Botswana

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Introduction - Botswana:
Country	Botswana


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 countrys conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the worlds highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africas most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.


Location - Botswana:
Location	Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates	22 00 S, 24 00 E

Map references	Africa

Area	total: 600,370 sq km land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km

Area comparative	slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries	total: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km

Coastline	0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims	none (landlocked)

Climate	semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain	predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Elevation extremes	lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

Natural resources	diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver

Land use	arable land: 0.65% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.34% (2005)

Irrigated land	10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards	periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility

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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography note	landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

People - Botswana:
Population	1,815,508 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

Age structure	0-14 years: 35.8% (male 330,377/female 319,376) 15-64 years: 60.3% (male 549,879/female 545,148) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 28,725/female 42,003) (2007 est.)

Median age	total: 20.9 years male: 20.7 years female: 21.1 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate	1.503% (2007 est.)

Birth rate	23.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate	13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate	5.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)

Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.009 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.684 male(s)/female total population: 1.003 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate	total: 43.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 45.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 42.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth	total population: 50.58 years male: 51.55 years female: 49.58 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate	2.73 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hiv aids adult prevalence rate	37.3% (2003 est.)

Hiv aids people living with hiv aids	350,000 (2003 est.)

Hiv aids deaths	33,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality	noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Major infectious diseases	degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)

Ethnic groups	Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%

Religions	Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)

Languages	Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.2% male: 80.4% female: 81.8% (2003 est.)

Government - Botswana:
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana local long form: Republic of Botswana local short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland

Government type	parliamentary republic

Capital	name: Gaborone geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions	9 districts and 5 town councils; Central, Francistown, Gaborone, Ghanzi, Jwaneng, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe, Southeast, Southern

Independence	30 September 1966 (from UK)

National holiday	Independence Day (Botswana 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage	18 years of age; universal

Executive branch	chief of state: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998); Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998); Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52%

Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%, BCP 16.6%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1

Judicial branch	High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates Courts (one in each district)

Political parties and leaders	Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders	NA

International organization participation	ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the us	chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164

Diplomatic representation from the us	chief of mission: Ambassador Katherine H. CANAVAN embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782

Flag description	light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center

Economy - Botswana:
Economy overview	Botswana has maintained one of the worlds highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth slowed to 4.7% in 2006. 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 more than $11,000 in 2006. 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 was 23.8% in 2004, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswanas impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects.

Gdp purchasing power parity	$17.94 billion (2006 est.)

Gdp official exchange rate	$9.761 billion (2006 est.)

Gdp real growth rate	5.4% (2006 est.)

Gdp per capita ppp	$10,900 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector	agriculture: 2.4% industry: 46.9% (including 36% mining) services: 50.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force	288,400 formal sector employees (2004)

Labor force by occupation	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate	23.8% (2004)

Population below poverty line	30.3% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index	63 (1993)

Inflation rate consumer prices	11.4% (2006 est.)

Investment gross fixed	21.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget	revenues: $4.256 billion expenditures: $3.968 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

Public debt	7.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture products	livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts

Industries	diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles

Industrial production growth rate	6.3% (2006 est.)

Electricity production	823 million kWh (2004)

Electricity consumption	2.464 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity exports	0 kWh (2004)

Electricity imports	1.699 billion kWh (2004)

Oil production	0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil consumption	11,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil exports	NA bbl/day

Oil imports	13,490 bbl/day (2004)

Oil proved reserves	0 bbl

Natural gas production	0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas consumption	0 cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance	$1.698 billion (2006 est.)

Exports	$4.836 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports commodities	diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles

Exports partners	European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006)

Imports	$3.034 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports commodities	foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products

Imports partners	Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold	$7.445 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external	$520 million (2006 est.)

Economic aid recipient	$73 million (1995)

Currency code	pula (BWP)

Exchange rates	pulas per US dollar - 5.8447 (2006), 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002)

Communications - Botswana:
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March

Telephones main lines in use	136,900 (2006)

Telephones mobile cellular	979,800 (2006)

Telephone system	general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: country code - 267; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations	AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)

Television broadcast stations	1 (2001)

Internet country code	.bw

Internet hosts	5,499 (2006)

Internet users	60,000 (2005)

Transportation - Botswana:
Airports	85 (2006)

Airports with paved runways	total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)

Airports with unpaved runways	total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 17 (2006)

Railways	total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways	total: 24,355 km paved: 8,914 km unpaved: 15,441 km (2004)

Military - Botswana:
Military branches	Botswana Defense Force (includes an air wing) (2006)

Military service age and obligation	18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)

Manpower available for military service	males age 18-49: 350,649 females age 18-49: 361,642 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service	males age 18-49: 136,322 females age 18-49: 136,315 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually	males age 18-49: 21,103 females age 18-49: 21,379 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures percent of gdp	3.3% (2006)