Botswana

Republic of Botswana

parliamentary republicIndependence 30 September 1966 (from UK)

Botswana as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 102 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalGaborone

Position22 00 S, 24 00 E

Area600,370 sq km

LocationSouthern Africa, north of South Africa

Populationas each edition published it

1.46 million July 1999 est. · 1.22m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.05% 1999 est. · 2.53% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 19.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

39.89 years 1999 est. · 62.54 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.91 children per woman 1999 est. · 4.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

59.08 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 43 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,600 1998 est. · $2,450 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3% 1998 est. · 5.8% in 1993

Geography

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

18 fields

Land useshare of 600,370 sq km

arable land 1%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 46%forests and woodland 47%other 6% (1993 est.)irrigated 20 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

600,370sq km

land: 585,370 sq kmwater: 15,000 sq kmslightly smaller than Texas

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Highest point

1,489m

Tsodilo Hillslowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m

Land boundaries

4,013km

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

Terrain

predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Natural resources

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

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

Geography--note

landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

People

15 fields

Population

1,464,167

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 1.05% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

31.46Death

21Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)39.89

39.42 · 40.37

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)69.8%

80.5% · 59.9%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Age structure

0-14 years:: 42% (male 310,578; female 303,495)
15-64 years:: 54% (male 379,836; female 416,073)
65 years and over:: 4% (male 20,224; female 33,961) (1999 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

59.08 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

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

Government

Parliamentary republic; President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998)

18 fields

Legislature, 40 seatsone dot, one seat

-BDP 27BNF 13

Country name

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

Data code

Government type

parliamentary republic

Capital

Gaborone

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

Independence

30 September 1966 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence 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;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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
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
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections:: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term;
election last held 15 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999);
vice president appointed by the president
election results:: Sir Ketumile MASIRE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote--NA

note: President MASIRE resigned on 31 March 1998; Vice President MOGAE assumed the presidency pending elections to be held in 1999; on 2 April 1998,

Festus MOGAE, then president, designated Seretse Ian KHAMA to be vice president

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)

elections:: National Assembly--elections last held 15 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999)
election results:: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--BDP 27, BNF 13

Judicial branch

High Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

Botswana Democratic Party or BDP

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Archibald Mooketsa MOGWE
chancery:: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Robert C. KRUEGER
embassy:: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address:: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone

Flag description

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

Economy

Agriculture still provides a livelihood for | more than 80% of the population but supplies only about 50% of food | needs and accounts for only 4% of GDP. Subsistence farming and | cattle raising predominate.

31 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$3,600

purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)

Real growth rate

(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 4.6% (FY92/93)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1997 est.)

Labor force

235,000formal sector employees

(1995)

GDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 4%industry 45% (including 35% mining)services 51% (1997 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

21%

Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

78%

74%

Europe

Zimbabwe

Exports $2.25 billion (f.o.b. 1998 est.)Imports $2.43 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)(1996)

Budget

Revenues

$1.6 billionExpenditures

$1.8 billion

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

Electricity

fossil fuel 100%hydro 0% · nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

990 million (1996)Electricity consumption

1.675 billion (1996)Electricity imports

685 million (1996)

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 4% of GDP. Subsistence farming and cattle raising predominate. Diamond mining and tourism also are important to the economy. The sector is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils.

Substantial mineral deposits were found in the 1970s and the mining sector grew from 25% of GDP in 1980 to 35% in 1997. Unemployment officially is 21% but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$5.25 billion (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

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.)

Unemployment rate

20-40% (1997 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture--products

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

Exports

$2.25 billion (f.o.b. 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities

diamonds 76%, copper, nickel 4%, meat (1997)

Imports

$2.43 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities

foodstuffs, vehicles and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum products

Debt--external

$610 million (1997)

Economic aid--recipient

$73 million (1995)

Currency

1 pula (P) = 100 thebe

Exchange rates

pulas (P) per US$1--4.5725 (January 1999), 4.2258 (1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (1996), 2.7722 (1995), 2.6846 (1994)

Fiscal year

1 April--31 March

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

19,109

(1985 est.)

Telephone system

sparse system

domestic:: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations
international:: microwave radio relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 15, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios

Television broadcast stations

0 (1997)

Televisions

13,800 (1993 est.)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 80 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 57

Networkskm

Highways

18,482Railways

971

Highways: paved: 4,343 km · unpaved: 14,139 km (1996 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 971 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)

Railways

total:: 971 km
narrow gauge:: 971 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)

Highways

total:: 18,482 km
paved:: 4,343 km
unpaved:: 14,139 km (1996 est.)

total:: 12
over 3,047 m:: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military expenditures--percent of GDP

1.2%

(FY99/00)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes--international

quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement;
dispute with Namibia over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River is presently at the ICJ;
at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested

Central Intelligence Agency. “Botswana.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/botswana/1999.

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