Geography & environment — Namibia
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Namibia: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
22 00 S, 17 00 E
- Total Area
318,259 Square Miles 824,292 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
317,872 Square Miles 823,290 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
387 Square Miles 1,002 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
2,446 Miles 3,936 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
- Coastline
977 Miles 1,572 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
- mostly high plateau
- Namib Desert along coast
- Kalahari Desert in east
- Highest Point
2,606 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Konigstein 2,606 m
- Lowest Point Location
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- Natural Resources
diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish
- Irrigated Land
29 Square Miles 75 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April
Climate
- Climate
Namibia’s climate is typical of a semi-desert and high plateau country, with hot days and cool nights. In mid-summer (December–February), daytime temperatures can exceed 100°F in lower elevations. In Windhoek, January average high temperatures are in the 90s. Winter (May–September) sees daytime highs of about 70°F; nights can be cold, dipping below freezing. Windhoek enjoys about 300 sunny days a year. Rains usually come from December through March, peaking in February, for a yearly average rainfall of 12–16 inches in Windhoek. The unrelenting dryness of the rest of the year makes the rains refreshing, welcome, and eagerly anticipated, turning the mountains surrounding Windhoek green for the brief summer months.
- Terrain
- mostly high plateau
- Namib Desert along coast
- Kalahari Desert in east
- Location
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
- Total Area
318,259 Square Miles 824,292 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
- very limited natural fresh water resources
- desertification
- wildlife poaching
- land degradation has led to few conservation areas
- Environment - International Agreements
- party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed,
- but not ratified: none of the selected agreements