NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Republic of Botswana
Bechuanaland
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy, one of the most robust on the continent, is dominated by diamond mining. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
Location:
|
Southern Africa, north of South Africa |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
22 00 S, 24 00 E |
|
Map references:
|
Africa |
|
Area:
|
total: 600,370 sq km
water: 15,000 sq km land: 585,370 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Texas |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km |
|
Coastline:
|
0 km (landlocked) |
|
Maritime claims:
|
none (landlocked) |
|
Climate:
|
semiarid; warm winters and hot summers |
|
Terrain:
|
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 0.61%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.38% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
10 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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 |
|
Geography - note:
|
landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
1,591,232
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 2002 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 40% (male 319,988; female 316,961)
15-64 years: 55.8% (male 428,638; female 458,777) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 26,965; female 39,903) (2002 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.18% (2002 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
28.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
26.26 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
64.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 35.29 years
female: 35.43 years (2002 est.) male: 35.15 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.6 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
35.8% (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
290,000 (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
24,000 (1999 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% |
|
Religions:
|
indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15% |
|
Languages:
|
English (official), Setswana |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.8% male: 80.5% female: 59.9% (1995 est.) |