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Introduction to Botswana
created on:
2001-07-28
Botswana is situated in the southern African region and is a land-locked country. It is bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe to the northeast, Namibia to the north and west, and South Africa to the south and southeast. The area of Botswana is approximately 581,730 square kilometres and 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 and approximately 500 km from the nearest coastline, to the south-west.
In the central and south-west of Botswana stretches the Kalahari Desert, covering 84% of the country. The Kalahari (Kgalagadi) extends far beyond Botswana's western borders, covering substantial parts of South Africa, Namibia and Angola. The name 'desert' is a bit of a misnomer, because most of the Kalahari is covered with vegetation including thorn and scrub bush, trees and grasslands. The largely flat terrain is occasionally interrupted by valleys, salt pans, sand dunes and, in the extreme north-west, isolated hills.
The Okavango River flows from the highlands of Angola into the north-west of Botswana. The river soaks into the sand, forming a 15,000 sqare kilometer network of swamps, water channels, lagoons and islands, called the Okavango Delta. The Okavango is the largest inland delta system in the world and attracts lots of birds and wildlife.
Botswana is a beautifull country to visit, with its wetlands, salt pans, desert and wilderness. However it remains a country for the intrepid traveler with enough money to spend.
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