|
Basic Facts |
Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana local long form: Republic of Botswana local short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland |
Gevernment 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) |
Flag description | light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center |
Currency | pula (BWP) |
Internet country code | .bw |
Ports and terminals | Kheyrabad, Shir Khan |
Agriculture products | livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts |
Industries | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles |
Geography |
Location | Southern Africa, north of South Africa |
Coordinates | 22 00 S, 24 00 E |
Continent | Africa |
Area |
total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km |
Boundaries |
total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
Climate | semiarid; warm winters and hot summers |
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 |
People |
Population | 1,639,833
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) |
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) |