1985 Edition

Agriculture

principal crops are corn, sorghum, millet, cowpeas; livestock raised and exported; heavy dependence on imported food

Airfields

103 total, 95 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 24 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

executive- — President appoints and presides over the Cabinet, which is responsible to National Assembly; bicameral legislature (National Assembly with 34 popularly elected members and four members elected by the 34 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

Army, Air Wing, Botswana Police

Budget

(FY83/84 est.) revenues $420 million, expenditures $460 million

Capital

Gaborone

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

Communists

no known Communist organization; Koma of BNF has long history of Communist contacts

Elections

general elections held 8 September 1984 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

Electric power

105,000 kW capacity (1984); 651 million kWh produced (1984), 627 kWh per capita

Exports

$640 million (f.o.b. 1983); diamonds, cattle, animal products, copper, nickel

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

GDP

$722 million (1982); average annual real growth, 9.7% during 1976-82, 0% in FY81/82 •

Government leader

Dr. Quett K. J. MASIRE, President (since July 1980)

Highways

1 1,500 km total; 1,600 km paved; 1,700 km crushed stone or gravel; 5,177 km improved earth and 3,037 km unimproved earth

Imports

$740 million (c.i.f., 1983); foodstuffs, vehicles, textiles, petroleum products

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

Major industries

livestock processing; mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash; tourism

Major trade partners

Switzerland, US, UK, other EC members of Southern African Customs Union

Member of

Af DB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 March 1982, $26.6 million; 5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 204,000; 108,000 fit for military service; 12,000 reach military age (18) annually

Monetary conversion rate

1.39 pula=US$l (5 September 1984)

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 September

Official name

Republic of Botswana

Political subdivisions

12 administrative districts

Railroads

726 km 1.067-meter gauge

Suffrage

universal adult at age 21

Telecommunications

the small system is a combination of open-wire lines, radio-relay links, and a few radiocommunication stations; 16,700 telephones (1.8 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean satellite ground station Defense Forces

Type

parliamentary republic; independent member of Commonwealth

Voting strength

(September 1984 election) Legislative Assembly— BDP, 28 seats; BNF, 5 seats; BPP, 1 seat