1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
569,800 km2; about 6% arable, less than 1% under cultivation, mostly desert
Land boundaries
3,774 km
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
94% Tswana, 5% Bushmen, 1% European
Labor force
78,000 formal sector employees; most others are engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture; 40,000 or over one-half of formal sector employees spend at least six to nine months per year as wage earners in South Africa (1978)
Language
Tswana vernacular
Literacy
about 22% in English; about 32% in Tswana; less than 1% secondary school graduates
Nationality
noun—Motswana (sing.), Batswana (pl.); adjective—Botswana
Organized labor
eight trade unions organized with a total membership of approximately 9,000 (1972 est.)
Population
975,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 4.6%
Religion
85% animist, 15% Christian
Government
Branches
executive—President appoints and presides over the Cabinet, which is responsible to Legislative Assembly; legislative—Legislative Assembly with 32 popularly elected members and four members elected by the 32 representatives, House of Chiefs with deliberative powers only; judicial—local courts administer customary law, High Court and subordinate courts have criminal jurisdiction over all residents, Court of Appeal has appellate jurisdiction
Capital
Gaborone
Communists
no known Communist organization; Koma of BNF has long history of Communist contacts
Elections
general elections held 20 October 1979 Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Quett Masire; Botswana National Front (BNF), Kenneth Koma; Botswana People's Party (BPP); Botswana Independence Party (BIP), Motsamai Mpho
Government leaders
President Dr. Qiiett K. J. MASIRE; Vice President Lenyeletse M. SERETSE
Legal system
based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; constitution came into effect 1966; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; legal education at University of Botswana and Swaziland (two and one-half years) and University of Edinburgh (two years); has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
AFDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
30 September
Official name
Republic of Botswana
Political subdivisions
12 administrative districts
Suffrage
universal, age 21 and over
Type
parliamentary republic; independent member of Commonwealth since 1966
Voting strength
(October 1979 election) BDP (29 seats); BPP (1 seat); BNF (2 seats); BIP (no seats)
Economy
Agriculture
principal crops are corn and sorghum; livestock raised and exported
Budget
(1981) revenues $252.4 million, current expenditures $247.4 million, development expenditures $150.0 million
Electric power
75,000 kW capacity (1977); 85 million k Wh produced (1977), 120 k Wh per capita
Exports
$478.4 million (f.o.b., 1980); diamonds, cattle, animal products, copper, nickel
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$856.3 million; growth in constant prices, 11.0% in FY79/80, 5% in 1977
Imports
$643.9 million (c.i.f., 1980); foodstuffs, vehicles, textiles, petroleum products
Major industries
livestock processing, mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, and coal
Major trade partners
South Africa and UK
Monetary conversion rate
1 pula=about US$1.23 (1981)
Communications
Airfields
78 total, 67 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
5 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in
Highways
10,784 km total; 1,105 km paved; 1,465 km crushed stone or gravel; 5,177 km improved earth and 3,037 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
native craft only; of local importance
Railroads
726 km 1.067-meter gauge
Telecommunications
the small system is a combination of open-wire lines, radio-relay links, and a few radiocommunication stations; 11,700 telephones (1.5 per 100 popl.); 5 AM, 1 FM, and 2 TV stations; INTELSAT satellite ground station
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 March 1982, $28.7 million; 4.6% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 177,000; 94,000 fit for military service; 9,000 reach military age (18) annually