World Facts

conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
Capital: Gaborone
Type of Government: parliamentary republic-
Administrative Divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northwest, Northeast, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 38.8% (male 322,916/female 312,735)
Agriculture: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts
Airports: 85 (2004 est.)
With Paved Runways: total: 10
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 600,370 sq km. slightly smaller than Texas
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.
Birth rate: 23.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3.766 billion
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)-
Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Communications:
Constitution: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
Currency: pula (BWP)
Current account balance: $562 million (2005 est.)
Death rate: 29.36 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $556 million (2005 est.)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGINS
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA
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-
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor:
Economic aid - recipient: $73 million (1995)
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 $10,100 in 2005. 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.
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
Environment - current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
Environment - International Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
Exchange rates: pulas per US dollar - 5.16 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001)
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
Exports: $3.68 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2004)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center
GDP (official exchange rate): $9.594 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.64 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.4%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E
Geography - note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country-
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 37.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 33,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (2003 est.)-
Heliports:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $3.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2004)
Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2005 est.)
Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles
Infant mortality rate: total: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.3% (2005 est.)
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
Internet country code: .bw
Internet hosts: 1,920 (2003)
Internet users: 60,000 (2002)-
Investment (gross fixed):
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)
Labor force: 288,400 formal sector employees (2004)
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 4,013 km
Land use: arable land: 0.65%
Languages: Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 33.87 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa-
Major infectious diseases:
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 350,649 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 136,322 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 21,103 (2005 est.)
Map references: Africa
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Median age: total: 19.29 years-
Merchant marine: -
Military - note:
Military branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes an Air Wing)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $338.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (2004)
Military service age and obligation: 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)
National holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)
Nationality: noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Net migration rate: 6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: 16,000 bbl/day NA (2001)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003)-
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note: -
Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
Population: 1,640,115
Population below poverty line: 30.3% 47% (2003)
Population growth rate: 0% (2005 est.)-
Ports and terminals: -
Public debt:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)
Railways: total: 888 km-
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.12 billion (2005 est.)
Roadways: total: 25,233 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system: general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development
Telephones - main lines in use: 142,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 435,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)
Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 23.8% (2004)-
Waterways: