Botswana

Botswana

area:	581,730sq km (224,606sq mi)
population:	1,695,482
capital (population):	Gaborone (213,017)
government:	Multiparty republic
ethnic groups:	Tswana 75%, Shona 12%, San (Bushmen) 3%
languages:	English (official), Setswana (national language)
religions:	Traditional beliefs 49%, Christianity 50%
currency:	Pula = 100 thebe

Landlocked republic in the heart of s Africa; the capital is Gaborone.

Land and climate

Most of the land is flat or gently rolling, with an average height of c.1000m (3280ft) with more hilly country in the e. The Kalahari Desert covers much of Botswana. Most of the s has no permanent streams, but large depressions form inland drainage basins in the n, such as the delta swamps of the River Okavango. Gaborone lies in the wetter and more populous e. Temperatures are high in summer months (October–April), but winter months are much cooler. The average annual rainfall varies from more than 400mm (16in) in e Botswana to less than 200mm (8in) in the sw.

History

The earliest inhabitants were the nomadic San. The cattle-owning Tswana, modern Botswana's majority population, first settled in e Botswana more than 1000 years ago. The San were gradually displaced s to the Kalahari Desert, and now form a tiny minority. Incursion by Boers and the threat of German colonialism led Britain to form the Bechuanaland Protectorate (1885–1966). In 1966 it achieved independence as the Commonwealth republic of Botswana. One of the ‘front-line states’, Botswana provided a haven for refugees from South Africa's apartheid government. Botswana is a stable multi-party democracy. AIDS is a major problem: more than one in three adults are infected with HIV or have developed AIDS.

Economy

At the time of independence, Botswana was one of Africa's poorest countries and many people migrated to work in the mines of South Africa. Today, Botswana is one of the wealthiest African nations (2000 GDP per capita $US6600), its economy boosted by the discovery of diamonds. It is the world's third-largest diamond producer (accounting for 70% of its exports). Coal, copper, and nickel are also valuable resources. Botswana depends on South African ports for the transshipment of its minerals. However, it remains essentially an agricultural economy. Agriculture employs more than 40% of the workforce, mainly in pastoral farming.

Political map

Physical map

Websites

http://www.gov.bw; http://www.gov.bw/tourism