Africa

Botswana

Most border posts do not stay open after six in the evening for vehicle transport, and it's therefore advisable to check on operating times, especially the more remote, less used entry points. Generally the times are from six in the morning to six at night daily, but the busier posts may stay open later. Certain airports function as entry points...More Information on Botswana.

Full country name: Republic of Botswana
Former Name: Bechuanaland
Area: 231,804 sq mi or slightly smaller than Texas
Population: 1,576,470
Capital City: Gaborone (pop: 133,468) (1991)
People: 9Tswana (60%), Bakalanga, Basarwa, Bakgalagadi
Life Expectancy: 39 years
HIV/AIDS Rate of Infection: 35.80%
Infant Mortality Rate: 22.08 deaths/1,000 population
Fertility Rate: 3.8 children born/woman
Ethnic Groups: Batswana 95%, Kalanga, Basarwa, Kgalagadi
Language: English, Setswana
Religion: Indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%
Literacy Rate: 69.8% (1995 est.)
Government: Parliamentary republic
Head of State: President Festus Mogae
Head of Government: Chancellor Festus Mogae

Also Read: A Short Background of Botswana

History of Botswana

The nation was originally inhabited by the San people (also known as the Bushmen), then the Tswana, a Bantu group. In 1885, it became the British protectorate of Bechuanaland (mainly to ward off encroachment by the Germans from the west and Boers from the south). The struggle for independence, which was achieved in 1966, was largely peaceful and democratic. Seretse Khama III was elected the country's first president, a post he held until his death in 1980...More on Botswana's History.

Overview of Botswana's Economy

GDP: $5.7 billion (1999 est.)
GDP per capita: $3,900 (1999 est.)
Annual Growth: 6.5% (1999 est.)
Inflation:9%
Unemployment: 20%-40% (1999 est.)
Exports: $2.36 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Economic Aid Recipient: $73 million (1995)
External Debt: $651 million (1998)
Currency: Pula
Climate: Semi-arid
Irrigated Land: 7.7 sq. miles
Land Use: Arable Land: 1%
Permanent Crops: 0%
Permanent Pastures: 46%
Major Exports: Diamonds 72%, vehicles, copper, nickel, meat (1998)
Forests and Woodland: 47%
Other: 6% (1993 est.)
Major Industries:Diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash, livestock processing, sorghum, maize, millet, pulses, groundnuts (peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed, livestock
Major Trading Partners:EU, Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Zimbabwe
Natural Resources: Diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Natural Hazards: Periodic droughts
Eco-alerts: Botswana is troubled by limited fresh water resources, overgrazing and desertification.
Member of EU: No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Botswana

Political System of Botswana

- Government of Botswana
- Foreign relations of botswana

Plants and Animal of Botswana

Botswana's dry lands boast more than 70 species of snakes, including three species of spitting cobra. Poisonous boomslangs (Afrikaans for tree snake) and vine snakes are common in the Okavango, but they generally don't bother humans. Although this part of southern Africa offers an adequate sampling of LBJs ('little brown jobs'), it is also home to an array of colourful and exotic birdlife. Among them are the dandified crowned crane; the grey lourie, with its sulky ‘go-away' call; the stunning lilac-breasted roller; and the dour secretary bird, which trounces snakes by hopping up and down on them like a secretary banging on a typewriter. Botswana's wonderful national parks and reserves are home to an amazing variety of wildlife, including elephant, cheetah, hunting dog, leopard, hyena, giraffe, hippopotamus and zebra...more


Envoirnment: Smack in the centre of southern Africa, landlocked Botswana extends over 1100km...more.

Languages: Although the official language of Botswana is English, most of the population also speak...more.

Culture: Botswana's early tribal religions were primarily cults in which ancestors directed family...more.


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: No visa is required for visits of up to 90 days for citizens of most Commonwealth countries, most European countries and the USA. Passengers must hold a return/onward ticket and sufficient funds.
Health risks: malaria, HIV/AIDS (HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) develops into AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), which is a fatal disease. Any exposure to blood, blood products or body fluids may put the individual at risk. The disease is often transmitted through sexual contact or dirty needles - body piercing, acupuncture, tattooing and vaccinations can be potentially as dangerous as intravenous drug use. HIV and AIDS can also be spread via infected blood transfusions, but blood supplies in most reputable hospitals are now screened, so the risk from transfusions is low. If you do need an injection, ask to see the syringe unwrapped in front of you, or take a needle and syringe pack with you. Fear of HIV infection should not preclude treatment for any serious medical conditions. Most countries have organizations and services for HIV-positive folks and people with AIDS. For a list of organizations divided by country, plus descriptions of their services, see www.aidsmap.com)
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2
Dialling Code: 267
Electricity: 220-240V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read: Money & Costs | Travel tips of botswana | Transport and getting around | Public holidays in Botswana | Shopping in Botswana

When to Go

Botswana is an all year round wildlife destination. However there are certain seasons for special interest groups to take note of:Best birding months are Nov - March when the Delta is brimming with migratory birds.
Best botanical months are Dec - May when the vegetation is lush and green, and also when most plants are in flower...more.

Also Read: Getting Around in Botswana | Getting There & Away

What to See in Botswana

Other Tourist Attractions in Botswana

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Botswana Gaming Reserves

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Botswana National Parks

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What to do in Botswana

When you travel to Botswana, make sure to visit destinations like the Kalahari desert and Chobe National Park. Whether you are looking for a Botswana safari or a Mokoro ride through the Okavango Delta, Botswana offers a wide range of adventure travel activities. But before you travel to Botswana, be sure to educate yourself on all that you can expect with this Botswana travel guide.

What you won't encounter in Botswana are large flocks of travelers. The high fees discourage large crowds and keep tourist density low and the sense of being surrounded by nature high. Botswana can afford to be so exclusive because its mineral wealth has made it less dependent upon tourist dollars than its poorer neighbors. (It is one of the world's largest diamond producers, and it has reserves of gold, copper and nickel.). You can enjoy Botswana's attractions from a tented campsite along a riverbank or in the comfort of one of the lushest lodges on the continent.

Events:

Botswanans enjoy public holidays on New Year's Day and the day after, at Easter, Ascension Day (in April or May), and Labor Day (1 May), as well as a two-day sleep-in around President's Day in July. Independence Day is celebrated on 30 September and the day following, and there are three public holidays over Christmas: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the day after Boxing Day, on 25, 26 and 27 December, respectively.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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