Botswana

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Area

Total area: 600,370 sq km
Land area: 585,370 sq km
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

Land Boundaries

Total 4,013 km, Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime Claims

None; landlocked

International Disputes

Short section of boundary with Namibia is indefinite; quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with Namibia over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River remained unresolved in mid-February 1997 and the parties agreed to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice

Climate

Semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain

Predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hill 1,489 m

Natural Resources

Diamonds
Copper
Nickel
Salt
Soda ash
Potash
Coal
Iron ore
Silver

Land Use

Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 75%
Forest and woodland: 2%
Other: 21%

Irrigated Land

20 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Current issues: overgrazing, primarily as a result of the expansion of the cattle population; desertification; limited natural fresh water resources
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
International agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

Note: Landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

PEOPLE

Population

1,477,630 (July 1996 est.)
1,392,414 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

42% (male 317,254; female 309,617)
43% (male 303,333; female 300,598)

15-64 Years

54% (male 374,572; female 419,991)
53% (male 344,838; female 398,347)

65 Years and Over

4% (male 22,314; female 33,882) (July 1996 est.)
4% (female 25,773; male 19,525) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.63% (1996 est.)
2.36% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

33.34 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
31.01 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

17.01 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
7.41 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

54.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
38 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 46.01 years (1996 est.), 63.56 years (1995 est.)
Male: 44.94 years (1996 est.), 60.54 years (1995 est.)
Female: 47.11 years (1996 est.), 66.67 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

4.26 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.86 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Ethnic Divisions

Batswana 95%
Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi 4%
White 1%

Religions

Indigenous beliefs 50%
Christian 50%

Languages

English (official), Setswana

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1990 est.)

Total population: 69.8%
Male: 80.5%
Female: 59.9%

Labor Force

428,000 (1992)

By occupation:

220,000 formal sector employees, most others are engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1992 est.)
14,300 are employed in various mines in South Africa (1992 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
Conventional short form: Botswana
Former: Bechuanaland

Digraph

Type

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Gaborone

Administrative Divisions

10 districts; Central, Chobe, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Ngamiland, North-East, South-East, Southern; in addition, there are 4 town councils - Francistown, Gaborone, Lobatse, Selebi-Phikwe

Independence

30 September 1966 (from U.K.)

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

21 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state and head of government: President Sir Ketumile MASIRE (since 13 July 1980); Vice President Festus MOGAE (since 9 March 1992); election last held 15 October 1994 (next to be held October 1999); results - President Sir Ketumile MASIRE was reelected by the National Assembly
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament

House of Chiefs

Is a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of chiefs of the 8 principal tribes, 4 elected subchiefs, and 3 members selected by the other 12

National Assembly

Elections last held 15 October 1994 (next to be held October 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (44 total of which 40 are elected and 4 are appointed) BDP 27, BNF 13

Judicial Branch

High Court, Court of Appeal

Political Parties and Leaders

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Sir Ketumile MASIRE; Botswana National Front (BNF), Kenneth KOMA; Botswana People's Party (BPP), Knight MARIPE; Botswana Independence Party (BIP), Motsamai MPHO

Member of

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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

Light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center

ECONOMY

Overview

The economy has historically been based on cattle raising and crops. Agriculture today provides a livelihood for more than 80% of the population but supplies only about 50% of food needs and accounts for only 5% of GDP. Subsistence farming and cattle raising predominate. The sector is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. The driving force behind the rapid economic growth of the 1970s and 1980s has been the mining industry. This sector, mostly on the strength of diamonds, has gone from generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to 39% in 1994. The unemployment rate remains a problem at 21%. Hampered by a still sluggish diamond market in 1994 and 1995, GDP grew by only 1% in both years.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (1995 est.), $4.3 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

1% (1995 est.)
1% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$3,200 (1995 est.)
$3,130 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

10% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

21% (1995 est.)
25% (1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues: $1.7 billion
Expenditures: $1.99 billion, including capital expenditures of $652 million (FY93/94)

Exports

$1.8 billion (f.o.b. 1994)

Commodities:

Diamonds 78%
Copper and nickel 6%
Meat 5%

Partners:

Switzerland
U.K.
SACU (Southern African Customs Union)

Imports

$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992)

Commodities:

Foodstuffs
Vehicles and transport equipment
Textiles
Petroleum products

Partners:

Switzerland
SACU (Southern African Customs Union)
U.K.
U.S.

External Debt

$691 million (1994)
$344 million (December 1991)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 4.6% (FY92/93); accounts for about 43% of GDP, including mining

Electricity

Capacity: 220,000 kW
Production: 900 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 694 kWh (1993)

Industries

Mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash
Livestock processing

Agriculture

Sorghum, maize, millet, pulses, groundnuts, beans, cowpeas, sunflower seeds; livestock

Economic Aid

Recipient: ODA, $189 million (1993), U.S. aid (1992), $13 million; Norway (1992), $16 million; Sweden (1992), $15.5 million; Germany (1992), $3.6 million; EC/Lome-IV (1992), $3 million-$6 million in grants; $28.7 million in long-term projects (1992)

Currency

1 pula (P) = 100 thebe

Exchange Rates

Pula (P) per US$1 - 2.8305 (January 1996), 2.7716 (1995), 2.6831 (1994), 2.4190 (1993), 2.1327 (1992), 2.0173 (1991), 1.8601 (1990)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

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

Highways

Total: 11,448 km
Paved: 1,590 km
Unpaved: 9,858 km (1988 est.)

Ports

None

Airports

Total: 81
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 22
With unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 44 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

19,109 telephones (1985 est.); sparse system

Local: NA
Intercity: small system of open wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radio communication stations
International: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0
Radios: NA

Television

Broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 13,800 (1993 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 334,177; males fit for military service 175,471; males reach military age (18) annually 17,088 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $199 million, 5.2% of GDP (FY93/94)

History
World Atlas

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