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. 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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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: predominantly 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 Hills 1,489 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 0.65%
Permanent crops: 0.01%
Other: 99.34% (2001)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1998 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
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 0% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: 47% (2002 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79% Kalanga 11% Basarwa 3% other including Kgalagadi and white 7%

Languages: Setswana 78.2% Kalanga 7.9% Sekgalagadi 2.8% English 2.1% (official) other 8.6% unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Religions: Christian 71.6% Badimo 6% other 1.4% unspecified 0.4% none 20.6% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.8% (male 322,916/female 312,735)
15-64 years: 57.5% (male 455,183/female 487,236)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 23,914/female 38,131) (2005 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 19.29 years
Male: 18.64 years
Female: 19.93 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 23.33 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 29.36 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2005 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 54.58 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 55.97 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 53.14 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 33.87 years
Male: 33.89 years
Female: 33.84 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 37.3% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 350,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 33,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria (2004)

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: 79.8%
Male: 76.9%
Female: 82.4% (2003 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: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central Francistown* Gaborone* Ghanzi Jwaneng* Kgalagadi Kgatleng Kweneng Lobatse* Northwest Northeast Selebi-Pikwe* Southeast Southern

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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 NA 2009); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52%

Legislative branch
Elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 52%, BNF 26%, BCP 17%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)

Political parties and leaders
Note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]

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: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA
In the us chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-4,990
In the us fax: [1] (202) 244-4,164
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGINS
From the us embassy: address NA, Gaborone
From the us mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
From the us telephone: [267] 353,982
From the us fax: [267] 312,782

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: 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $15.05 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.5% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,200 (2004 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 44% (including 36% mining)
Services: 52% (2003 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.)

Labor force: 264,000 formal sector employees (2000)
By occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 23.8% (2004 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 47% (2002 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $3.735 billion
Expenditures: $3.743 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 8.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7% (2004 est.)

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: $337 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $2.94 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: diamonds copper nickel soda ash meat textiles
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.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery electrical goods transport equipment textiles fuel and petroleum products wood and paper products metal and metal products
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.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: pulas per US dollar - 4.6929 (2004) 4.9499 (2003) 6.3278 (2002) 5.8412 (2001) 5.1018 (2000)


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Electricity
Production: 930 million kWh (2002)
Consumption: 1.89 billion kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 1.025 billion kWh (2002)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 142,400 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 435,000 (2002)

Telephone system
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .bw
Hosts: 1920 (2003)
Users: 60,000 (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $338.5 million (2004)
Percent of gdp: 3.9% (2004)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 85 (2004 est.)
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 75
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 54
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 888 km
Narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs