Botswana is a Southern African country. Consisting almost entirely of the Kalahari desert, Botswana has an area of 600,370 km2. It borders South Africa, south-east and south; Namibia to the west and north; Zambia to the northeast and Zimbabwe to the east. The main cities are Gaborone, the capital, with 199,600 residents (2004), Francistown (89,100 residents), Selebi-Pikwe (53,500 residents), Molepolole (58,600 residents) and Kanye (43,600 residents) . All data are from 2004.
Most of the country has a subtropical climate with a tendency to aridity. Summer temperatures (between October and March) are around 34 o C, and in winter (between April and September) they are below 0 o C.
Economy
The main national wealth is based mainly on the extraction of diamonds, copper, nickel and cobalt. Agriculture occupies most of the country’s population, but its development is quite limited due to water scarcity. The dominant crops are sorghum, corn, vegetables, melons, fruits, potatoes and cotton. Botswana’s main economic partners are South Africa, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Zimbabwe.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 2.4.
Population
Botswana has a population of 1,639,833 (est. 2006), which corresponds to a density of 3 residents/km2, one of the lowest in the world. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 23.08% and 29.5%. Average life expectancy is 33.74 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.614 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.611 (2001). The most representative ethnic groups are the Tswana, with 79% of the population, and the Kalanga (11%). In religious terms, traditional beliefs arise (49%), followed by Protestantism (29%), various African Christian currents (12%) and Catholicism (9%). The official language is English although Tswana, kalanga and sekgalagadi are also spoken.
History
The Sotho ethnic group settled in Botswana around 1600. Under the name Bechuanaland, it constituted an English protectorate from 1884 until 1965. After independence in 1966, the country became a member of the British Commonwealth and sought to establish good relations with South Africa, despite rejecting apartheid policy. For Botswana democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Botswana, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Botswana. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Botswana
Browse a collection of city, country, shaded relief and political maps of this Southern African country, lying north of South Africa. Check out the city map of Gaborone.
