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

Area
Rank: 48
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

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

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

Irrigated land: 20 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 14.7 km³ (2001)

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: 2,098,018 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 144
Growth rate: 1.477% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 82
Below poverty line: 30.3% (2003)

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 (official) 2.1% 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)

Population growth rate: 1.477% (2012 est.)
Rank: 82

Birth rate: 22.02 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 77

Death rate: 12 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 29

Net migration rate: 4.75 migrant(s)/1000 population
Rank: 20

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited freshwater resources

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 144

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 198

Total fertility rate: 2.46 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 84

Physicians density: 0.336 physicians/1000 population (2006)

Hospital bed density: 1.81 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 24.8% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 2
People living with hivaids: 320,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 18
Deaths: 5,800 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 35

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 10.7% (2000)
Rank: 64

Education expenditures: 8.9% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 8

Government type: parliamentary republic

Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central Francistown* Gaborone* Ghanzi Jwaneng* Kgalagadi Kgatleng Kweneng Lobatse* North East North West Selebi-Pikwe* South East Southern

Independence: 30 September 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day) 30 September (1966)

Constitution: March 1965; effective 30 September 1966

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law influenced by the Roman-Dutch model and also customary and common law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 35-member body with 8 ex-officio members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes and 27 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms of which 22 are indirectly elected with the remaining 5 appointed by the President) and the National Assembly (63 seats; 57 members directly elected by popular vote 4 appointed by the majority party and 2 the President and Attorney General serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms)

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

Political parties and leaders: Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Gilson SALESHANDO]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Daniel KWELAGOBE]; Botswana Movement for Democracy or BMD [Gomolemo MOTSWALEDI]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP [Bernard BALIKANI]; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS [Themba JOINA]; New Democratic Front or NDF [Dick BAYFORD]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C CD FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OPCW SACU SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center; the blue symbolizes water in the form of rain while the black and white bands represent racial harmony

National symbols: zebra

Economy overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. However economic growth was negative in 2009 with the industrial sector shrinking by 30% after the global crisis reduced demand for Botswana's diamonds. Although the economy recovered in 2010 GDP growth has again slowed. Through fiscal discipline and sound management Botswana transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $16,800 in 2012. 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 70-80% of export earnings and about half of the government's revenues. Botswana's heavy reliance on a single luxury export was a critical factor in the sharp economic contraction of 2009. Tourism financial services subsistence farming and cattle raising are other key sectors. Unofficial estimates place unemployment at close to 40%. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is second highest in the world and threatens Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond production within the next two decades overshadows long-term prospects. A major international diamond company signed a 10-year deal with Botswana in 2012 to move its rough stone sorting and trading division from London to Gaborone by the end of 2013. The move will support Botswana's downstream diamond industry.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 112

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 89

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 75

Agriculture products: livestock sorghum maize millet beans sunflowers groundnuts

Industrial production growth rate: 10.8% (2011 est.)
Rank: 10

Labor force: 1.288 million
Rank: 136

Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2007 est.)
Rank: 85

Population below poverty line: 30.3% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index: 63 (1993)
Rank: 4

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 0.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 31

Taxes and other revenues: 31.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 95

Public debt: 13.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 138

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 173

Central bank discount rate: 10% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 27

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 77

Stock of narrow money: $1.153 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Stock of broad money: $7.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 115

Stock of domestic credit: $1.114 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 175

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 86

Current account balance: $271 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 43

Exports: $6.458 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 108
Commodities: diamonds copper nickel soda ash meat textiles

Imports: $6.275 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 120
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery electrical goods transport equipment textiles fuel and petroleum products wood and paper products metal and metal products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.082 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 77

Debt external: $1.969 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 417 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 165
Consumption: 2.955 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 133
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 161
Imports: 2.89 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 43
Installed generating capacity: 132,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 165
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 6
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 46
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 158
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 108

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 108
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 79
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 157
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 106

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 123
Products consumption: 15,420 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 144
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 152
Products imports: 19,060 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 106

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 99
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 118
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 157
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 158
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 110

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 3.841 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 131

Telephones
Main lines in use: 149,600 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 135
Mobile cellular: 2.9 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 130

Broadcast media: 2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately-owned; privately-owned satellite TV subscription service is available; 2 state-owned national radio stations; 3 privately-owned radio stations broadcast locally (2007)

Internet
Country code: .bw
Hosts: 1806 (2012)
Hosts rank: 163
Users: 120,000 (2009)
Users rank: 153

Military expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 37

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

Airports: 76 (2012)
Rank: 72

Railways
Rank: 93

Roadways
Rank: 116

Disputes international: none