coastline
none — landlocked
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Texas
Disputes
short section of the boundary with Namibia is indefinite; quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement
Environment
rains in early 1988 broke six years of drought that had severely affected the important cattle industry; overgrazing; desertification
Land boundaries
4,013 km total; Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
Land use
2% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 75% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Maritime claims
none — landlocked
Natural resources
diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver, natural gas
Note
landlocked; very long boundary with
Terrain
predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Total area
600,370 km2; land area: 585,370 km2