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 per cent 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 constitute 70 per cent of the population.

The Tswana 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 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. , Botswana is the third least corrupt country in Africa, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

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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The Bechuanaland Protectorate (/ˌbɛtʃuˈɑːnəlænd/) was a protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. (Full article...)

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... that the 360 kilometres (220 mi) North-South Carrier is the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Botswana?

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

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The impala or rooibok (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus Aepyceros, and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to Europeans by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812. Two subspecies are recognised—the grassland-dwelling common impala (sometimes referred to as the Kenyan impala), and the larger and darker black-faced impala, which lives in slightly more arid, scrubland environments. The impala reaches 70–92 cm (28–36 in) at the shoulder and weighs 40–76 kg (88–168 lb). It features a glossy, reddish brown coat. The male's slender, lyre-shaped horns are 45–92 cm (18–36 in) long.

Active mainly during the day, the impala may be gregarious or territorial depending upon the climate and geography. Three distinct social groups can be observed: the territorial males, bachelor herds and female herds. The impala is known for two characteristic leaps that constitute an anti-predator strategy. Browsers as well as grazers, impala feed on monocots, dicots, forbs, fruits and acacia pods (whenever available). An annual, three-week-long rut takes place toward the end of the wet season, typically in May. Rutting males fight over dominance, and the victorious male courts females in oestrus. Gestation lasts six to seven months, following which a single calf is born and immediately concealed in cover. Calves are suckled for four to six months; young males—forced out of the all-female groups—join bachelor herds, while females may stay back. (Full article...)

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

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