Portal:Botswana

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Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70% of its territory being a part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. While it is not enshrined by statutory law, Botswana is de facto the nation state of the Batswana people, who constitute nearly 80% of the population while legally undistinguished Kalanga people, who account for another 11%, are the single largest ethnic minority.

The Batswana ethnic group are descended mainly from Bantu-speaking peoples who migrated into southern Africa, including modern Botswana, in several waves before AD 600. In 1885, the British colonised the area and declared a protectorate named Bechuanaland. As part of the decolonisation of Africa, Bechuanaland became an independent Commonwealth republic under its current name on 30 September 1966. Since then, it has been a parliamentary republic with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections, though dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party until 2024. As of 2024^[update], Botswana is the least corrupt country in mainland Africa according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

Botswana's economy has generally experienced stable growth since independence. It is dominated by tourism and mining; Botswana produces more diamonds than any other country. Its gross national income per capita (purchasing power parity) of about $20,158 as of 2024^[update] (by some estimates the fourth-largest in Africa) gives the country a relatively high standard of living and the second-highest Human Development Index of continental sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa. Despite Botswana’s economic gains, Botswana continues to grapple with high unemployment, severe income inequality, and one of the world's most critical HIV/AIDS epidemics. Botswana is a member of the Southern African Customs Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. (Full article...)

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Botswana has competed in 12 Summer Olympic Games since its debut in 1980. The nation has never participated in the Winter Olympic Games.

Botswana won its inaugural medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics with Nijel Amos getting a silver in the 800m. The men's 4 × 400 relay team won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. (Full article...)

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... that Botswana international footballer Donald Thobega was involved in the Test For Life campaign, which encourages supporters to get tested for HIV and AIDS?

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This is a good article, A-class article, featured list, or featured article, one of Wikipedia’s best work.

Burchell's zebra (E. quagga burchellii) at Etosha National Park in Namibia

The plains zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchellii) is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara. Six or seven subspecies have been recognised, including the quagga which was thought to be a separate species. More recent research supports variations in zebra populations being clines rather than subspecies.

Plains zebras are intermediate in size between the larger Grévy's zebra and the smaller mountain zebra and tend to have broader stripes than both. Great variation in coat patterns exists between clines and individuals. The plains zebra's habitat is generally, but not exclusively, treeless grasslands and savanna woodlands, both tropical and temperate. They generally avoid desert, dense rainforest and permanent wetlands. Zebras are preyed upon by lions and spotted hyenas, Nile crocodiles and, to a lesser extent, leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Botswana-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1South African billionaire mining businessman, CAF President (from Tswana people)
Image 2SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 3Ian Khama meeting with William Hague in London (from History of Botswana)
Image 4Bechuanaland Boys cleaning Aa Guns in the Twilight after Action, Syracuse, Sicily, 1944 art piece by Leslie Cole (from History of Botswana)
Image 5Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 6CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 7Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 8A 1960 stamp of the Bechuanaland Protectorate featuring images of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II, the first and last British monarchs of the protectorate (from History of Botswana)
Image 9Kombi (Minibus taxi) (from Gaborone)
Image 10CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 11Seretse Khama signing the oath of office to become Botswana's first President in 1966 (from History of Botswana)
Image 12South African politician (from Tswana people)
Image 13 Tswana tribesmen, first Africans to compete at the Olympics (from Tswana people)
Image 14Robert Moffat (1795-1883), Scottish Missionary (from Tswana people)
Image 15Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 16Typical Kgotla setting (from Tswana people)
Image 17Mochudi Village in the early 19th century) (from Tswana people)
Image 18Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs building (from Gaborone)
Image 19Duma Boko signing an agreement with the United States in 2025 (from History of Botswana)
Image 20Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 21Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 22Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 23Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 24Francistown Bus Terminal (from Francistown)
Image 25Tebogo Letsile, the 2024 Summer Olympics 200 metres gold medalist (from Tswana people)
Image 26Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)
Image 27Tourist resort at Kasane (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 28Orapa House (from Gaborone)
Image 29Mokgweetsi Masisi speaking at a conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in 2018 (from History of Botswana)
Image 30I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)
Image 31The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 32Quett Masire visiting the United States in 1984 (from History of Botswana)
Image 33Festus Mogae alongside foreign presidents Joaquim Chissano, George W. Bush, and José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002 (from History of Botswana)
Image 34Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 35Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 36St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 37Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 38Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 39Young Tswana maiden dressed in Leteisi (from Tswana people)
Image 40Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 41Man on donkey herding goats in a dry river bed (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 42Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 43Botswana traditional baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 44Botswana traditional house at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 45Satellite view of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image. (from Gaborone)
Image 46Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 47Flag of Bophuthatswana (from Tswana people)
Image 48Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 49South African ANC activist, writer and author, (from Tswana people)
Image 50Prehistoric cave paintings at Tsodilo (from History of Botswana)