Map of Botswana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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: Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 600,370 km²
Land: 585,370 km²
Water: 15,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 4,013 km
Border countries: (3) 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: predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
Extremes highest point: Tsodilo Hill 1,489 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 46%
Forests and woodland: 47%
Other: 6% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility

Geography
Note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country


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Population: 1,500,765 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.48% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

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

Languages: English (official), Setswana

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 319,920; female 312,104)
15-64 years: 54% (male 384,533; female 428,157)
65 years and over: 4% (male 21,949; female 34,102) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.48% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 32.65 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 17.9 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 54.9 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 44.52 years
Male: 43.52 years
Female: 45.55 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.14 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 69.8%
Male: 80.5%
Female: 59.9% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
Conventional short form: Botswana
Former: Bechuanaland

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital: Gaborone

Administrative divisions: 10 districts and four town councils*; Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Phikwe*, South-East, Southern

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence 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: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Sir Ketumile MASIRE (since 13 July 1980); Vice President Festus MOGAE (since 9 March 1992); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Sir Ketumile MASIRE (since 13 July 1980); Vice President Festus MOGAE (since 9 March 1992); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 15 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Sir Ketumile MASIRE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

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) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: National Assembly - elections last held 15 October 1994 (next to be held October 1999)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BDP 27, BNF 13

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Archibald Mooketsa MOGWE
In the us chancery: Suite 7M, 3,400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-4,990, 4,991
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 244-4,164
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. KRUEGER (14 June 1996)
From the us embassy: address NA, Gaborone
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
From the us telephone: [267] 353,982
From the us FAX: [267] 356,947

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Agriculture still provides a livelihood for more than 80% of the population but supplies only about 50% of food needs and accounts for only 4% of GDP. Subsistence farming and cattle raising predominate. The sector is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. Substantial mineral deposits were found in the 1970s and the mining sector grew from 25% of GDP in 1980 to 33% in 1995. The unemployment rate remains a problem at 21%. On the plus side is the substantial positive trade balance.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,100 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 43%
Services: 53% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: sorghum, maize, millet, pulses, groundnuts (peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed; livestock

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (FY92/93)

Labor force
Total: 428,000 (1992)
Note:

Unemployment rate: 21% (1995 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.8 billion
Expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $613 million (FY95/96)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

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
Total value: $2.1 billion (f.o.b. 1995 est.)
Commodities: diamonds 71%, copper and nickel 5%, meat 3%
Partners: Europe 81%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 14%, Zimbabwe 3%

Imports
Total value: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs, vehicles and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum products
Partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 78%, Europe 8%, Zimbabwe 6%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $691 million (1994)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: pula (P) per US$1 - 3.6417 (January 1997), 3.3014 (1996), 2.7716 (1995), 2.6831 (1994), 2.4190 (1993), 2.1327 (1992)


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Electricity
Capacity: 197,000 kW (1993)
Production: 950 million kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 747 kWh (1993 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 19,109 (1985 est.)

Telephone system: sparse system
Domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations
International: microwave radio relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $199 million (FY93/94)
Percent of gdp: 5.2% (FY93/94)

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: 80 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 34
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 22 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 46
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 43 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 971 km
Narrow gauge: 971 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: quadripoint with Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with Namibia over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River remained unresolved in January 1996 and the parties have agreed to refer the matter to the ICJ

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs