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–Namibia relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Botswana and Namibia. Botswana gained independence from Britain in September 1966. Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990 following the Namibian War of Independence, and the two countries soon after established formal diplomatic relations. Botswana has a high commission in Windhoek and Namibia has one in Gaborone. Both countries are members of the Southern African Development Community, African Union, Group of 77, and Commonwealth of Nations. (Full article...)

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The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra; mature specimens generally exceed 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and commonly grow to 3 m (9.8 ft). Specimens of 4.3 to 4.5 m (14 to 15 ft) have been reported. It varies in colour from grey to dark brown. Juvenile black mambas tend to be more pale in colour than adults, and darken with age. Despite the common name, the black mamba is not black; the colour name describes rather the inside of its mouth, which it displays when feeling threatened.

The species is both terrestrial (ground-living) and arboreal (tree-living); it inhabits savannah, woodland, rocky slopes and in some regions, dense forest. It is diurnal and is known to prey on birds and small mammals. Over suitable surfaces, it can move at speeds up to 16 km/h (10 mph) for short distances. Adult black mambas have few natural predators. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)
Image 2Tswana Baskets used for storing grain (from Tswana people)
Image 3Christ The King Cathedral (from Gaborone)
Image 4Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 5Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 6King Khama (III) of Bamangwato (from Tswana people)
Image 7Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 8Flag of Bophuthatswana (from Tswana people)
Image 9Batswana men dressed in traditional attire during the visit of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to Lobatse, Bechuanaland, on 17 April 1947 (from Tswana people)
Image 10Tebogo Letsile, the 2024 Summer Olympics 200 metres gold medalist (from Tswana people)
Image 11Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 12Bechuanaland Boys cleaning Aa Guns in the Twilight after Action, Syracuse, Sicily, 1944 art piece by Leslie Cole (from History of Botswana)
Image 13Prehistoric cave paintings at Tsodilo (from History of Botswana)
Image 14Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 15The Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, named after the first president of Botswana (from History of Botswana)
Image 16 Tswana tribesmen, first Africans to compete at the Olympics (from Tswana people)
Image 17Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 18Young Tswana maiden dressed in Leteisi (from Tswana people)
Image 19Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 20CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 21Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 22Rail network map of Botswana (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 23Botswana traditional house at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 24Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 25Mochudi Village in the early 19th century) (from Tswana people)
Image 26Seretse Khama signing the oath of office to become Botswana's first President in 1966 (from History of Botswana)
Image 27New CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 28Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 29SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 30South African billionaire mining businessman, CAF President (from Tswana people)
Image 31BR Express, the passenger train (from Francistown)
Image 32Depiction of a Precolonial Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene circa early 1400
Image 33Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 34New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 35Setswana traditional house (from Tswana people)
Image 36View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) (from Gaborone)
Image 37Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 38CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 39Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 40Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs building (from Gaborone)
Image 41A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 42Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 43Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 44Robert Moffat (1795-1883), Scottish Missionary (from Tswana people)
Image 45I-Towers, Gaborone Central Business District (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 46King Bathoen II 1947 of Bangwaketse (from Tswana people)
Image 47Ian Khama meeting with William Hague in London (from History of Botswana)
Image 48Quett Masire visiting the United States in 1984 (from History of Botswana)
Image 49St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 50Festus Mogae alongside foreign presidents Joaquim Chissano, George W. Bush, and José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002 (from History of Botswana)