Republic of Botswana
President: Festus Mogae (1998)
Land area: 226,012 sq mi (585,371 sq km); total area: 231,803 sq mi (600,370 sq km)|
Population (2007 est.): 1,639,131 (growth rate: 0.0%); birth rate: 22.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 53.0/1000; life expectancy: 33.7; density per sq mi: 7
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Gaborone, 195,000
Monetary unit: Pula
Languages: English 2% (official), Setswana 78%, Kalanga 8%, Sekgalagadi 3%, other (2001)
Ethnicity/race: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other (including Kgalagadi and white) 7%
Religions: Christian 72%, Badimo 6%, none 21% (2001)
Literacy rate: 80% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $16.48 billion; per capita $10,000. Real growth rate: 3.3%. Inflation: 8.3%. Unemployment: 23.8% (2004). Arable land: 1%. Agriculture: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts.
Labor force: 288,400 formal sector employees (2004); agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a..
Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles.
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver.
Exports: $3.68 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles.
Imports: $3.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products. Major trading partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Zimbabwe (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 142,400 (2002); mobile cellular: 435,000 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001). Internet hosts: 1,920 (2003). Internet users: 60,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 888 km (2004). Highways: total: 10,217 km; paved: 5,619 km; unpaved: 4,598 km (1999). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 85 (2004 est.).
International disputes: commission established with Namibia has yet 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 has built electric fences to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans who flee to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has long supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing their short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary.

Geography

Twice the size of Arizona, Botswana is in south-central Africa, bounded by Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Most of the country is near-desert, with the Kalahari occupying the western part of the country. The eastern part is hilly, with salt lakes in the north.

Government

Parliamentary republic.

History

The earliest inhabitants of the region were the San, who were followed by the Tswana. About half the country today is ethnic Tswana. The term for the country's people, Batswana, refers to national rather than ethnic origin.
Encroachment by the Zulu in the 1820s and by Boers from Transvaal in the 1870s and 1880s threatened the peace of the region. In 1885, Britain established the area as a protectorate, then known as Bechuanaland. In 1961, Britain granted a constitution to the country. Self-government began in 1965, and on Sept. 30, 1966, the country became independent. Botswana is Africa's oldest democracy.
The new country maintained good relations with its white-ruled neighbors but gradually changed its policies, harboring rebel groups from South Rhodesia as well as some from South Africa.
Although Botswana is rich in diamonds, it has high unemployment and stratified socioeconomic classes. In 1999 it suffered its first budget deficit in 16 years because of a slump in the international diamond market. Yet it remains one of the wealthiest as well as most stable countries on the continent.
After 17 years in power, President Ketumile Masire retired in 1997, and Festus Mogae, an Oxford-educated economist, became the new president. Mogae has won high marks from the international financial community for continuing to privatize Botswana's mining and industrial operations.
Although Botswana's economic outlook remains strong, the devastation that AIDS has caused threatens to destroy the country's future. In 2001, Botswana had the highest rate of HIV infection in the world (350,000 of its 1.6 million people). With the help of international donors, however, it launched an ambitious national campaign that provided free antiviral drugs to anyone who needed them, and by March 2004, Botswana's infection rate had dropped significantly. But with 37.5% of the population infected, the country remains on the brink of catastrophe. President Mogae won a second and final four-year term in Oct. 2004.

Botswana Travel Guide
Botswana is a vast land, highly prized for its safaris and game. Indeed, Botswana is a country that you feel is keen to conserve what makes it beautiful and utilise its assets. Astonishingly, around 17% of the country is designated national park, and when Botswana's huge private concessions are also toted up, the figure swells to a proud 40%. This explains why, in some parts, there are nearly as many tourists craning their necks out of jeeps as there is roving game.
Furthermore, Botswana has ensured that its spectacular Delta region has been well-developed touristically, with its impressive lagoons crammed with hovering birdlife, and elephants, giraffes and other exotic animals that amble through its vast grass flats. Incidentally, this is the largest inland delta in the world, which explains its wealth of wildlife. It is almost enough to make you forget that most of Botswana is given over to desert.

Botswana was also once an economic wasteland. The country gained independence in 1966, having been a British Protectorate, and at this time it was amongst the poorest nations in the world. Nature was then kind to Botswana, when once again natural assets became apparent, ready to be exploited. The government discovered diamonds and Botswana has enjoyed a growth rate that still continues to soar, especially when put into a context with much of the rest of Africa.
Despite this success story, Botswana is afflicted by controversy. There have been claims that parts of the Kalahari Desert Region have been closed at the expense of the world's last few remaining ancient people, the Bushmen, who roam this area. The Bushmen's previously nomadic lifestyle has mostly been quashed and they now reside in settlements. There is also the HIV/AIDS pandemic to contend with – Botswana's infection rate is amongst the world's highest, with 20% of the country's population being estimated to have contracted the virus.
Having a sundowner, unwinding in the glare of a sunset and hearing the sounds of singing birds and roaming game, it is easy to forget global troubles. Botswana is both a country to relax in and a country to have adventure in.

When to Go
Autumn and winter (April through August) are good times to visit Botswana, as the days are generally pleasant and the wildlife never wanders far from water sources. Bear in mind, however, that this is also the time of European, North American and South African school holidays, so things can get a bit crowded. In general, June, early July and mid to late September are the least crowded times to visit. Summer isn't the best time to hit the back roads, enjoy wildlife viewing or explore the Okavango, as prolonged rains may render sandy roads uncrossable, and animals disperse when water is abundant. From December to March it is very difficult to get around Chobe and Moremi national parks due to heavy rains, and many lodges actually close.

Weather
Although it straddles the Tropic of Capricorn, Botswana experiences extremes in temperature. Days are normally clear, warm and sunny, but nights range from cool to bitterly cold in autumn and winter which runs from March to August.
With the Kalahari Desert cleaving through most of Botswana, the northern and eastern outskirts of the country offer the friendliest climates. Most of the year in these parts sees maximum temperatures range between 25°C (77°F) and 32°C (90°F) except for a slight drop during the more chilly months of May to September. Days are normally clear, warm and sunny, but nights range from cool to bitterly cold. The heat and humidity from October to April can become quite uncomfortable during this moderate rainy season.
Botswana is primarily a dry country, but a summer rainy season lasts roughly from November to March. From late May to August, rain is rare anywhere in the country.

Sights
Nata Bird Sanctuary
This 230 sq km (89 sq mi) community-run wildlife sanctuary was proposed in 1988 by the Nata Conservation Committee and established four years later with the help of several local and international NGOs. Local people voluntarily relocated 3500 cattle and established a network of tracks throughout the northeastern end of Sowa Pan.
Although the sanctuary protects antelopes, zebras, jackals, foxes, monkeys and squirrels, the principal draw is the large population of water birds. Over 165 species of birds have been recorded here, including pied kingfishers, carmine and blue-cheeked bee-eaters, martial and black-breasted eagles, and secretary and kori bustards. When the Nata River flows in the rainy season, the sanctuary also becomes a haven for Cape and Hottentot teals, white and pink-backed pelicans, and greater and lesser flamingos. Visitors should pick up a copy of the Comprehensive Bird List & Introductory Guide from the reception office at the entrance.
In the dry season (May to October), it's possible to drive around the sanctuary in a 2WD with high clearance, though it's best to inquire about the condition of the tracks in the sanctuary prior to entering. During the rainy season, however, a 4WD is essential.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve
Mokolodi Nature Reserve is home to giraffes, elephants, zebras, baboons, warthogs, hippos, kudu, impala, waterbucks and klipspringers. The reserve also protects a few retired cheetahs, leopards, honey badgers, jackals and hyenas, as well as over 300 different species of birds.
Mokolodi also operates a research facility, a breeding centre for rare and endangered species, a community education centre and a sanctuary for orphaned, injured or confiscated birds and animals. They also accept volunteers, though an application must be submitted prior to arrival, and a maintenance fee is levied according to the length of the programme.
The reserve is also home to the well-reviewed Mokolodi Restaurant, which features cuts of all those tasty animals you've been tracking all day. Even if you're self-catering, the outdoor bar is perfect for a sundowner or two.

Matsieng Rock Carvings
The Batswana people regard this spot as one of the four 'creation sites'. According to legend, the footprint and rock carvings belonged to Matsieng, who marched out of a hole followed by wild and domestic animals. There is a small information board at the gate and, on the other side of the fence from the car park, a tiny room with some explanations. The site lies at the end of a well-signed 1km-long (0.6mi) 2WD track that starts about 6km (3.7mi) north of Pilane.

Getting There
Although international flights arrive in Gaborone, courtesy of South African Airways and British Airways, it's usually cheaper to do your long-haul flying to Windhoek (Namibia) or Johannesburg (South Africa), then travel overland. You can enter overland from all of Botswana's neighbours, though you'll have to put your car tyres and your shoes through cattle-dip (to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease) before Botswana will let you in. The Trans-Namib bus runs between Ghanzi and Gobabis (Namibia) although it's not always reliable. Buses and Minibuses run between Gaborone and Johannesburg as does the luxury coach service, Intercape Mainliner. Buses to Zimbabwe include the Gaborone to Francistown, Bulawayo and Harare service and the Kasane to Victoria Falls service, although these services are prone to disruption due to flaring upheaval in Zimbabwe. The bus line between Livingstone (Zambia), Victoria Falls and Windhoek passes through Kasane. To get to Zambia otherwise, you need to catch the Kazunguka ferry over the Zambezi River.

Getting Around
Air Botswana flights are scheduled regularly between Botswana's four major cities, but fares are expensive. Botswana has six major bus routes and a good train line running through Francistown, Gaborone and Lobatse, with service that's reliable and inexpensive. Overall, however, Botswana's public transport is a joke, and - though it's never entirely safe - this is one country where hitchhiking is an accepted way to get around. The practice of hitching is so institutionalised that it carries a set charge - about US$0.05 per 10km (6mi). If you're hitching the back roads, (which isn't really advisable due to such light traffic) make sure you've got camping gear and enough food and water to keep you going for several days of waiting.