Botswana

• Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km;
• Limpopo (shared with South Africa [s], Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km;
• Okavango river mouth (shared with Angola [s], and Namibia) - 1,600 km

note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage:

Orange (941,351 sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage:

Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Okavango Basin (863,866 sq km)

• the population is primarily concentrated in the east with a focus in and around the captial of Gaborone, and the far central-eastern city of Francistown;
• population density remains low in other areas in the country, especially in the Kalahari to the west as shown in this population distribution map

• landlocked;
• sparsely populated with most settlement concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country;
• geography dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers about 70% of the country, although the Okavango Delta brings considerable biodiversity as one of the largest inland deltas in the World

noun:

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

adjective:

Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

total:

27.1 years (2024 est.)

male:

26 years

female:

28.3 years

• the population is primarily concentrated in the east with a focus in and around the captial of Gaborone, and the far central-eastern city of Francistown;
• population density remains low in other areas in the country, especially in the Kalahari to the west as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.66 male(s)/female

total population:

0.92 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

23.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

25.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

21.4 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

66.4 years (2024 est.)

male:

64.4 years

female:

68.6 years

total:

5.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

2.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

1.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

19.4% (2020 est.)

male:

30.4% (2020 est.)

female:

8.3% (2020 est.)

• overgrazing;
• desertification;
• limited freshwater resources;
• air pollution

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

72.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

12.82 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

6.34 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

5.73 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

210,854 tons (2010 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

2,109 tons (2005 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

1% (2005 est.)

• Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km;
• Limpopo (shared with South Africa [s], Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km;
• Okavango river mouth (shared with Angola [s], and Namibia) - 1,600 km

note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage:

Orange (941,351 sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage:

Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Okavango Basin (863,866 sq km)

municipal:

110 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Botswana

conventional short form:

Botswana

local long form:

Republic of Botswana

local short form:

Botswana

former:

Bechuanaland

etymology:

the name Botswana means "Land of the Tswana" - referring to the country's largest ethnic group

name:

Gaborone

geographic coordinates:

24 38 S, 25 54 E

time difference:

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

etymology:

named after GABORONE (ca. 1825-1931), a revered kgosi (chief) of the Tlokwa tribe, part of the larger Tswana ethnic group

history:

previous 1960 (pre-independence); latest adopted March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

amendments:

• proposed by the National Assembly;
• passage requires approval in two successive Assembly votes with at least two-thirds majority in the final vote;
• proposals to amend constitutional provisions on fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and branches of government, and public services also requires approval by majority vote in a referendum and assent by the president of the republic;
• amended several times, last in 2021

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Botswana

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

President Duma BOKO (since 1 November 2024)

head of government:

President Duma BOKO (since 1 November 2024)

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 31 October 2024 (next to be held in October 2029);
• vice president appointed by the president

election results:

National elections held in 2024 gave BOKO's UDC 35 seats in the National Assembly, which then selected BOKO as President

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

• Alliance of Progressives or AP
• Botswana Congress Party or BCP
• Botswana Democratic Party or BDP
• Botswana National Front or BNF [Duma BOKO]Botswana Patriotic Front or BPF
• Botswana Peoples Party or BPP
• Botswana Republic Party or BRP
• Umbrella for Democratic Change or UDC (various times the coalition has included the BPP, BCP, BNF and other parties)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mpho Churchill MOPHUTING (since 18 September 2024)

chancery:

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

telephone:

[1] (202) 244-4990

FAX:

[1] (202) 244-4164

email address and website:

[email protected]; http://www.botswanaembassy.org/

chief of mission:

Ambassador Howard A. VAN VRANKEN (since 24 May 2023)

embassy:

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

mailing address:

2170 Gaborone Place, Washington DC 20521-2170

telephone:

[267] 395-3982

FAX:

[267] 318-0232

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://bw.usembassy.gov/

• 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

total World Heritage Sites:

2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Tsodilo Hills (c); Okavango Delta (n)

• good economic governance and financial management;
• diamond-driven growth model declining;
• rapid poverty reductions;
• high unemployment, particularly among youth;
• COVID-19 sharply contracted the economy and recovery is slow;
• public sector wages have posed fiscal challenges

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

total:

45.4% (2023 est.)

male:

40.5% (2023 est.)

female:

51.5% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

1.5% (2015 est.)

highest 10%:

41.5% (2015 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

2.634 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

2.291 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

539,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

1,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

1.66 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• effective regulatory reform has made Botswana’s telecom market one of the most liberalized in the region;
• there is a service-neutral licensing regime adapted to the convergence of technologies and services, and several operators now compete in all telecom sectors;
• Botswana has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in Africa;
• in a bid to generate new revenue streams and secure market share, the three mobile network operators have entered the underdeveloped broadband sector by adopting of 3G, LTE, and WiMAX technologies;
• in the fixed-line broadband market they compete with a large number of ISPs, some of which have rolled out their own wireless access infrastructure;
• the landlocked country depends on satellites for international bandwidth, and on other countries for transit capacity to the landing points of international submarine cables;
• the landing of additional cables in the region in recent years has improved the competitive situation in this sector, while prices for connectivity have fallen dramatically (2022)

domestic:

• fixed-line teledensity has declined in recent years and now stands at roughly 5 telephones per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 161 telephones per 100 persons (2021)

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)

• 2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately owned;
• privately owned satellite TV subscription service is available;
• 2 state-owned national radio stations;
• 4 privately owned radio stations broadcast locally (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

253,417 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

110,000 (2018) mt-km

total:

888 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

888 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

total:

31,747 km

paved:

9,810 km

unpaved:

21,937 km (2017)

• the BDF has a mix of mostly older weapons and equipment, largely of Western/European origin;
• in recent years, it has received limited amounts of material from several European countries and the US (2024)