Geography

Area:
Namibia is a vast country with a surface area of 824 268 km2. Situated on the south-western Atlantic coast of the African sub-continent, it borders Angola and Zambia in the north, South Africa in the south and Botswana and Zimbabwe in the east.

Regions:
The country is demarcated into 14 regions; Erongo, Hardap,||Karas//>, Kavango-East, Kavango-West, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjup and Zambezi.

Capital City and Towns:
Windhoek (Capital City, Khomas region), Rundu (Kavango region), Walvis Bay (Erongo region,), Oshakati (Oshana region), Swakopmund (Erongo region), Katima Mulilo (Zambezi region), Grootfontein (Otjozondjupa region), Okahandja (Otjozondjupa region), Otjiwarongo (Otjozondjupa region), Rehoboth (Hardap region), Gobabis (Omaheke region), !Nami#Nus (||Karas region), Keetmanshoop (Karas region), Tsumeb (Oshikoto region).

Climate:
Arid and semi-arid. Hottest months, November to February (average temperatures, 20-36ºC). Colder months between May and August (average temperatures, 3-10ºC in the mornings and 18-22ºC during the day).

Topography:
Namibia can be divided into four distinct topographical regions. Of these the most definitive is the Namib – a long, narrow coastal desert varying in width from 50 km to 140 km, extending along the entire coastline and interspersed with dune belts, dry riverbeds and deeply eroded canyons. The central plateau which runs from north to south, has an average altitude of between 1000 m and 2000 m, with landscapes ranging from rugged mountain ranges and rocky outcrops to sand-filled valleys and endless plains.

This plateau falls away gradually towards the east, where a sandy strip of land merges into the Kalahari Desert, a relatively level expanse of land characterized by long vegetated dunes of ancient red sand. Dense, bush-covered plains north-east of the Etosha Pan include the high-rainfall areas of Kavango and Caprivi, typified by tropical forests, perennial rivers on the borders and woodland savannah.

Rivers:
Perennial rivers are found only on the country’s borders, being the Orange River on the southern border and the Kunene, Okavango, Kwando and Zambezi Rivers on the northern border.