Portal:Botswana

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Coat of Arms of Botswana	Flag of Botswana

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Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 per cent of its territory being the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north and Zimbabwe to the northeast. Being a country of slightly over 2.4 million people and roughly the size of France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, who constitute 70 per cent of the population.

The Tswana ethnic group were descended mainly from Bantu-speaking tribes who migrated southward of Africa to modern Botswana around AD 600. In 1885, the British colonised the area and declared a protectorate named Bechuanaland. As decolonisation occurred, Bechuanaland became an independent Commonwealth republic under its current name on 30 September 1966. Since then, it has been a parliamentary republic with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections, though as of 2024 the Botswana Democratic Party has been the ruling party since independence. , Botswana is the third least corrupt country in Africa, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

The economy is dominated by mining and tourism. Botswana has a GDP (purchasing power parity) per capita of about $20,158 . Botswana is the world's biggest diamond-producing country. Its relatively high gross national income per capita (by some estimates the fourth-largest in Africa) gives the country a relatively high standard of living and the second-highest Human Development Index of continental Sub-Saharan Africa (after South Africa). Botswana is a member of the Southern African Customs Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations. (Full article...)

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The pula (also known as the Botswana dollar) is the currency of Botswana. It has the ISO 4217 code BWP and is subdivided into 100 thebe. Pula literally means "rain" in Setswana, because rain is very scarce in Botswana—home to much of the Kalahari Desert—and therefore valuable and a blessing. The word also serves as the national motto of the country.

A sub-unit of the currency is known as thebe, or "shield", and represents defence. The names were picked with the help of the public. (Full article...)

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... that according to government records in 2006, more than a third of the total number of Chinese residents in Botswana worked in the construction business?

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The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), also called the small-spotted cat, is the smallest wild cat in Africa, having a head-and-body length of 35–52 cm (14–20 in). Despite its name, only the soles of its feet are black or dark brown. With its bold small spots and stripes on the tawny fur, it is well camouflaged, especially on moonlit nights. It bears black streaks running from the corners of the eyes along the cheeks, and its banded tail has a black tip.

The first black-footed cat known to science was discovered in the northern Karoo of South Africa and described in 1824. It is endemic to the arid steppes and grassland savannas of Southern Africa. It was recorded in southern Botswana, but only a few authentic records exist in Namibia, in southern Angola and in southern Zimbabwe. Due to its restricted distribution, it has been listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2002. The population is suspected to be declining due to poaching of prey species for human consumption as bushmeat, persecution, traffic accidents, and predation by herding dogs. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Botswana-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 2BR Express, the passenger train (from Francistown)
Image 3Tourist resort at Kasane (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 4New CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 5Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 6CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 7Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 8Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 9Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 10Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 11Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 12I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)
Image 13Kombi (Minibus taxi) (from Gaborone)
Image 14Tswana Baskets (from Tswana people)
Image 15Satellite View of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image. (from Gaborone)
Image 16Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)
Image 17Christ The King Cathedral (from Gaborone)
Image 18New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 19Botswana Traditional House at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 20A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 21Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 22Graduation daggers that were given to Tswana Fighting Regiments (from Tswana people)
Image 23The Jwaneng diamond mine is the second biggest in the world today. (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 24Francistown Bus Terminal (from Francistown)
Image 25Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 26St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 27GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 28Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 29Man on donkey herding goats in a dry river bed (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 30Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene
Image 31Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 32Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 33A road in Gaborone (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 34An 1865 portrait of Kgosi Sechele I in Ntsweng Bechuanaland (from Tswana people)
Image 35Madila sour cultured milk (from Tswana people)
Image 36Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 37Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 38Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 39Batswana Men dressed in traditional attire in 1946 (from Tswana people)
Image 40SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 41Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 42Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 43Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 44Botswana Traditional Baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 45CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 46Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 47Rail network map of Botswana (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 48I-Towers, Gaborone Central Business District (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 49View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) (from Gaborone)
Image 50Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 51Orapa House (from Gaborone)