Botswana: Sovereign state in Southern Africa

The capital of Botswana is Gaborone.

Republic of Botswana Lefatshe la Botswana  (Tswana)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Pula!" (Tswana) "Rain"
Anthem: Fatshe leno la rona  (Tswana) Blessed Be Our Noble Land
Location of  Botswana  (dark green)
Capital and largest city	Gaborone 24°39.5′S 25°54.5′E / 24.6583°S 25.9083°E / -24.6583; 25.9083
Official languages	English
Recognised national languages	Setswana
Ethnic groups (2012 est.)	79% Tswana 11% Kalanga 3% San 7% Others
Religion	73% Christianity —66% Protestantism —7% Other Christian 20% No religion 6% Traditional faiths 1% Others
Demonym(s)	Batswana (plural) Motswana (singular)
Government	Unitary dominant-party parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Mokgweetsi Masisi
• Vice-President	Slumber Tsogwane
• National Assembly Speaker	Phandu Skelemani
• Chief Justice	Terence Rannowane
Legislature	National Assembly
Independence  from the United Kingdom
• Established (Constitution)	30 September 1966
Area
• Total	581,730 km2 (224,610 sq mi) (47th)
• Water (%)	2.7
Population
• 2021 estimate	2,588,423 (145th)
• 2011 census	2,024,904
• Density	3.7/km2 (9.6/sq mi) (231st)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$44.3 billion
• Per capita	$18,654
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$19.651 billion
• Per capita	$8,263
Gini (2015)	53.3 high
HDI (2019)	0.735 high · 100th
Currency	Botswana pula (BWP)
Time zone	Central Africa Time (GMT+2)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+267
ISO 3166 code	BW
Internet TLD	.bw
Website www.gov.bw

The first people in Botswana's territory were the Khoe and San people. Botswana was first formed as the Bechuanaland Protectorate by the British Empire in 1885.

The countries that border Botswana are Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. It is also possible to travel from Botswana directly into Zambia by crossing the Zambezi River by ferry.

Botswana is landlocked. All of Botswana's trade must be brought in over land or by airplane.

The two most important geographical features in Botswana are the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert.

Botswana is divided into 10 districts:

• Southern District
• South-East District
• Kweneng District
• Kgatleng District
• Central District
• North-East District
• Ngamiland District
• Kgalagadi District
• Chobe District
• Ghanzi District

People from Botswana are called Batswana. The population of Botswana is about 2.2 million. This is only 2.7 persons per km², a small number for a country of this size. This is because most of the country is desert and very dry.

Botswana has two official languages: Setswana and English. Setswana is the national language (also called Tswana).

Botswana is a democracy. The people vote for their political leaders. Those leaders vote for the president. In 2008 Ian Khama became the fourth president of Botswana.

President Khama won elections in 2009 and 2014. The current President of Botswana is Dr. Eric K. Mokgweetsi who took over from Dr. Ian Khama Seretse Khama in 2018.

The economy of Botswana has been growing very fast since it became an independent country in 1966. The people of Botswana have had the world's fastest growth in standard of living since that time.

Botswana's economy comes mostly from mining. This includes diamonds, metals (including copper) and minerals (including salt). Botswana is the highest producer of diamonds by value in the world. In 1999, Botswana produced over 30 million carats (6,000 kg) of diamonds from the three Debswana mines. That is about 25% of worldwide production. There has been an agreement with De Beers since 1969. In 2023 a new agreement was made giving the country more of the diamonds - 30% in 2023, 40% from 2028 and 50% from 2033.

Tourism is also important to the country. Many people come to Botswana each year to see its wildlife.

The currency of Botswana is called the pula (which means rain). It is made up of 100 thebe (which means shield). In 2017, one US dollar was about 10.32 pulas.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books by Alexander McCall Smith are set in Botswana. The HBO television series based on the books was filmed in Botswana.

•  
  Okavango sunset
•  
  Tsodilo Hills
•  
  Grassland Bushman Lodge

• Botswana at the Olympics
• Botswana national football team
• List of rivers of Botswana