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.

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.)

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
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 2004 est.)
Growth rate: -0.89% (2004 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: English (official) Setswana

Religions: indigenous beliefs 85% Christian 15%

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.2% (male 310,282; female 302,452)
15-64 years: 56.2% (male 424,613; female 452,801)
65 years and over: 4.6% (male 30,896; female 40,929) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.2 years
Male: 18.5 years
Female: 19.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.89% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 24.71 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 33.63 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 69.98 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 70.96 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 68.96 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 30.76 years
Male: 30.99 years
Female: 30.53 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)

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

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79.8%
Male: 76.9%
Female: 82.4% (2003 est.)

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 four town councils*; Central Francistown* Gaborone* Ghanzi Kgalagadi Kgatleng Kweneng Lobatse* Northwest Northeast Selebi-Pikwe* Southeast Southern

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

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 13 July 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 13 July 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 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3%

Legislative branch
Elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held NA October 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; 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

Economy overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest 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 $8,800 in 2003. 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 nine-tenths of export earnings. Tourism 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 21% but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. Long-term prospects are overshadowed by the expected leveling off in diamond mining production.

Real gdp growth rate: 7.2% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 48.7% (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: 7.3% (2003 est.)

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

Unemployment rate: 40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.)

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

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

Budget
Revenues: $3.263 billion
Expenditures: $3.283 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)

Public debt: 7% of GDP (2003)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 9.2% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $539 million (2003)

Exports: $2.544 billion f.o.b. (2003 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: $1.753 billion f.o.b. (2003 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)

Debt external: $392 million (2003)

Exchange rates: pulas per US dollar - 4.9499 (2003) 6.3278 (2002) 5.8412 (2001) 5.1018 (2000) 4.6244 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 409.8 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 1.564 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 1.183 billion kWh (2001)

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)

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

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $298.9 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 3.6% (2003)

Airports: 85 (2003 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.)

Railways
Total: 888 km
Narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)

Disputes international: established a commission with Namibia 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 Namibia Zambia and Zimbabwe boundary convergence is not clearly defined or delimited