Published on March 17, 2010

Country Report

Botswana

Introduction

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.

Geography

Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E

Area:
total: 581,730 sq km
land: 566,730 sq km
water: 15,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

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

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

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

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

Land use:
arable land: 0.65%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99.34% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 14.7 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.19 cu km/yr (41%/18%/41%)
per capita: 107 cu m/yr (2000)

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

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

Geography - note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

People

Population:
1,990,876
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.8% (male 352,399/female 340,058)
15-64 years: 61.4% (male 613,714/female 608,003)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 31,155/female 45,547) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.7 years
male: 21.5 years
female: 21.9 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.937% (2009 est.)

Birth rate: 22.89 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death rate: 8.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net migration rate:
5 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)

Urbanization:
urban population: 60% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.59 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.85 years
male: 61.72 years
female: 61.99 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 23.9% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 300,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 11,000 (2007 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2009)

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

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

Religions: Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)

Languages: Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81.2%
male: 80.4%
female: 81.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures: 8.7% of GDP (2007)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana
local long form: Republic of Botswana
local short form: Botswana
former: Bechuanaland

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital:
name: Gaborone
geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern

Independence: 30 September 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)

Constitution: March 1965; effective 30 September 1966

Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 ex-officio members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 53.3%, BNF 21.9%, BCP 19.2%, 2.3%, other 4.3%; seats by party - BDP 45, BNF 6, BCP 4, BAM 1, other 1

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

Political parties and leaders:
Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Gilson SALESHANDO]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Daniel KWELAGOBE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP [Bernard BALIKANI]; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS [Themba JOINA]; New Democratic Front or NDF [Dick BAYFORD]
note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
First People of the Kalahari (Bushman organization); Pitso Ya Ba Tswana; Society for the Promotion of Ikalanga Language (Kalanga elites)
other: diamond mining companies

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen J. NOLAN
embassy: Embassy Enclave (off Khama Crescent), Gaborone
mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone: [267] 395-3982
FAX: [267] 395-6947

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

Economy

Economy - overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth fell below 5% in 2007-08, and turned sharply negative in 2009, with industry falling nearly 30%. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $14,100 in 2008. 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, 70-80% of export earnings, and about half of the government's revenues. Botswana's heavy reliance on a single luxury export was a critical factor in the sharp economic contraction of 2009. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. Although unemployment was 7.5% in 2007 according to official reports, unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production within the next two decades overshadows long-term prospects.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$24.14 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate): $10.81 billion (2009 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -12% (2009 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,100 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.6%
industry: 52.6% (including 36% mining)
services: 45.8% (2008 est.)

Labor force: 685,300 formal sector employees (2007)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line: 30.3% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 63 (1993)

Investment (gross fixed): 26.7% of GDP (2009 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.675 billion
expenditures: $3.868 billion (2009 est.)

Public debt: 17.9% of GDP (2009 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.3% (2009 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 15% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 16.54% (31 December 2008)

Stock of money: $1.008 billion (31 December 2008)

Stock of quasi money: $4.183 billion (31 December 2008)

Stock of domestic credit: $NA (31 December 2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $3.556 billion (31 December 2008)

Agriculture - products: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts

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

Industrial production growth rate: -28.5% (2009 est.)

Electricity - production: 1.052 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption: 2.648 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports: 2.181 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption: 15,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports: 15,180 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves: 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

Current account balance: -$621 million (2009 est.)

Exports: $2.963 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles

Imports: $3.671 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $9.575 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Debt - external: $1.651 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Exchange rates: pulas (BWP) per US dollar - 7.4632 (2009), 6.7907 (2008), 6.2035 (2007), 5.8447 (2006), 5.1104 (2005)

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 142,300 (2008)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.486 million (2008)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile-cellular service and participation in regional development; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east; fixed-line connections declined in recent years and now stand at roughly 8 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 80 per 100 persons
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; international calls are made via satellite, using international direct dialing; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1 state-owned, 1 private)

Internet country code: .bw

Internet hosts: 7,341 (2009)

Internet users: 120,000 (2008)

Transportation

Airports: 77 (2009)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 68
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 54
under 914 m: 10 (2009)

Railways:
total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)

Roadways:
total: 25,798 km
paved: 8,410 km
unpaved: 17,388 km (2005)

Military

Military branches: Botswana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Air Arm (2010)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 487,853
females age 16-49: 464,278 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 341,190
females age 16-49: 315,588 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 23,420
female: 22,904 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and 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 at Kazungula crossing, thereby de facto recognizing the short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary