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Background: 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.
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Common Name: Botswana
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Local Official Name: Botswana
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Botswana
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Official Name: Botswana
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Official Script Name: Botswana
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Local Common Name: Botswana
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Former Name: Bechuanaland
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Festus G. MOGAE
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Government Type: parliamentary republic
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Independence: 1966 September 30 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1965 March (effective 30 September 1966)
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National Holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September
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International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term; election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held in 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 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)
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Party 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 [leader NA]; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS [leader NA]; New Democratic Front or NDF [leader NA]
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]
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International Disputes: commission established with Namibia has yet to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls); 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 their short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Botswana: Southern Africa, north of South Africa
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Continent: Africa
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Land Area Total: 600,370 sq km
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Region: Southern African |
Land Area Land: 585,370 sq km
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Capitol City: Gaborone
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Land Area Water: 15,000 sq km
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Current: UTC+2
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Latitude: 022 00 S
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Border Boundary Land: 4,013 km
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Longitude: 024 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 0 km
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Arable Land: 0.65 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.01 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 1,489 m
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Location: Tsodilo Hills
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Lowest Elevation: 513 m
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Location: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers
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Largest City in Botswana: Gaborone
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Gaborone Largest City Population: 254,000
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Threatened Species: 12
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Environmental Issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 10
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Bordering Countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
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Natural Resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
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Geographical Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
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Comparative Area of Botswana: slightly smaller than Texas
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Botswana's Geography: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Botswana.
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General Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
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Natural Hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
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Economic Overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. 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 $10,000 in 2005. 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 is 23.8%, 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.
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GDP: $17,240,000,000 USD
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Currency: pula
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GDP per Capita: $10,500 USD
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Currency Code: BWP
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GDP Growth Rate: 4.50 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% BWP
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Currency Exchange Rate History: pulas per US dollar - 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 2.40 %
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GDP of Industry: 46.90 %
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GDP of Services: 50.70 % |
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Inflation Rate: 8.30 % |
Population in Poverty: 30.30 %
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Unemployment Rate: 23.80 %
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Tourism: 0.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $3,766,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $3,767,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 891,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 2,641,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 1,390,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $556,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $73,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts
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Primary Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles
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Industrial Growth Rate: 3.40 %
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Import Amount in USD: $3,370,000,000 USD - foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products
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Import Partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4%
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Export Amount in USD: $3,680,000,000 USD - diamonds 80%, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles
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Export Partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4%
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GINI Index: 63.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 288,400
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Labor Force by Occupations: NA
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 25 |
Number of People with Radios: 252,720 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 1 |
Number of People with Televisions: 31,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 136,500 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 571,400 |
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Internet Service Providers: 1,621 |
Internet Users: 60,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .bw |
Newspapers: 27 |
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Two Letter Country Code: BC |
Weights and Measures: metric |
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Phone Country Code: 267 |
Electricity Voltage: 231 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development
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; two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
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Highways: 8,867 km |
Railways: 888 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 10 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 70 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 3,356,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 4.20 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: NA
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Ports and Harbors: NA
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Population: 1,639,833 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 23.08 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 3.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 29.50 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: -0.04% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.79 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 319,531 |
Population Female 0-14: 309,074 |
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Population Male 15-64: 460,692 |
Population Female 15-64: 488,577 |
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Population Male 65+: 23,374 |
Population Female 65+: 38,585 |
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Population 0-14: 38.30% |
Literacy Rate: 79.80% |
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Population 15-64: 57.90% |
Literacy rate of Males: 76.90% |
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Population 65+: 3.80% |
Literacy rate of Females: 82.40% |
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Population that is Male: 48.00
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Population that is Female: 52.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 33.74 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 53.70 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 33.90 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 33.56 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 37.30%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 350,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 33,000 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 6.07
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Nationality: MOTSWANA (singular), BATSWANA (plura
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Ethnic Groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
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Primary Language: Setswana
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Other Languages: Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4%
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Primary Religion: Christian
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Other Religions: Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6%
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Branches: Botswana Defense Force (including Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years of age years
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Manpower Available: 712,291 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 272,637 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 42,482 People per year
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Expenditures: $135,000,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 3.40
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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