Botswana

Internet country code

.bw

Internet hosts

1,920 (2003)

Internet users

60,000 (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: country code - 267; two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

142,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

435,000 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2001)

Agriculture - products

livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts

Budget

revenues: $3.263 billion expenditures: $3.283 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)

Currency

pula (BWP)

Currency code

BWP

Current account balance

$539 million (2003)

Debt - external

$392 million (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

$73 million (1995)

Economy - overview

Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $8,800 in 2003. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for nine-tenths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. Long-term prospects are overshadowed by the expected leveling off in diamond mining production.

Electricity - consumption

1.564 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

1.183 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

409.8 million kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

pulas per US dollar - 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001), 5.1018 (2000), 4.6244 (1999)

Exports

$2.544 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles

Exports - partners

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $14.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 4% industry: 48.7% (including 36% mining) services: 52% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

7.2% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$1.753 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products

Imports - partners

Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)

Industrial production growth rate

7.3% (2003 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

23.9% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

264,000 formal sector employees (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

NA

Oil - consumption

16,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

47% (2002 est.)

Public debt

7% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$5.25 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.)

Area

total: 600,370 sq km land: 585,370 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

lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

Environment - current issues

overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km

Land use

arable land: 0.65% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.34% (2001)

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

Administrative divisions

9 districts and four town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northwest, Northeast, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern

Capital

Gaborone

Constitution

March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGINS embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164

Executive branch

chief of state: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president 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 election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3%

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, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch

High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)

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 members) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 are appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held NA October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1

National holiday

Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)

Political parties and leaders

Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Seretse Ian KHAMA]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Mokgweetsi KGOSIPULA]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO] note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.

Military branches

Botswana Defense Force (including an Air Wing)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$298.9 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3.6% (2003)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 381,801 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 202,176 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 20,651 (2004 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.2% (male 310,282; female 302,452) 15-64 years: 56.2% (male 424,613; female 452,801) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 30,896; female 40,929) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

24.71 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

33.63 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

37.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

33,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

350,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 69.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

English (official), Setswana

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 30.76 years male: 30.99 years female: 30.53 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.8% male: 76.9% female: 82.4% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 19.2 years male: 18.5 years female: 19.9 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

1,561,973 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 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.89% (2004 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

established a commission with Namibia to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls); Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundary convergence is not clearly defined or delimited

Airports

85 (2003 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 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 54 under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 10,217 km paved: 5,619 km unpaved: 4,598 km (1999)

Ports and harbors

none

Railways

total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)