Botswana Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 25, 2020

Botswana, state of southern Africa; 581 700 km², 2.2 million residents (2019).Botswana borders northeast to Zimbabwe, south-east and south to South Africa, west and north to Namibia and north to Zambia. The capital is Gaborone (274,400 residents, 2019).

Country facts

Republic of Botswana / Republic of Botswana
Country abbreviation: BW
Area: 581 700 km²
Population (2019): 2.2 million residents
Capital: Gaborone
Main languages: English, Tswana
State: Republic
Head of State and Head of Government: Mokgweetsi Masisi (President)
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 8,259
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 7,750
Currency unit: 1 pula = 100 thebe
Currency code: BWP
Country Number (Telephony): 267
Internet domain name: bw
Time difference compared to Sweden: +1
National Day: September 30 (Independence Day, 1966)

Nature

Land use: forest (19%), agricultural land (3%), other (78%)
Highest mountain: Otse (1,489 m above sea level)

Population

Population density (2019): 4 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 1.2%; birthrate 22 ‰, death count 10 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (32%), 15-64 (73%), 65- (5%)
Average life expectancy (2019): men 61 years, women 66 years
Infant mortality (2019): 30 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 3 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.717 (place 101 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2019): 70%
Most popular cities (2019): Gaborone (274,400 residents), Francistown (113,300)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (2%), industry (28%), service (70%)
Exports (2017): US $ 5,934 million
Main export products: diamonds, copper, nickel
Main exporting countries: Belgium, India
Imports (2017): US $ 5,005 million
Main import products: food, transport
Main importing countries: South Africa, Canada, Israel
Railway network (2014): 900 km

Botswana forms part of the South African plateau and is therefore largely a flat area that averages 1,000 m above sea level. A slight ridge divides the country into an eastern region, which is cool and grassy, as well as a western one with the Okavango swamps and the Kalahari desert. The temperature differences are large between summer and winter and between day and night.

The country is a member of the Commonwealth and has been a multi-party state ever since independence in 1966. The President has the executive power and is elected for five years.

Since independence, Botswana has had a stable economy, mainly thanks to large diamond deposits. The diamond industry contributes 80% of the country’s export revenue and more than a third of the country’s GDP. South African companies are major investors in the country, and many wealthy ranch owners are South Africans. During the 1990s, tourism increased; mainly attracted the Okavango Delta with its rich wildlife, but the unrest in neighboring Zimbabwe meant some decline in the 00s. The country is among those most affected by the HIV / AIDS epidemic; about 25% of the population in the 15-49 age group are HIV-infected. Botswana, as the first African country, introduced a general distribution of brake medicines.