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 percent of its territory being 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. Being a country of slightly over 2.4 million people, and roughly the size of France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is essentially the nation state of the Tswana people, who make up 79% of the population.

The Tswana ethnic group were descended mainly from Bantu-speaking tribes who migrated southward of Africa to modern Botswana around AD 600, living in tribal enclaves as farmers and herders. In 1885, the British colonised the area and declared a protectorate under the name of Bechuanaland. As decolonisation occurred, 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 as of 2024 the Botswana Democratic Party has been the ruling party since independence. As of 2024, Botswana is the third least corrupt country in the continent of Africa.

The economy is dominated by mining and tourism. Botswana has a GDP (purchasing power parity) per capita of about $20,158 . Botswana is the world's biggest diamond producing country. Its relatively high gross national income per capita (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). 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. Namibia has a high commission 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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... that the Motswana ANC activist Fish Keitseng helped anti-Apartheid leaders including Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki to move through Bechuanaland?

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

Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi) in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus Giraffa. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes have been thought of as one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into four extant species due to new research into their mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and individual species can be distinguished by their fur coat patterns. Seven other extinct species of Giraffa are known from the fossil record.

The giraffe's distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, horn-like ossicones, and spotted coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits, and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other ground-based herbivores cannot reach. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 2BR Express, the passenger train (from Francistown)
Image 3Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 4Madila sour cultured milk (from Tswana people)
Image 5A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 6Botswana Traditional House at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 7Rail network map of Botswana (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 8Botswana Traditional Baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 9Orapa House (from Gaborone)
Image 10I-Towers, Gaborone Central Business District (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 11Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 12Christ The King Cathedral (from Gaborone)
Image 13Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 14Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 15Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 16Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 17Satellite View of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image. (from Gaborone)
Image 18Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene
Image 19Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 20Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 21The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 22New CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 23Graduation daggers that were given to Tswana Fighting Regiments (from Tswana people)
Image 24Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)
Image 25Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 26View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) (from Gaborone)
Image 27CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 28Francistown Bus Terminal (from Francistown)
Image 29Kombi (Minibus taxi) (from Gaborone)
Image 30Tourist resort at Kasane (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 31New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 32SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 33Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 34Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 35A road in Gaborone (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 36Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 37Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 38Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 39Man on donkey herding goats in a dry river bed (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 40The Jwaneng diamond mine is the second biggest in the world today. (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 41Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 42Tswana Baskets (from Tswana people)
Image 43Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 44Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 45GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 46Batswana Men dressed in traditional attire in 1946 (from Tswana people)
Image 47Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 48An 1865 portrait of Kgosi Sechele I in Ntsweng Bechuanaland (from Tswana people)
Image 49St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 50CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 51I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)