Hydrogeology of Botswana

Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Hydrogeology by country >> Hydrogeology of Botswana

The textual information on this page was taken from a number of different sources, which are listed in the References section, below. If you have more information on the hydrogeology of Botswana, please get in touch.

Authors

Dr Kirsty Upton and Brighid Ó Dochartaigh, British Geological Survey, UK

Geographical Setting

Map of Botswana (For more information on the datasets used in the map see the geography resources section)

General

Estimated Population in 2013*	2,011,100
Rural Population (% of total) (2013)*	43.1%
Total Surface Area*	566,730 sq km
Agricultural Land (% of total area) (2012)*	45.7%
Capital City	Gabarone
Region	Southern Africa
Border Countries	South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia
Annual Freshwater Withdrawal (2013)*	194 Million cubic metres
Annual Freshwater Withdrawal for Agriculture (2013)*	41.2%
Annual Freshwater Withdrawal for Domestic Use (2013)*	40.1%
Annual Freshwater Withdrawal for Industry (2013)*	18.0%
Rural Population with Access to Improved Water Source (2012)*	92.8%
Urban Population with Access to Improved Water Source (2012)*	99.3%

* Source: World Bank

Climate

• 
  Koppen Geiger Climate Zones
• 
  Average Annual Precipitation
• 
  Average Temperature

For further detail on the climate datasets used see the climate resources section.

Surface water

Surface Water Map of Botswana(For more information on the datasets used in the map see the surface water resources section)

Soil

Soil Map of Botswana(For map key and more information on the datasets used in the map see the soil resources section)

Land cover

Land Cover Map of Botswana(For map key and more information on the datasets used in the map see the land cover resources section)

Geology

This section provides a summary of the geology of Botswana. More information is available in the report [ADD LINK UN] (1988) (see References section, below).

The geology map shows a simplified version of the geology at a national scale (see the Geology resources page for more details).

Geological Environments

Key Formations	Period	Lithology
Geological Environment 1
Name of formation1	Time period	Description
Geological Environment 2
Geological Environment 3

Hydrogeology

This section provides a summary of the hydrogeology of the main aquifers in Botswana. More information is available in the report [ADD LINK UN] (1988) (see References section, below).

The hydrogeology map shows a simplified version of the type and productivity of the main aquifers at a national scale (see the Aquifer properties resource page for more details).

Unconsolidated

Named Aquifers	Period	General Description	Water quality

Sedimentary - Intergranular Flow

Named Aquifers	Period	General Description	Water quality

Sedimentary - Intergranular & Fracture Flow

Named Aquifers	Period	General Description	Water quality

Sedimentary - Fracture Flow

Named Aquifers	Period	General Description	Water quality

Basement

Named Aquifers	Period	General Description	Water quality

Groundwater use and management

Transboundary aquifers

For further information about transboundary aquifers, please see the Transboundary aquifers resources page

References

The following references provide more information on the geology and hydrogeology of Botswana.

Many of these, and others, can be accessed through the Africa Groundwater Literature Archive

Useful web resources

Department of Surveys and Mapping, Government of Botswana. The Botswana National Atlas

Published literature

United Nations. 1989. Groundwater in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa: Botswana. United Nations Department of Technical Cooperation for Development. Natural Resources / Water Series No. 19, ST/TCD/6

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Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Hydrogeology by country >> Hydrogeology of Botswana