Map of Botswana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy closely tied to South Africa's is dominated by cattle raising and mining.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 4,013 km total; Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km

Coastline: none--landlocked

Maritime claims: none--landlocked

Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain: predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Elevation

Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver, natural gas

Land use: arable land: 2%; permanent crops: 0%; meadows and pastures 75%; forest and woodland 2%; other 21%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: landlocked


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Population: 1,258,392 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991)

Nationality: noun and adjective--Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Ethnic groups: Batswana 95%; Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi about 4%; white about 1%

Languages: English (official), Setswana

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 36 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: rains in early 1988 broke six years of drought that had severely affected the important cattle industry; overgrazing; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 43 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 65 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 23% (male 32%, female 16%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Botswana

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital: Gaborone

Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Central, Chobe, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Ngamiland, North-East, South-East, Southern; note--in addition, there may now be 4 town councils named Francistown, Gaborone, Lobaste, Selebi-Pikwe

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK; formerly Bechuanaland)

National holiday: 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 21

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Quett K. J. MASIRE (since 13 July 1980; Vice President Peter S. MMUSI (since 3 January 1983)

Legislative branch: Botswana Defense Force (including Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police

Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Botsweletse Kingsley SEBELE; Chancery at Suite 404, 4,301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 244-4,990 or 4,991; US--Ambassador David PASSAGE; Embassy at Botswana Road, Gaborone (mailing address is P. O. Box 90, Gaborone; telephone [267] 353-982 through 353-984

Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center Botswana BotswanaBotswana

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy has historically been based on cattle raising and crops. Agriculture today provides a livelihood for over 80% of the population, but produces only about 50% of food needs and contributes a small 3% to GDP. The driving force behind the rapid economic growth of the 1970s and 1980s has been the mining industry. This sector, mostly on the strength of diamonds, has gone from generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to over 50% in 1989. No other sector has experienced such growth, especially not agriculture, which is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. The unemployment rate remains a problem at 25%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for only 3% of GDP; subsistence farming predominates; cattle raising supports 50% of the population; must import large share of food needs

Industries: mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing

Industrial production growth rate: 16.8% (FY86; accounts for about 57% of GDP, including mining

Labor force: 400,000; 182,200 formal sector employees, most others are engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1988 est.), 19,000 are employed in various mines in South Africa (1988)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1989)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $1,719 million; expenditures $1,792 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodities: diamonds 77%, copper and nickel 12%, meat 4%, cattle, animal products
Partners: Switzerland, UK, US, SACU (Southern African Customs Union)

Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs, vehicles and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum products
Partners: Switzerland, SACU (Southern African Customs Union), UK, US

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $780 million (December 1990 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: pula (P) per US$1--1.8720 (January 1991), 1.8601 (1990), 2.0125 (1989), 1.8159 (1988), 1.6779 (1987), 1.8678 (1986), 1.8882 (1985)


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Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $99 million, 8.2% of GNP (1989)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 100 total, 87 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 26 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: short section of the boundary with Namibia is indefinite; quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs