Geography of Zimbabwe

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Satellite image of Zimbabwe, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Geographic coordinates: 20°00′S 30°00′E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 409,542km²
land: 386,670 km²
water: 3,910 km²

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Montana , USA

Land boundaries:
total: 3,066 km
border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m

Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use:
arable land: 8.4% (1998 est.), 7% (1993 est.)
permanent crops: 0.34% (1998 est.), 0% (1993 est.)
permanent pastures: 13% (1993 est.)
forests and woodland: 18% (2006 est.); deforestation occurring at the rate of 300,000 hectares per annum[1]
other: 91.26% (1998 est.), 57% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,170 km² (1998 est.), 1,930 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - species Blue Wildebeest

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: landlocked

Hydrology: Sediment transport has been studied for rivers in Zimbabwe using the HBV hydrology transport model.