I | INTRODUCTION |
Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa.
Before gaining independence from Britain in 1966, it was known as Bechuanaland.
The country’s name comes from its largest ethnic group, the Tswana. A large
majority of the population lives in the eastern part of the country, near the
border with South Africa.
Botswana’s diamond mines and other mineral
deposits have made it one of the wealthiest African countries. The country has
maintained an impressive rate of economic growth since independence. Most of the
country is quite dry and unsuited for agriculture. The Kalahari Desert covers
much of central and southwestern Botswana. The country is noted for its many
animal reserves.
Botswana has been a stable democracy, governed
by an elected president, since gaining independence. The country’s official name
is Republic of Botswana. Gaborone is the capital and largest city. English is
the country’s official language, but most of the people speak a Bantu
language.
II | LAND AND RESOURCES OF BOTSWANA |
Most of Botswana is a vast tableland with an
average elevation of about 1,000 m (about 3,300 ft). The Kalahari Desert covers
the central and southwestern portions of the country. The Kalahari consists of
large sand belts and areas that are covered with grass and acacia-thorn scrub
much of the year. To the north and the east the Kalahari merges gradually into
bushveld (grassland). The eastern part of the country, where most of the
people live, is characterized by pleasant hills and rolling plains covered
richly with grasses, shrubs, and trees.
Botswana is bounded on the north and west by
Namibia, on the northeast by Zambia and Zimbabwe, and on the southeast and south
by South Africa.
A | Rivers and Lakes |
The Okavango River is the principal river
in Botswana. It flows southeast and enters northwestern Botswana from Namibia.
Much of northwestern Botswana is a vast swamp, in and around the Okavango Delta,
into which the river drains. During the rainy season the river’s flow continues
east on the Boteti River to Lake Xau and the Makgadikgadi Pan. The southern part
of the country has no permanent streams. The Limpopo, Ngotwane, and Marico
rivers separate Botswana from South Africa in the east, and the Molopo River
marks the southern boundary. The Chobe River forms the northern boundary with
Namibia.
B | Climate |
In general, Botswana has a semiarid
subtropical climate. Rainfall is greatest in the north, where it averages about
640 mm (about 25 in) annually. In the Kalahari rainfall averages less than 230
mm (less than 9 in). The normal rainy season in Botswana is in the summer
months, from December to April. Rainfall, however, is undependable, and droughts
are frequent. In general, October is the hottest month, and July is the coldest.
A hot wind sweeps in from the west across the Kalahari in August and brings with
it dust and sandstorms.
C | Plant and Animal Life |
Savanna vegetation predominates in most
parts of Botswana, and consists of grasslands interspersed with trees. Principal
species include acacia, bloodwood (a type of eucalyptus), and Rhodesian teak.
Small areas of forest are found in the northeast, near the border with Zambia.
Swamp vegetation, including reeds and papyrus, grows in the wetlands of the
northwest.
Botswana is noted for its large game
reserves where animals run free. Botswana’s abundant wildlife, which draws many
tourists to the country, includes lions, giraffes, leopards, antelopes,
elephants, crocodiles, and ostriches. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a vast
game reserve, spans the border between Botswana and South Africa. Parks and
reserves in Botswana cover 30.2 percent of the total land area (2007). The
Okavango Delta is one of the largest inland deltas in the world and provides
habitat for elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippopotamuses, and crocodiles. About
550 bird species are found in Botswana.
D | Natural Resources |
Large deposits of diamonds were discovered
in Botswana shortly after it gained independence in 1966. The country’s other
mineral resources include gold, silver, uranium, copper, nickel, coal,
manganese, soda ash, asbestos, and salt.
E | Environmental Issues |
Environmental problems include overgrazing
of the land and desertification. Precipitation is irregular, and the country is
prone to drought. A large irrigation and water storage project was planned for
the northern part of the country during the 1980s, but environmental concerns
and popular opposition led to the suspension of the project in 1992.
Botswana has ratified international
agreements on biodiversity, endangered species, the ozone layer, and climate
change. The country has also signed treaties limiting trade in endangered animal
species.
III | PEOPLE OF BOTSWANA |
Botswana had a total population of 1,842,323
in 2008, giving the country a population density of 3.1 persons per square
kilometer. However, the population is unevenly distributed, with the majority of
people living in the eastern part of the country. The rest of the country is
thinly settled because it is so dry.
Botswana’s population was hit hard by one of
the world’s highest rates of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),
which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In the early 2000s
Botswana had the highest rates of HIV infection and AIDS in the world. The World
Health Organization estimated that nearly 40 percent of people aged 15 to 49
were infected with HIV in Botswana. Deaths from AIDS accounted for a decline in
the country’s population and greatly shortened life expectancy. As a result, the
country’s population plunged into a negative growth rate. However, the
prevalence of HIV infection subsequently decreased, especially among younger
people, due to government-supported education, prevention, and treatment
programs. The government made medical treatments freely available, including
antiretroviral drugs that significantly decreased deaths due to AIDS and other
drugs that reduced HIV transmission from infected mothers to their babies. As
one indication of the success of the programs, considered the most advanced in
Africa, the country’s population growth rate was 1.43 percent in 2008. Life
expectancy at birth was 50.2 years, also a significant improvement.
The urban population of Botswana has
increased rapidly, from 18 percent of the total in 1981 to 51 percent in 2003.
Gaborone, the capital, is the largest city and main business center. Other
business centers are Francistown, Selebi-Pikwe, Molepolole, Kanye, and
Serowe.
Botswana received its name from the country’s
principal ethnic group, the Tswana. Other ethnic groups include the Kgalagadi,
Kalanga, and Basarwa. There are also a small number of San (Bushmen), who have
inhabited the region for many centuries. The government has attempted to move
the San from their ancestral reserves in the Kalahari, citing the cost of
supplying them with water and other services. The San have resisted these
attempts, claiming that they were being relocated to allow diamond prospectors
to mine the land. Botswana also has small minorities of Europeans and
Asians.
A | Religion and Language |
About one half of the population
practices traditional African religions; most of the remainder are Christians.
English is the official language, but most of the people speak Setswana, the
language of the Tswana. It belongs to the Sotho subgroup of Bantu languages.
Setswana is used throughout the country and is a mother tongue for the majority
of the population.
B | Education |
In 2005 Botswana’s adult literacy rate
stood at 81.4 percent. Most primary schools are supervised by the district
councils and township authorities and are financed from local government
revenues assisted by grants-in-aid from the central government. Virtually all
primary school-aged children were enrolled in school in 2002–2003, while 73
percent of secondary school-aged children were enrolled. Specialized education
was provided by teacher-training schools and vocational-training schools.
Thousands of students attend the University of Botswana (founded in 1976), in
Gaborone.
IV | ECONOMY OF BOTSWANA |
Since independence in 1966, Botswana has been
transformed from a near-subsistence economy into one of the wealthiest and
fastest-growing countries in Africa. In 2006 the country’s gross domestic
product (GDP) was $11 billion, or $5,703.70 per person. (GDP is a measure of the
value of all the goods and services a country produces.) The transformation of
the economy resulted from the discovery of mineral resources, in particular huge
deposits of the diamonds that account for about four-fifths of Botswana’s export
earnings. Industry, primarily mining, produced 53 percent of GDP in 2006.
From the time of independence, Botswana
recorded one of the highest economic growth rates in the world. The growth rate
averaged over 9 percent per year from 1966 to 1999. The country’s revenues,
largely from diamond mining, exceeded its expenditures. However, the dependence
on diamond mining made the country vulnerable to global fluctuations in demand,
and the government sought to diversify the economy.
A | Agriculture |
Less than 1 percent of the country’s total
land area is arable (suitable for growing crops). Raising livestock has long
been the most important agricultural activity in Botswana. Goats and sheep adapt
to drought better than cattle do. Most of Botswana’s cattle are raised for beef
rather than dairy products. About a fifth of the population is engaged in
agriculture, most of it at a subsistence level, and agriculture provides a tiny
part of the country’s GDP. People grow crops mainly to feed their families.
B | Mining and Manufacturing |
Botswana is the world’s largest supplier of
gem-quality diamonds, with two-thirds of production meeting gem standards.
Diamonds account for four-fifths of Botswana’s annual export revenue. About 23
million carats of gem-quality diamonds were extracted in 2004. Prospectors
discovered diamonds in northern Botswana in the late 1960s, and the first mine
opened at Orapa in 1971, followed by a smaller mine at Letlhakane. What
developed into the world’s richest diamond mine opened in Jwaneng in 1982.
Important deposits of copper and nickel are in the Selebi-Pikwe area. Much of
the nickel and copper produced annually is exported, as is soda ash and small
quantities of gold.
Botswana’s manufacturing sector is small.
However, a diamond-processing plant opened in 2008 under the joint ownership of
the government and the De Beers diamond giant. The new plant, located in
Gaborone, created thousands of jobs. Previously, all of Botswana’s diamonds had
been exported for processing. The remainder of the country’s manufacturing
sector consists mainly of food-processing and mineral-processing, with some
textile production. Botswana produces beef for export.
C | Currency, Banking, and Trade |
The currency of Botswana is the pula
(5.80 pula equal U.S.$1; 2006 average). In 2001 Botswana’s annual imports cost
$1.8 billion; exports earned $2.5 billion in the same year. The country is in a
customs union, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), which includes
Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. This group is Botswana’s chief
trading partner for imports. The United Kingdom is its chief trading partner for
exports.
D | Transportation and Communications |
Despite being thinly settled and covering
an area nearly the size of Texas, Botswana has developed good transportation and
communications. A paved highway connects the major cities, and the
Trans-Kalahari highway crosses the country and links it to the port of Walvis
Bay in Namibia. Botswana has about 24,455 km (about 15,196 mi) of roads and 888
km (552 mi) of railroads. Air Botswana links major domestic communities and has
regularly scheduled flights to foreign cities.
The only daily newspaper, the Botswana
Daily News, is published by the government, but a number of independent
newspapers are published weekly. Radio Botswana, which is also
government-controlled, broadcasts in English and Setswana from Gaborone. A
national television station began broadcasting in 2000. Two commercial radio
networks are also in operation.
V | GOVERNMENT OF BOTSWANA |
Botswana is a multiparty democracy. The
country has a president as head of state and head of the government. The
president is elected to a five-year term by Botswana’s legislature, called the
National Assembly, after legislative elections. The president may serve a
maximum of two consecutive terms. A cabinet assists the president. The president
selects members of the cabinet, including the country’s vice president, from the
National Assembly. The country is governed under a constitution promulgated in
1965.
The National Assembly consists of 57 members
chosen in general elections held at least every five years, four specially
elected members, the speaker, and the attorney general, who may not vote. The
House of Chiefs, with 15 members (including the chiefs of the eight principal
Tswana groups), is an advisory body that must be consulted on all tribal matters
and on constitutional changes. The leading political party is the Botswana
Democratic Party. The judicial system includes magistrates’ courts and the High
Court. Appeals in both civil and criminal cases are carried to the Court of
Appeal.
VI | HISTORY OF BOTSWANA |
The early history of the Tswana is shrouded
in legend. The Tswana generally accept the tradition that their principal tribes
are descended from a people ruled by a chief named Masilo, who lived around the
middle of the 17th century. One of his two sons, Malope, was the father of three
sons, Kwena, Ngwato, and Ngwaketse, each of whom gave his name to one of the
tribes of present-day Botswana.
A | Tswana, Afrikaners, and Missionaries |
The Tswana migrated to the region that is
now Botswana by 1800 and by the middle of the 1800s had displaced the original
San inhabitants. In the early 1800s much of southern Africa was in a state of
confusion because of expansion by the Zulu under the warrior-chief Shaka and by
the Ndebele, a Zulu offshoot, under the leadership of Mzilikazi. In 1820
Scottish missionary Robert Moffat established a Christian mission among the
Tswana at Kuruman, in an area that is now part of South Africa.
The period between 1820 and 1870 was a
time of intertribal fighting and conflict with Afrikaners, or Boers. The Boers
resented the growing British influence in southern Africa and began a trek
inland, where they sought to take over land. Only a few Tswana groups were able
to resist attack. In the meantime David Livingstone, another missionary from
Scotland, established a mission among the Bakwena, many of whom were converted
to Christianity.
B | Bechuanaland |
Khama III, who had converted to
Christianity in 1862, became chief of the Ngwato people in 1875. By then
relations had become increasingly embittered between the Tswana and the
Afrikaners. In 1876 Chief Khama urged the British high commissioner for South
Africa to take his people under British protection. Not until 1885, with the
agreement of all the principal Tswana chiefs, was the territory of the Tswana
proclaimed a British protectorate called Bechuanaland.
Official British policy called for respect
for African law and custom. In 1895 the British government favored handing over
administration of Bechuanaland to the British South Africa Company, a private
enterprise run by British financier Cecil Rhodes. The Tswana feared the
consequences and Chief Khama and two other chiefs went to England to protest the
proposed transfer. Britain then agreed to continue administering the
protectorate of Bechuanaland. In return, the chiefs gave up a strip of land on
the eastern side of the protectorate for the construction of a railroad.
Although the British high commissioner in
South Africa remained responsible for the administration of Bechuanaland until
1964, the actual administrator was a resident commissioner stationed in Mafeking
(now Mafikeng) in South Africa. For some years after 1891, British
administration involved little more than protecting the territory from other
foreign powers. Internal affairs were left in the hands of traditional
officials, such as the chiefs. By 1934 changing conditions and African demands
for better services required the extension of central government
responsibilities.
C | Toward Independence |
With the establishment of the African
Advisory Council in 1920, the British allowed the Tswana to participate in the
political institutions of Bechuanaland. In 1950 a Joint Advisory Council was set
up giving Africans more influence. In 1959 a constitutional committee of the
Joint Advisory Council formulated proposals for the creation of a Legislative
Council. These were accepted by the British government, and in 1960 Bechuanaland
received its first constitutions. In the elections for the Legislative Council
in 1961, the largest share of the votes for African members was received by
Seretse Khama, the grandson of Chief Khama III. In 1965 a constitution providing
for ministerial government was introduced. Under the name Botswana, the country
was proclaimed independent on September 30, 1966.
D | Botswana Since Independence |
Khama became the country’s first president
in 1966 and was knighted by the British the same year. The Botswana Democratic
Party (BDP), founded and led by Seretse Khama, won large majorities in elections
held in 1969, 1974, and 1979. The principal opposition party was the more
radical Botswana National Front (BNF). When Khama died in 1980, he was succeeded
by his vice president, Quett Ketumile Joni Masire. Masire and his BDP easily
retained power in the 1984, 1989, and 1994 elections. After Masire retired in
1998, he was succeeded by his vice president, Festus Mogae, who won election in
1999 and 2004. In 2008 Seretse Khama Ian Khama, son of Seretse Khama, became
president of Botswana.
Since independence, Botswana has
maintained the longest continuous multiparty democracy in Africa. Botswana has
taken a nonaligned stance in foreign affairs. While it opposed the former racial
policies of neighboring South Africa, Botswana, out of economic necessity,
maintained close ties with that country. Botswana is the headquarters of the
Southern African Development Community (SADC), a group that promotes economic
growth, and has been a significant contributor to international peacekeeping
forces in various war-torn sectors of Africa.
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