Botswana

agricultural land:

45.8%;

• arable land 0.6%;
• permanent crops 0%;
• permanent pasture 45.2%

forest:

19.8%

other:

34.4% (2011 est.)

total:

0.19 cu km/yr (42%/19%/39%)

per capita:

107.3 cu m/yr (2005)

• overgrazing;
• desertification;
• limited freshwater resources

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

noun:

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

adjective:

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.14 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.8 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.66 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease:

malaria (2013)

total:

12 years

male:

NA

female:

NA (2008)

total number:

45,036

percentage:

9%

note: data represents children ages 7-17 (2006 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Botswana

conventional short form:

Botswana

local long form:

Republic of Botswana

local short form:

Botswana

former:

Bechuanaland

name:

Gaborone

geographic coordinates:

24 38 S, 25 54 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• previous 1960 (preindependence);
• latest adopted March 1965, effective 30 September 1966;
• amended several times, last in 2006 (2006)

chief of state:

• President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008);
• Vice President Ponatshego KEDIKILWE (since 2 August 2012);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President Ponatshego KEDIKILWE (since 2 August 2012)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 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

description:

• unicameral Parliament consists of the National Assembly (63 seats; 57 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 4 nominated by the president and indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the rest of the National Assembly, and 2 ex-officio members - the president and attorney general; elected members serve 5-year terms);
• note - the House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi), an advisory body to the National Assembly, consists of 35 members - 8 hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes, 22 indirectly elected by the chiefs, and 5 appointed by the president;
• the House of Chiefs consults on issues including powers of chiefs, customary courts, customary law, tribal property, and constitutional amendments

elections:

National Assembly elections last held on 24 October 2014 (next to be held in October 2019)

election results:

percent of vote by party - BDP 46.5%, UDC 30.0%, BCP 20.4%, independents 3.1%; seats by party - BDP 37, UDC 17, BCP 3

highest court(s):

Court of Appeal, High Court (each consists of a chief justice and a number of other judges as prescribed by the Parliament)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal and High Court chief justices appointed by the president and other judges appointed by the president upon the advice of the Judicial Service Commission;
• all judges appointed to serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

• Industrial Court (with circuits scheduled monthly in the capital city and in 3 districts);
• Magistrates Courts (1 in each district);
• Customary Court of Appeal;
• Paramount Chief's Court/Urban Customary Court;
• Senior Chief's Representative Court;
• Chief's Representative’s Court;
• Headman's Court

• Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]
• Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Dumelang SALESHANDO]
• Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Ian KHAMA]
• Botswana Movement for Democracy or BMD [Ndaba GAOLATLHE]
• Botswana National Front or BNF [Duma BOKO]
• Botswana Peoples Party or BPP [Motlatsi MOLAPISI]
• Umbrella for Democratic Change or UDC [Duma BOKO] (includes BMD, BPP, and BNF)

chief of mission:

Ambassador David John NEWMAN (since 3 August 2015)

chancery:

1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 244-4990

FAX:

[1] (202) 244-4164

chief of mission:

Ambassador Earl R. MILLER (since 30 January 2015)

embassy:

Embassy Drive, Government Enclave (off Khama Crescent), Gaborone

mailing address:

Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone

telephone:

[267] 395-3982

FAX:

[267] 318-0232

• light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center;
• the blue symbolizes water in the form of rain, while the black and white bands represent racial harmony

name:

"Fatshe leno la rona" (Our Land)

lyrics/music:

Kgalemang Tumedisco MOTSETE

note: adopted 1966

• diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver;
• livestock processing;
• textiles

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

• Botswana is participating in regional development efforts;
• expanding fully digital system with fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east as well as a system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relays links, and radiotelephone communication stations

domestic:

• fixed-line teledensity has declined in recent years and now stands at roughly 7 telephones per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular teledensity now pushing 140 telephones per 100 persons

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) (2011)

• 2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately owned;
• privately owned satellite TV subscription service is available;
• 2 state-owned national radio stations;
• 3 privately owned radio stations broadcast locally (2007)

total:

888 km

narrow gauge:

888 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 93

males age 16-49:

557,647

females age 16-49:

531,095 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

340,949

females age 16-49:

302,332 (2010 est.)

male:

23,649

female:

23,063 (2010 est.)

currrent situation:

• Botswana is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
• young Batswana serving as domestic workers, sometimes sent by their parents, may be denied education and basic necessities or experience confinement and abuse indicative of forced labor;
• adults and children of San ethnicity were reported to be in forced labor on farms and at cattle posts;
• Batswana girls also are forced into prostitution domestically;
• undocumented Asian workers may be vulnerable to forced labor due to the threat of deportation

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Botswana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• nevertheless, authorities did not increase anti-trafficking efforts in 2013;
• no cases involving domestic trafficking were investigated, no trafficking offenders were criminally prosecuted and convicted, and no reports of official complicity were investigated;
• the government did not pass anti-trafficking legislation or launch a public awareness campaign;
• formal victim identification and referral procedures were not developed (2014)