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.

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

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1993 est.)

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

Population: 1,464,167 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.05% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 310,578; female 303,495)
15-64 years: 54% (male 379,836; female 416,073)
65 years and over: 4% (male 20,224; female 33,961) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.05% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 31.46 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 21 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 59.08 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 39.89 years
Male: 39.42 years
Female: 40.37 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.91 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

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-Pikwe*, South-East, Southern

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); note_the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); 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
Note: President MASIRE resigned on 31 March 1998; Vice President MOGAE assumed the presidency pending elections to be held in 1999; on 2 April 1998, Festus MOGAE, then president, designated Seretse Ian KHAMA to be vice president

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 NA October 1999)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_BDP 27, BNF 13

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal

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, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Archibald Mooketsa MOGWE
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 Robert C. KRUEGER
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

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. Diamond mining and tourism also are important to the economy. 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 35% in 1997. Unemployment officially is 21% but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%.

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $3,600 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 45% (including 35% mining)
Services: 51% (1997 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: 235,000 formal sector employees (1995)
Note: 100,000 public sector; 135,000 private sector; including 14,300 who are employed in various mines in South Africa; most others engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20-40% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $1.6 billion
Expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $560 million (FY96/97)

Fiscal year: 1 April_31 March

Exports: $2.25 billion (f.o.b. 1998 est.)
Commodities: diamonds 76%, copper, nickel 4%, meat (1997)
Partners: EU 74%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 21%, Zimbabwe 3% (1996)

Imports: $2.43 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs, vehicles and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum products
Partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 78%, Europe 8%, Zimbabwe 6% (1996)

Debt external: $610 million (1997)

Exchange rates: pulas (P) per US$1_4.5725 (January 1999), 4.2258 (1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (1996), 2.7722 (1995), 2.6846 (1994)

Electricity
Production: 990 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 1.675 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 685 million kWh (1996)

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)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $61 million (FY99/00)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (FY99/00)

Airports: 92 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 12
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 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 80
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 57
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)

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

Disputes international: quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with Namibia over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River is presently at the ICJ; at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested