Facts and background information about Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country that shares borders with Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Zambia and is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Texas. Botswana is semi-arid with warm winters and hot summers.

There are nine districts and 5 town councils*: Central, Francistown*, Jwaneng, Kgalagadi, Kweneng, Lobatse, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe, Southeast and Southern.

The chief of state and head of government President Ian Khama (since April 1, 2008) was selected by the parliament and is serving a five year term.

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 know rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also has one of Africa’s most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.

Botswana has maintained one of the world’s highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth fell below 5% in 2007-2008, and turned sharply negative in 2009, with industry falling nearly 30%. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $13,100 in 2010. 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, 70-80% of export earnings, and about half of the government’s revenues. Botswana’s heavy reliance on a single luxury export was a critical factor in the sharp economic contraction of 2009. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. Although unemployment was 7.5% in 2007 according to official reports, unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is second highest in the world and threatens Botswana’s impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production within the next two decades overshadows long-term prospects.

The Kalahari Desert covers a large percentage of Botswana. Although a dry area, vegetation such as grasses and acacia bushes grow in the Kalahari. The delta of the Okavango River, one of the world's largest inland deltas, is on the edge of the Kalahari.

The Kalahari Game Reserve and Okavango Delta are part of the system of National Parks. Other protected areas include Chobe National Park and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.

Antelopes, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs and zebras can be seen in the parks. A variety of birds, such as flamingoes and kingfishers, can be found around the Okavango Delta, the River Chobe and the Makgadikgadi.

Villages in Botswana were traditionally built around the meeting place (kgkota) and cattle kraal. Lekgaph, a traditional art form, was used to decorate the walls of houses and courtyards. Since independence, buildings such as schools, modern houses and shopping malls have been constructed throughout the populated areas.

Gaborone is a modern city with offices, hotels, blocks of flats and shopping malls. Some colonial buildings remain in the capital.

There are nearly 2 million people living in Botswana, 196,000 whom live in the capital city Gaborone, where I am attending college this semester.

The people of Botswana are called Motswana (singular) and Batswana (plural). The main ethnic groups are Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11% and Basarwa 3%. The main spoken languages are Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8% and English (official language) 2.1%. Christianity is the largest practiced religion (71.6%), Badimo (6%) second.

Millet and sorghum are staple foods in Botswana. Both are made into porridge with various additional ingredients. Maize and beans, although less drought resistant than millet and sorghum, are also grown.

The local currency is the Pula meaning rain and blessing in Tswana and is used as a greeting for good fortune. The Pula notes are in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 and a 5 Pula coin. The remaining coins are called Thebe, meaning shield, and are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50. One U.S. dollar is equal to 6.7413 Pula.

Combis (same as “tro tros” in Ghana) are mini-buses that travel fixed routes within the city and are one of the most popular forms of travel here and cost three Pula ($0.45 USD) per trip. Taxis within the city are also common and more convenient but cost 25-30 Pula ($3.77- $4.50) per trip to most places around the city. Buses are popular for travel within the country and prices differ depending on the distance traveled.

The information in this post is provided by The World Factbook and World Info Zone. Please refer to the hyperlinks for more information about Botswana.