2000 Edition

Background

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy, closely tied to South Africa's, is dominated by cattle raising and mining.

Area

land

585,370 sq km

total

600,370 sq km

water

15,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas

Climate

semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

lowest point

junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m

Environment - current issues

overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

22 00 S, 24 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

Irrigated land

20 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km

total

4,013 km

Land use

arable land

1%

forests and woodland

47%

other

6% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent pastures

46%

Location

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Age structure

0-14 years: 41% (male 321,766; female 318,304) 15-64 years: 55% (male 417,734; female 453,947) 65 years and over: 4% (male 26,436; female 38,283) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

29.63 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

22.08 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Batswana 95%, Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi 4%, white 1%

Infant mortality rate

61.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

English (official), Setswana

Life expectancy at birth

female

39.93 years (2000 est.)

male

38.63 years

total population

39.27 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

59.9% (1995 est.)

male

80.5%

total population

69.8%

Nationality

adjective

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

noun

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

1,576,470

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 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.76% (2000 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.8 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

10 districts and four town councils*; Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Pikwe*, South-East, Southern

Capital

Gaborone

Constitution

March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Botswana

conventional short form

Botswana

former

Bechuanaland

Data code

BC

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador John E. LANGE

embassy

address NA, Gaborone

mailing address

P. O. Box 90, Gaborone

telephone

353982

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV

telephone

(202) 244-4990

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; vice president KHAMA is on a one-year leave of absence, effective 1 January 2000, but retains the title of vice president

election results

Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 61.3%

elections

president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president

head of government

President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; vice president KHAMA is on a one-year leave of absence, effective 1 January 2000, but retains the title of vice president

FAX

(202) 244-4164

356947

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

30 September 1966 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

High Court; Court of Appeal

Legal system

based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected by the other 12) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - BDP 61.3%, other 38.7%; seats by party - BDP 33, other 7

elections

National Assembly - elections last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 September (1966)

Political parties and leaders

Botswana Democratic Party or BDP ; Botswana National Front or BNF ; Botswana Congress Party or BCP ; Botswana People's Party or BPP

note

main parties are: BDP, BNF, BCP; other minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Kenneth KOMA, chairman] but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM

parties are

the United Action Party , the Social Democratic Union, the Independence Freedom Party [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sorghum, corn, millet, pulses, groundnuts (peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $560 million (FY96/97)

revenues

$1.6 billion

Currency

1 pula (P) = 100 thebe

Debt - external

$651 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$73 million (1995)

Economy - overview

Agriculture still provides a livelihood for more than 80% of the population but supplies only about 50% of food needs and accounts for only 3% of GDP. Subsistence farming and cattle raising predominate. The sector is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. Diamond mining and tourism also are important to the economy. Substantial mineral deposits were found in the 1970s and the mining sector grew from 25% of GDP in 1980 to 38% in 1998. Unemployment officially is 21% but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. The Orapa 2000 project, which will double the capacity of the country's main diamond mine, will be finished in early 2000. This will be the main force behind continued economic expansion.

Electricity - consumption

1.619 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

689 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

1 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

pulas (P) per US$1 - 4.6168 (January 2000), 4.6244 (1999), 4.2259 (1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (1996), 2.7722 (1995)

Exports

$2.36 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

diamonds 72%, vehicles, copper, nickel, meat (1998)

Exports - partners

EU 74%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 21%, Zimbabwe 3% (1996)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $5.7 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

4%

industry

46% (including 36% mining)

services

50% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,900 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$2.05 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum products

Imports - partners

Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 78%, Europe 8%, Zimbabwe 6% (1996)

Industrial production growth rate

4.6% (FY92/93)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7.7% (1999 est.)

Labor force

235,000 formal sector employees (1995)

Labor force - by occupation

100,000 public sector; 135,000 private sector, including 14,300 who are employed in various mines in South Africa; most others engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1995 est.)

Population below poverty line

47% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate

20%-40% (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 15, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios

237,000 (1997)

Telephone system

sparse system

domestic

small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations

international

two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

78,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

0 (1997)

Televisions

31,000 (1997)

Airports

92 (1999 est.)

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 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

82 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 57 under 914 m: 21 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

4,343 km

total

18,482 km

unpaved

14,139 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors

none

Railways

narrow gauge

971 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)

total

971 km

Military branches

Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$61 million (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.2% (FY99/00)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 373,990 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 196,572 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

19,132 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

dispute with Namibia over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River resolved by the ICJ in favor of Botswana (13 December 1999); at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested

BOUVET ISLAND