Portal:Botswana

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Coat of Arms of Botswana	Flag of 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. Its total area is 581,730 square kilometres (224,610 sq mi). Gaborone, in the South-East District, is the country's capital and largest city.

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, when the Umbrella for Democratic Change won the 2024 Botswana general election. (Full article...)

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Masa Square Central Business District

Botswana has a developing economy considered upper-middle income. Growth in private sector employment averaged about 10% per annum during the first 30 years of the country's independence. After a period of stagnation at the turn of the 21st century, Botswana's economy registered strong levels of growth, with GDP growth exceeding 6–7% targets. Economic growth since the late 1960s has been on par with some of Asia's largest economies. The government has consistently maintained budget surpluses and has extensive foreign-exchange reserves.

Botswana's relative economic growth compared to some of its neighbors has been built on a foundation of diamond mining, prudent fiscal policies, and a cautious foreign policy. Botswana's economy is mostly dependent on diamond mining. Diamond mining contributes to 50% of the government revenue mainly through its 50:50 joint venture with De Beers in the Debswana Diamond Company. Lab-grown diamonds has led to a significant decrease in worldwide demand for mined diamonds beginning in the early 2020s. The resulting reduction in the value of diamond exports prompted the IMF to forecast Botswana to run a fiscal deficit of 11%, and the Botswana ministry of finance to forecast negative GDP growth for the country in 2025. As of 2020, Botswana is rated as the third least corrupt country in Africa in the Corruption Perceptions Index by international corruption watchdog Transparency International. It has the fourth highest gross national income per capita in purchasing power in Africa and above the world average. (Full article...)

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... that the extinct ant Afromyrma petrosa was found over a diamond mine?

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

T. d. derbianus
Senegal

The giant eland (Tragelaphus derbianus), also known as Lord Derby's eland or greater eland, is an open-forest and savanna antelope. A species of the family Bovidae and genus Tragelaphus, it was described in 1847 by John Edward Gray. The giant eland is the largest species of antelope, with a body length ranging from 220–290 cm (7.2–9.5 ft). There are two subspecies: T. d. derbianus and T. d. gigas.

The giant eland is a herbivore, eating grasses, foliage and branches. They usually form small herds consisting of 15–25 members, both males and females. Giant elands are not territorial, and have large home ranges. They are naturally alert and wary, which makes them difficult to approach and observe. They can run at up to 70 km/h (43 mph) and use this speed as a defence against predators. Mating occurs throughout the year but peaks in the wet season. They mostly inhabit broad-leafed savannas, woodlands and glades. (Full article...)

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

Image 118th Century Tswana Warrior (from Tswana people)
Image 2Old Palapye Church built by King Khama III in 1891 (from Tswana people)
Image 3Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 4King Bathoen II 1947 of Bangwaketse (from Tswana people)
Image 5Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 64th President of Botswana, King of Bamangwato (Khama IV) (from Tswana people)
Image 7Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 8Depiction of a Precolonial Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene circa early 1400
Image 9St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 10CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 11South African billionaire mining businessman, CAF President (from Tswana people)
Image 12Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 13Mokgweetsi Masisi speaking at a conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in 2018 (from History of Botswana)
Image 14Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 15A 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 16Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 17Seretse Khama signing the oath of office to become Botswana's first President in 1966 (from History of Botswana)
Image 18Orapa House (from Gaborone)
Image 19Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 20The Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, named after the first president of Botswana (from History of Botswana)
Image 21Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 22Kgosi Sekgoma II and leaders of the Bangwato Military regiments in Serowe during the royal visit of the Prince of Wales in June 1925. (from Tswana people)
Image 23Festus Mogae alongside foreign presidents Joaquim Chissano, George W. Bush, and José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002 (from History of Botswana)
Image 24Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 25Botswana traditional house at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 26Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 27Universal Plaza building in Gaborone CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 28 Tswana tribesmen, first Africans to compete at the Olympics (from Tswana people)
Image 29Mochudi Village in the early 19th century (from Tswana people)
Image 30Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 31Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 32King Molema of Barolong (from Tswana people)
Image 33Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 34Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 35Prehistoric cave paintings at Tsodilo (from History of Botswana)
Image 36Botswana traditional baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 37SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 38Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 39Ministry of Health building (from Gaborone)
Image 40I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)
Image 41Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 42The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 43Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 44A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 45Duma Boko signing an agreement with the United States in 2025 (from History of Botswana)
Image 46Bechuanaland Boys cleaning Aa Guns in the Twilight after Action, Syracuse, Sicily, 1944 art piece by Leslie Cole (from History of Botswana)
Image 47New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 48Typical Kgotla setting (from Tswana people)
Image 49An illustration of a Tswana man and his wife in the early 1800s (from History of Botswana)
Image 50Tebogo Letsile, the 2024 Summer Olympics 200 metres gold medalist (from Tswana people)