Guide to Botswana Introduction 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.
Geography Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total
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
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Land use: arable land
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1998 est.)
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
Geography - note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country
People Population: 1,640,115 note
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
Population growth rate: 0% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 23.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 29.36 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (2005 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
Nationality: noun
Ethnic groups: 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
Government Country name: conventional long form
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Gaborone
Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northwest, Northeast, 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (61 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote and four are appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms) elections
Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)
Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO] note
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center
Economy Economy - 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 $9,200 in 2004. 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 overshadow long-term prospects.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $15.05 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,200 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture
Labor force: 264,000 formal sector employees (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 23.8% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line: 47% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 25.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues
Public debt: 8.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts
Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 4.4% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production: 930 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel
Electricity - consumption: 1.89 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 1.025 billion kWh (2002)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 16,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Current account balance: $337 million (2004 est.)
Exports: $2.94 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles
Exports - partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)
Imports: $2.255 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products
Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.7 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external: $531 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $73 million (1995)
Currency (code): pula (BWP)
Currency code: BWP
Exchange rates: pulas per US dollar - 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001), 5.1018 (2000)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 142,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 435,000 (2002)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios: 252,720 (2000)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)
Televisions: 31,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bw
Internet hosts: 1,920 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2001)
Internet users: 60,000 (2002)
Transportation Railways: total
Highways: total
Airports: 85 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Military Military branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes an Air Wing)
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 18-49
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $338.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (2004)
Transnational Issues Disputes - international: 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
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
| Weather Statistics | Francistown |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | | Max | 31 C | 31 C | 30 C | 29 C | 26 C | 24 C | 24 C | 26 C | 30 C | 33 C | 32 C | 32 C | | Mean | 25 C | 25 C | 23 C | 21 C | 18 C | 14 C | 14 C | 17 C | 22 C | 25 C | 25 C | 25 C | | Min | 19 C | 18 C | 17 C | 14 C | 9 C | 5 C | 5 C | 8 C | 13 C | 17 C | 18 C | 18 C | | Prcp | 100mm | 80mm | 53mm | 24mm | 5mm | 3mm | 1mm | 2mm | 8mm | 26mm | 62mm | 89mm |
| Source: Global Historical Climatology Network |
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