OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Botswana

Geography
Area: 582,000 sq. km. (224,710 sq. mi.), about the size of Texas.
Cities (2001 census): Capital--Gaborone (pronounced ha-bo-ro-neh), pop. 186,007. Other towns--Francistown
(83,023), Selebi-Phikwe (49,849), Molepolole (54,561), Kanye (40,628),
Serowe (42,444), Mahalapye (39,719), Lobatse (29,689), Maun (43,776),
Mochudi (36,962).
Terrain: Desert and savanna.
Climate: Mostly subtropical.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Motswana (sing.), Batswana (pl.).
Population (2003): 1.76 million.
Annual population growth rate (2002): 0.6%.
Ethnic groups: Tswana 79%; Kalanga 11%; Kgalagadi, Herero, Bayeyi, Hambukush, Basarwa ("San"), Khoi ("Hottentots"), whites 10%.
Religions: Christianity 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%.
Languages: English (official), Setswana, Ikalanga.
Education: Adult literacy --81%.
Health (2004): Life expectancy-33.9.1 years. Infant mortality rate--56/1,000.
Work force (2003): 274,000.

Government
Type: Republic, parliamentary democracy.
Independence: September 30, 1966.
Constitution: March 1965.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state and head of government), cabinet. Legislative--popularly elected National Assembly; advisory House of Chiefs. Judicial--High Court, Court of Appeal, local and customary courts, industrial labor court.
Administrative subdivisions: Five town councils and nine district councils.
Major
political parties: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)--48 seats, Botswana
National Front (BNF)--12 seats, Botswana Congress Party (BCP)--1 seat,
Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM), Botswana Peoples Party (BPP)--0 seats.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.

Economy
GDP (2002/3): $6.9 billion.
Real GDP growth rate (2002/3): 6.7%.
Per capita GDP (2002/3): $4,000.
Natural resources: Diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, soda ash, salt, gold, potash.
Agriculture (2.1% of GDP, 2002/3): Products--livestock, sorghum, white maize, millet, cowpeas, beans.
Industry: Types--mining
(33% of GDP): diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, tourism, textiles,
construction, tourism, beef processing, chemical products production,
food and beverage production.
Trade (2002/3): Exports--$3billion: diamonds, nickel, copper, meat products, textiles, hides, skins, and soda ash. Partners--EU, South Africa, Zimbabwe. Imports--$2billion: machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals, fuels. Major suppliers--South Africa, EU, and U.S.
Annual avg. economic aid: $25 million. (Source: Bank of Botswana Annual Report 2003)

PEOPLE AND HISTORY
The
Batswana, a term also used to denote all citizens of Botswana, refers
to the country's major ethnic group (the "Tswana" in South Africa),
which came into the area from South Africa during the Zulu wars of the
early 1800s. Prior to European contact, the Batswana lived as herders
and farmers under tribal rule.

In the 19th century,
hostilities broke out between the Batswana and Boer settlers from the
Transvaal. After appeals by the Batswana for assistance, the British
Government in 1885 put "Bechuanaland" under its protection. The
northern territory remained under direct administration and is today's
Botswana, while the southern territory became part of the Cape Colony
and is now part of the northwest province of South Africa; the majority
of Setswana-speaking people today live in South Africa.

Despite South African
pressure, inhabitants of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, Basuotoland
(now Lesotho), and Swaziland in 1909 asked for and received British
assurances that they would not be included in the proposed Union of
South Africa. An expansion of British central authority and the
evolution of tribal government resulted in the 1920 establishment of
two advisory councils representing Africans and Europeans.
Proclamations in 1934 regularized tribal rule and powers. A
European-African advisory council was formed in 1951, and the 1961
constitution established a consultative legislative council.

In June 1964, Britain
accepted proposals for democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat
of government was moved from Mafikeng, in South Africa, to newly
established Gaborone in 1965. The 1965 constitution led to the first
general elections and to independence in September 1966. Seretse Khama,
a leader in the independence movement and the legitimate claimant to
traditional rule of the Bamangwato, was elected as the first president,
re-elected twice, and died in office in 1980. The presidency passed to
the sitting vice president, Ketumile Masire, who was elected in his own
right in 1984 and re-elected in 1989 and 1994. Masire retired from
office in 1998. The presidency passed to the sitting vice president,
Festus Mogae, who was elected in his own right in 1999. Mogae won a
second term in elections held October 30, 2004.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Botswana
has a flourishing multiparty constitutional democracy. Each of the
elections since independence has been freely and fairly contested and
has been held on schedule. The country's small white minority and other
minorities participate freely in the political process. There are three
main rival parties and a number of smaller parties. In national
elections in 2004, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won 44 of 57
contested National Assembly seats, the Botswana National Front (BNF)
won 12, and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) won 1 seat. Individuals
elected by the National Assembly hold an additional 4 seats; the ruling
BDP currently holds all 4. The opposition out-polled the ruling BDP in
most urban areas. The openness of the country's political system has
been a significant factor in Botswana's stability and economic growth.
General elections are held every 5 years. The next general election
will be held in October 2009.

The president has executive
power and is chosen by the National Assembly following countrywide
legislative elections. The cabinet is selected by the president from
the National Assembly; it consists of a vice president and a flexible
number of ministers and assistant ministers, currently 14 and 6,
respectively. The National Assembly has 57 elected and 4 specially
elected members; it is expanded following each census (every 10 years;
the most recent was conducted in 2001).

The advisory House of
Chiefs represents the eight principal subgroups of the Batswana tribe,
and four other members are elected by the sub chiefs of four of the
districts. A draft of any National Assembly bill of tribal concern must
be referred to the House of Chiefs for advisory opinion. Chiefs and
other leaders preside over customary traditional courts, though all
persons have the right to request that their case be considered under
the formal British-based legal system.

The roots of Botswana's
democracy lie in Setswana traditions, exemplified by the Kgotla, or
village council, in which the powers of traditional leaders are limited
by custom and law. Botswana's High Court has general civil and criminal
jurisdiction. Judges are appointed by the president and may be removed
only for cause and after a hearing. The constitution has a code of
fundamental human rights enforced by the courts, and Botswana has a
good human rights record.

Local government is
administered by nine district councils and five town councils. District
commissioners have executive authority and are appointed by the central
government and assisted by elected and nominated district councilors
and district development committees. There has been ongoing debate
about the political, social, and economic marginalization of the San
(indigenous tribal population). The government's policies for the
Basarwa (San) and other remote area dwellers continue to spark
controversy.

Principal Government Officials
President--Festus G. Mogae
Vice President--Lt. Gen. (ret) Seretse Khama Ian Khama

Cabinet Ministers
Finance and Development Planning--Baledzi Gaolathe
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation--Mompati S. Merafhe
Environment, Wildlife and Tourism--Onkokame Kitso Mokaila
Communications, Science and Technology--Pelonomi Venson
Presidential Affairs and Public Administration--Phandu T.C. Skelemani
Trade and Industry--Daniel Neo Moroka
Minerals Resources and Water Affairs--Mbiganyi Charles Tibone
Lands and Housing--Dikgakgamatso Seretse
Local Government--Margaret Nasha
Education--Jacob Nkate
Health--Sheila Tlou
Works and Transport--Lesego Motsumi
Labour and Home Affairs--Moeng Pheto
Agriculture--Johnnie Keemenao Swartz

Ambassador to the United States—L. Caesar Lekoa
Ambassador to the United Nations--Alfred Dube

Botswana maintains an embassy
at 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036 (tel.
202-244-4990; fax 202-244-4164). Its mission to the United Nations is
at 103 E. 37th Street, New York NY 10017 (tel. 212-889-2277; fax
212-725-5061).

ECONOMY
Since
independence, Botswana has had the fastest growth in per capita income
in the world. Economic growth averaged over 9% per year from 1966-99.
The government has maintained a sound fiscal policy, despite
consecutive budget deficits in 2002 and 2003, and a negligible level of
foreign debt. It earned the highest sovereign credit rating in Africa
and has stockpiled foreign exchange reserves (over $5.1 billion in
2003/4) amounting to almost two and one half years of current imports.
Botswana's impressive economic record has been built on the foundation
of wisely using revenue generated from diamond mining to fuel economic
development through prudent fiscal policies and a cautious foreign
policy. However, economic development spending was cut by 10 percent in
2002/3 as a result of recurring budget deficits and rising expenditure
on healthcare services. The government recognizes that HIV/AIDS will
affect the economy and is providing leadership and programs to combat
the epidemic, including free anti-retroviral treatment and a
nation-wide Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission program.

Mining
Two large mining
companies, Debswana (formed by the government and South Africa's
DeBeers in equal partnership) and Bamangwato Concessions, Ltd. (BCL,
also with substantial government equity participation) operate in the
country.

Since the early 1980s, the
country has been the world's largest producer of gem quality diamonds.
Four large diamond mines have opened since independence. DeBeers
prospectors discovered diamonds in northern Botswana in the late1960s.
The first mine began production at Orapa in 1972, followed by the
smaller mines of Lethlakane and Damtshaa. What has become the
single-richest diamond mine in the world opened in Jwaneng in 1982. The
Orapa 2000 Expansion of the existing Orapa mine was opened in 2000. In
December 2004, Debswana negotiated 25-year lease renewals for all four
of its mines with the Government of Botswana. The Debswana carat output
for 2004 was a record 31 million carats making Debswana the world’s
leading diamond producer by value and volume. Exploration for other
kimberlite pipes continues.

BCL, which operates a
copper-nickel mine at Selebi-Phikwe, has had a troubled financial
history but remains an important employer. The soda ash operation at
Sua Pan, opened in 1991 and supported by substantial government
investment, has begun making a profit following significant
restructuring. It produced 283,000 tons of soda ash in 2002. BCL is
expected to significantly reduce operations within the next ten years.

Coal bed methane gas has
been discovered in the northeastern part of the country, estimated by
the developers at a commercially viable quantity of 12 trillion cubic
feet. Development of the gas field, financed by the U.S. Overseas
Private Investment Corporation, began in mid-2004.

Tourism
Tourism
is an increasingly important industry in Botswana, accounting for
almost 12% of GDP, despite only modest growth of 3.3 percent in 2002/3.
One of the world's unique ecosystems, the Okavango Delta, is located in
Botswana. The country offers excellent game viewing and birding both in
the Delta and in the Chobe Game Reserve--home to one of the largest
herds of free-ranging elephants in the world. Botswana's Central
Kalahari Game Reserve also offers good game viewing and some of the
most remote and unspoiled wilderness in southern Africa.

Agriculture
More
than one-half of the population lives in rural areas and is largely
dependent on subsistence crop and livestock farming. Agriculture meets
only a small portion of food needs and contributes a very small amount
to GDP--primarily through beef exports--but it remains a social and
cultural touchstone. Cattle raising in particular dominated Botswana's
social and economic life before independence. The national herd is
estimated between 2 and 3 million head.

Private Sector Development and Foreign Investment
Botswana
seeks to further diversify its economy away from minerals, which
account for a third of GDP (down from nearly half of GDP in the early
1990s). Foreign investment and management are welcomed in Botswana.
Botswana abolished foreign exchange controls in 1999, has a low
corporate tax rate (15%), no prohibitions on foreign ownership of
companies, and a moderate inflation rate (7.6% November 2004). The
Government of Botswana is currently considering additional policies to
enhance competitiveness, including a new Foreign Direct Investment
Strategy, Competition Policy, Privatization Master Plan, and National
Export Development Strategy.

With its proven record of
good economic governance, Botswana was ranked as Africa's least corrupt
country by Transparency International in 2004, ahead of many European
and Asian countries. The World Economic Forum rates Botswana as one of
the two most economically competitive nations in Africa. In 2004
Botswana was once again assigned "A" grade credit ratings by Moodys
Investors Service and Standard & Poor's. This ranks Botswana as by
far the best credit risk in Africa and puts it on par or above many
countries in central Europe, East Asia, and Latin America.

U.S. investment in Botswana
remains at relatively low levels, but continues to grow. Major U.S.
corporations, such as H.J. Heinz and AON Corporation, are present
through direct investments, while others, such as Kentucky Fried
Chicken and Remax, are present via franchise. The sovereign credit
ratings by Moody's and Standard & Poor's clearly indicate that,
despite continued challenges such as small market size, landlocked
location, and cumbersome bureaucratic processes, Botswana remains one
of the best investment opportunities in the developing world. Botswana
has a 90-member American Business Council that accepts membership from
American-affiliated companies.

Because of history and
geography, Botswana has long had deep ties to the economy of South
Africa. The Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), comprised of
Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, and South Africa, dates from
1910, and is the world’s oldest customs union. Under this arrangement,
South Africa has collected levies from customs, sales, and excise
duties for all five members, sharing out proceeds based on each
country's portion of imports. The exact formula for sharing revenues
and the decision-making authority over duties--held exclusively by the
Government of South Africa--became increasingly controversial, and the
members renegotiated the arrangement in 2001 (the new structure has now
been formally ratified and a SACU Secretariat has been established in
Windhoek, Namibia ). Following South Africa's accession to the World
Trade Organization (WTO), Botswana also is a member, many of the SACU
duties are declining, making American products more competitive in
Botswana. Currently the SACU countries and the U.S. are negotiating a
free trade agreement. Botswana is currently also negotiating a free
trade agreement with Mercosur and an Economic Partnership Agreement
with the European Union as part of SADC.

Botswana's currency--the
Pula--is fully convertible and is valued against a basket of currencies
heavily weighted toward the South African Rand. Profits and direct
investment can be repatriated without restriction from Botswana. The
Botswana Government eliminated all exchange controls in 1999. The
Central Bank devalued the Pula by 7.5% in February 2004 in a bid to
maintain export competitiveness against the real appreciation of the
Pula.

Gaborone is host to the
headquarters of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community
(SADC). A successor to the Southern Africa Development Coordination
Conference (SADCC- launched in 1980), which focused its efforts on
freeing regional economic development from dependence on apartheid
South Africa. SADC embraced the newly democratic South Africa as a
member in 1994 and has a broad mandate to encourage growth,
development, and economic integration in Southern Africa. SADC's Trade
Protocol, which was launched on September 1, 2000, calls for the
elimination of all tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade by 2008
among the 11 signatory countries. If successful, it will give Botswana
companies free access to the far larger regional market. SADC's failure
to distance itself from the Mugabe government in Zimbabwe has
diminished the number of opportunities for cooperation between the U.S.
and SADC.

Transportation and Communications
A
sparsely populated, semi-arid country about the size of Texas, Botswana
has nonetheless managed to incorporate much of its interior into the
national economy. An "inner circle" highway connecting all major towns
and district capitals is completely paved, and the all-weather
Trans-Kalahari Highway connects the country (and, through it, South
Africa's commercially dominant Gauteng Province) to Walvis Bay in
Namibia. A fiber-optic telecommunications network has been completed in
Botswana connecting all major population centers. In November, 2003
representatives of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa signed an MOU to
simplify documentation to move cargoes to and from the Port of Walvis
Bay in Namibia.

In addition to the
government-owned newspaper and national radio network, there is an
active, independent press (seven weekly newspapers). Two privately
owned radio stations began operations in 1999. In 2000, the
government-owned Botswana Television (BTV) was launched, which is
Botswana's first national television station. GBC is a commercially
owned television station that broadcast programs to the Gaborone area
only. Foreign publications are sold without restriction in Botswana,
and there are 18 commercial Internet service providers. Two cellular
phone providers cover most of the country.

DEFENSE
The
president is commander in chief of the Botswana Defense Force (BDF). A
defense council is appointed by the president. The BDF was formed in
1977 and has approximately 12,000 members.

The BDF is a capable and
well-disciplined military force. Following positive political changes
in South Africa and the region, the BDF's missions have increasingly
focused on anti-poaching activities, disaster-preparedness, and foreign
peacekeeping. The United States has been the largest single contributor
to the development of the BDF, and a large segment of its officer corps
has received U.S. training. It is considered an apolitical and
professional institution.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Botswana
puts a premium on economic and political integration in Southern
Africa. It seeks to make SADC a working vehicle for economic
development, and promotes efforts to make the region self-policing in
terms of preventative diplomacy, conflict resolution, and good
governance. It has welcomed post-apartheid South Africa as a partner in
these efforts. Botswana joins the African consensus on most major
international matters and is a member of international organizations
such as the United Nations and the African Union (AU).

U.S.-BOTSWANA RELATIONS
The
United States considers Botswana an advocate of and a model for
stability in Africa and has been a major partner in Botswana's
development since its independence. The U.S. Peace Corps returned to
Botswana in August 2002 with a focus on HIV/AIDS-related programs after
concluding 30 years of more broadly targeted assistance in 1997.
Similarly, the USAID phased out a longstanding partnership with
Botswana in 1996, after successful programs emphasizing education,
training, entrepreneurship, environmental management, and reproductive
health. Botswana, however, continues to benefit along with its
neighbors in the region from USAID's Initiative for Southern Africa.
The Regional Center for Southern Africa (RCSA), which implements the
U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Initiative for
Southern Africa (ISA), is headquartered in Gaborone as well. The United
States International Board of Broadcasters (IBB) operates a major Voice
of America (VOA) relay station in Botswana serving most of the African
Continent.

In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) started the BOTUSA Project in collaboration with the Botswana
Ministry of Health in order to generate information to improve TB
control efforts in Botswana and elsewhere in the face of the TB and
HIV/AIDS co-epidemics. Under the 1999 U.S. Government's Leadership and
Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative, CDC through the
BOTUSA Project has undertaken many projects and has assisted many
organizations in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana.
Botswana is one of the 15 focus countries for PEPFAR, the President's
Emergency Plan for Aids Relief and began receiving funding and
assistance under this program in January 2004.

The Governments of Botswana
and the United States entered into an agreement in July 2000 to
establish an International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Gaborone.
The academy, jointly financed, managed and staffed by the two nations,
provides training to police and government officials from Southern
Africa and eventually from across the continent. The academy's
permanent campus, in Otse outside of Gaborone, opened March 2003. Over
1,500 law enforcement professionals from the region have received
training at the academy.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Joseph Huggins
Deputy Chief of Mission—Lois A. Aroian
USAID Regional Center for Southern Africa Director—Gerald Cashion
Defense Attaché--Maj. Davis (Lee) Butler
Office of Defense Cooperation--Maj. Andrew Overfield
Centers for Disease Control--Dr. Peter Kilmarx
International Board of Broadcasters—William Martin
International Law Enforcement Agency--Seymour Jones
Peace Corps--Jack Timmons

The U.S. Embassy
is on Embassy Drive off Khama Crescent--P.O. Box 90, Gaborone (tel.
267-353-982; fax 267-356-947). USAID is located on Lebatlane Road. DAO
and ODC are located at the embassy. CDC is located on Ditlhakore Way in
Gaborone. ILEA is located in Otse, about 30 minutes outside of
Gaborone. The IBB station is located in Selebi-Phikwe, about 400
kilometers northeast of Gaborone.

TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The
U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides
Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health
conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political
disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements
are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about
terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas
that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Free
copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau of
Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system:
202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are
available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov.
Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain
information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are
on the Internet and hard copies can be purchased from the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.

Emergency information concerning
Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas
Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies,
Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000.

The National Passport Information Center
(NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT
(1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators for
TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern
Time, excluding federal holidays.

Travelers can check the latest health
information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web
site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or
requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions
and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International
Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.

Information on travel conditions, visa
requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and
other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your
departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for
this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this
publication).

U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov

or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a
country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their
passports. This may help family members contact you in case of an
emergency.


Tags: botswana,


See Other Botswana Articles...