    |
|
|
|
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
|
|
|
Botswana is a
land-locked country dominated
in geographical terms by the
Kalahari Desert - a sand-filled
basin averaging 1,100 metres
above sea level. The country
lies between longitudes 20 and
30 degrees east of Greenwich
and between the latitudes 18
and 27 degrees approximately
south of the Equator. Botswana
is bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe
to the northeast, Namibia to
the north and west, and South
Africa to the south and southeast.
At Kazungula, four countries
- Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia
and Namibia - meet at a single
point mid-stream in the Zambezi
River.
The Chobe River runs along part
of its northern boundary; the
Nossob River at its southwestern
boundary; the Molopo River at
its southern boundary; and the
Marico, Limpopo and Shashe Rivers
at its eastern boundaries. With
the exceptions of the Okavango
and Chobe areas in the north,
the country has little permanent
surface water.
The country is situated in the
Southern African region and
about two-thirds of Botswana
lies within the Tropics; it
is bisected by the Tropic of
Capricorn (the imaginary line
of latitude which is 23°
30' south of Equator) just south
of the town of Mahalapye This
is the most southern latitude
where the sun is directly overhead
at noon. This happens on December
22st, the longest day of the
year in this hemisphere.
The distance between the extreme
north and the extreme south
of Botswana is about 1,110 kilometres.
It is 960 kilometres across
at its widest. The area of Botswana
is approximately 581,730 square
kilometres and is about the
size of France or Kenya. It
is approximately 500 km from
the nearest coastline, to the
southwest.
The eastern hardveld, where
80% of the country's population
lives and where its three largest
urban centres are situated,
is a wide strip of land running
from the north at Ramokgwebane
to the south at Ramatlabama.
It has a more varied relief
and geology with inselbergs
(outcrops of resistant rock)
and koppies (rocks that have
been weathered into blocks)
dotting the landscape. The south
eastern hardveld also has a
slightly higher and more reliable
rainfall than the rest of the
country (except Bobirwa, which
is about dry as Kgalagadi);
indeed the natural fertility
and agricultural potential of
the soils, while still low,
are greater than in the Kalahari
sandveld.
The Kalahari Desert stretches
west of the eastern hardveld,
covering 84% of the country.
The Kalahari extends far beyond
Botswana's western borders,
covering substantial parts of
South Africa, Namibia and Angola.
'Desert', however, is a misnomer:
its earliest travellers defined
it as a 'thirstland'. Most of
the Kalahari (or Kgalagadi,
which is its Setswana name)
is covered with vegetation including
stunted thorn and scrub bush,
trees and grasslands. The largely
unchanging flat terrain is occasionally
interrupted by gently descending
valleys, sand dunes, large numbers
of pans and, in the extreme
northwest, isolated hills, such
as Aha, Tsodilo, Koanaka and
Gcwihaba. Many of the pans have
dune systems on the southwest
side, which vary in size and
complexity. The pans fill with
water during the rainy season
and their hard surface layer
ensures that the water remains
in the pans and is not immediately
absorbed. These pans are of
great importance to wildlife,
which obtain valuable nutrients
from the salts and the grasses
of the pans.
In the north-west, the Okavango
River flows in from the highlands
of Angola and soaks into the
sands, forming the 15,000 sq.
km network of water channels,
lagoons, swamps and islands.
The Okavango is the largest
inland delta system in the world
a bit smaller than Isreal or
half of Switzerland. The northeastern
region of the Kalahari Basin
contains the Makgadikgadi Pans
- an extensive network of salt
pans and ephemeral lakes.
Although Botswana has no mountain
ranges to speak of, the almost
uniformly flat landscape is
punctuated occasionally by low
hills, especially along the
southeastern boundary and in
the far northwest. Botswana's
highest point is 1,491m Otse
Mountain near Lobatse, but the
three major peaks of the Tsodilo
Hills, in the country's northwestern
corner, are more dramatic.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| TESTIMONIAL |
Ramkumar
Chennai |
 |
"The service
by 365 was outstanding they went out of the way to
cater to all our requirements. It goes without saying
our next holiday will be only with 365 tours"
|
 |
| Botswana |
|
| Botswana
is a lovely country - a haven considering the strife in
the countries that surround it. How much do you know about
it? |
|
|
|
