Formerly the British
protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon
independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership,
progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have
created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction,
principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is
a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive
nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of
HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and
comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.
Geography
Botswana
Location:
Southern Africa, north of South
Africa
Geographic coordinates:
22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km,
Zimbabwe 813 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
semiarid; warm winters and hot
summers
Terrain:
predominantly flat to gently
rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction
of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo
Hills 1,489 m
Natural resources:
diamonds, copper, nickel, salt,
soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
total: 0.19 cu km/yr
(41%/18%/41%) per capita: 107 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; seasonal
August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the
country, which can obscure visibility
Environment - current issues:
overgrazing; desertification;
limited fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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
Geography - note:
landlocked; population
concentrated in eastern part of the country
People
Botswana
Population:
1,842,323 note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of
excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy,
higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than
would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
total: 21.2 years
male: 21 years female: 21.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.434% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
22.96 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
14.02 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
5.41 migrant(s)/1,000
population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans
into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities
(2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68
male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 44.01
deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.16
years male: 51.28 years female: 49.02 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.66 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
37.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
350,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
33,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A,
and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)
Tswana (or Setswana) 79%,
Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
Religions:
Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%,
other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)
Languages:
Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%,
Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4%
(2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 81.2%
male: 80.4% female: 81.8% (2003 est.)
Government
Botswana
Country name:
conventional long form:
Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana
local long form: Republic of Botswana local short
form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
name: Gaborone
geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E time
difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 districts and 5 town
councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi,
Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*,
Southeast, Southern
Independence:
30 September 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day (Botswana
Day), 30 September (1966)
Constitution:
March 1965, effective 30
September 1966
Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law and
local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President
Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government head of government:
President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President
Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed
by the president elections: president indirectly elected for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October
2004 (next to be held in October 2009); vice president appointed by the
president election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president;
percent of National Assembly vote - 52%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists
of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent
members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7
non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected
subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National
Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are
appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and
Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year
terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 30
October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009) election
results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%, BCP 16.6%,
other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1
Judicial branch:
High Court; Court of Appeal;
Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)
Political parties and leaders:
Botswana Alliance Movement or
BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa
KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana
National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP;
MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF
note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form
the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United
Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party
or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]
chief of mission:
Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New
Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202)
244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Katherine H. CANAVAN embassy: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone: [267] 395-3982 FAX: [267] 395-6947
Flag description:
light blue with a horizontal
white-edged black stripe in the center
Economy
Botswana
Economy - overview:
Botswana has maintained one of
the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966,
though growth slowed to 4.7% annually in 2006-07. Through fiscal
discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one
of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a
per capita GDP of nearly $15,000 in 2007. Two major investment services
rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled
much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of
GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism, financial services,
subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the
downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and
poverty. Unemployment officially was 23.8% in 2004, but unofficial
estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second
highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An
expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term
prospects.
pulas per US dollar - 6.2035
(2007), 5.8447 (2006), 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Botswana
Telephones - main lines in use:
136,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
979,800 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: the
system is expanding with the growth of mobile-cellular service and
participation in regional development; system is fully digital with
fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east;
fixed-line connections declined in recent years and now stand at 8 per 100
persons; mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 60 per 100
persons domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave
radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations;
mobile-cellular service is growing fast international: country
code - 267; international calls are made via satellite, using
international direct dialing; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave
radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios:
252,720 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1 state-owned, 1 private)
Televisions:
31,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bw
Internet hosts:
5,820 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
11 (2001)
Internet users:
60,000 (2005)
Transportation
Botswana
Airports:
85 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11 2,438
to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523
m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 74 1,524
to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 54 under 914 m: 17
(2007)
Railways:
total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 24,355 km
paved: 8,914 km unpaved: 15,441 km (2004)
Military
Botswana
Military branches:
Botswana Defense Force
(includes an air wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 is the apparent age of
voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining
minimum age are unknown (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 487,853
females age 16-49: 464,278 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 290,093
females age 16-49: 257,700 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 23,007
females age 16-49: 22,551 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.3% (2006)
Transnational Issues
Botswana
Disputes - international:
the alignment of the boundary
with Namibia in the Kwando/Linyanti/Chobe River, including the Situngu
marshlands, was resolved amicably in 2003; concerns from international
experts and local populations over the ecology of the Okavango Delta in
Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a
hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls) along the Angola-Namibia
border; Botswana has built electric fences to stem the thousands of
Zimbabweans who flee to find work and escape political persecution;
Namibia has long supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to,
plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi
River, thereby de facto recognizing the short, but not clearly delimited,
Botswana-Zambia boundary
