Botswana
is a land-locked country about the size of Texas. Situated in
the southern African region, it 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 in the extreme northeast,
four countries - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia - meet
at a single point mid-stream in the Zambezi River.
About two-thirds
of Botswana lies within the Tropics; bisected by the Tropic
of Capricorn just south of the town of Mahalapye. It is dominated
in geographical terms by the Kalahari Desert [hyperlink to Kalahari
Desert landing page] which covers approximately 80% of Botswana's
landmass.
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 (5,791 sq. mi.)
network of water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands known
as The Okavango Delta.
The Okavango
is the largest inland delta system in the world, just a bit
smaller than Israel or half of Switzerland. The northeastern
region of the Kalahari Basin contains the Makgadikgadi Pans
[link to the Makgadikgadi Pans landing page] - an extensive
network of salt pans and ephemeral lakes, an area so vast it
is visible from space.
The Tuli
Block, in the easternmost part of Botswana, is hilly and has
dramatic rocky outcrops throughout the area. Although Botswana
has no mountain ranges to speak of, the landscape is punctuated
occasionally by low hills, especially along the southeastern
boundary and in the far northwest. Botswana's highest point
is 1,491m (4,892 ft) Otse Mountain near Lobatse, but the three
major peaks of the Tsodilo Hills, in the country's northwestern
corner, are more dramatic.
Botswana's
climate is semi-arid. Though it is hot and dry for much of the
year, there is a rainy season, which runs through the summer
months. Rainfall tends to be erratic, unpredictable and highly
regional. Often a heavy downpour may occur in one area while
10 or 15 kilometres away there is no rain at all. Showers are
often followed by strong sunshine so that a good deal of the
rainfall does not penetrate the ground but is lost to evaporation
and transpiration.
'Pula',
one of the most frequently heard words in Botswana, is not only
the name of Botswana's currency, but also the Setswana word
for rain. So much of what takes place in Botswana relies on
this essential, frequently scarce commodity.
Seasons
The summer season begins in November and ends in March. It usually
brings very high temperatures. However, summer is also the rainy
season, and cloud coverage and rain can cool things down considerably,
although only usually for a short period of time. The winter
season begins in May and ends in August. This is also the dry
season when virtually no rainfall occurs. Winter days are invariably
sunny and cool to warm; however, evening and night temperatures
can drop below freezing point in some areas, especially in the
south-west. The in-between periods - April/early May and September/October
- still tend to be dry, but the days are cooler than in summer
and the nights are warmer than in winter.
Rainfall
The rainy season is in the summer, with October and April being
transitional months. January and February are generally regarded
as the peak months for rain. The mean annual rainfall varies
from a maximum of over 650mm in the extreme north-east area
of the Chobe District to a minimum of less than 250mm in the
extreme south-west part of Kgalagadi District. Almost all rainfall
occurs during the summer months while the winter period accounts
for less than 10 percent of the annual rainfall. Generally,
rainfall decreases in amount and increases in variability the
further west and south you go.
Temperatures
Summer days are hot, especially in the weeks that precede the
coming of the cooling rains, and shade temperatures rise to
the 38°C mark and higher, reaching a blistering 44°C
on rare occasions. Winters are clear-skied and bone-dry, the
air seductively warm during the daylight hours but, because
there is no cloud cover, cold at night and in the early mornings.
Sometimes bitterly so - frost is common and small quantities
of water can freeze.
Humidity
In summer during the morning period humidity ranges from 60
to 80% and drops to between 30 and 40% in the afternoon. In
winter humidity is considerably less and can vary between 40
and 70% during the morning and fall to between 20 and 30% in
the afternoon.
