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. It is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, who constitute nearly 80% 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 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 this, Botswana continues to grapple with high unemployment rates. 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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ǃKung children in Namibia

The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. Some interpretations of the genetic analysis suggest divergence from other humans as early as 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. Their recent ancestral territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.

The San speak, or their ancestors spoke, languages of the Khoe, Tuu, and Kxʼa language families, and can be defined as a people only in contrast to neighboring pastoralists such as the Khoekhoe and descendants of more recent waves of immigration such as the Bantu, Europeans, and South Asians. (Full article...)

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Unity Dow

... that in Botswana, writer Unity Dow (pictured) took legal actions as a plaintiff, legal counsellor, and judge to challenge gender discrimination and protect indigenous rights, before becoming a legislator?

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The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), also called the small-spotted cat, is the smallest wild cat in Africa, having a head-and-body length of 35–52 cm (14–20 in). Despite its name, only the soles of its feet are black or dark brown. With its bold small spots and stripes on the tawny fur, it is well camouflaged, especially on moonlit nights. It bears black streaks running from the corners of the eyes along the cheeks, and its banded tail has a black tip.

The first black-footed cat known to science was discovered in the northern Karoo of South Africa and described in 1824. It is endemic to the arid steppes and grassland savannas of Southern Africa. It was recorded in southern Botswana, but only a few authentic records exist in Namibia, in southern Angola and in southern Zimbabwe. Due to its restricted distribution, it has been listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2002. The population is suspected to be declining due to poaching of prey species for human consumption as bushmeat, persecution, traffic accidents, and predation by herding dogs. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 2Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 3South African politician (from Tswana people)
Image 4Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)
Image 5SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 6Christ The King Cathedral (from Gaborone)
Image 7View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) (from Gaborone)
Image 8Botswana traditional baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 9The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 10Man on donkey herding goats in a dry river bed (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 11Tswana girl dressed in Leteisi (from Tswana people)
Image 12Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng (from Tswana people)
Image 13The Jwaneng diamond mine is the second biggest in the world today. (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 14A road in Gaborone (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 15Seretse Khama signing the oath of office to become Botswana's first President in 1966 (from History of Botswana)
Image 16Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 17St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 18Tourist resort at Kasane (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 19Tebogo Letsile, the 2024 Summer Olympics 200 metres gold medalist (from Tswana people)
Image 20Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 21Setswana traditional house (from Tswana people)
Image 22Batswana Men dressed in traditional attire in 1946 (from Tswana people)
Image 23Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 24Mokgweetsi Masisi speaking at a conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in 2018 (from History of Botswana)
Image 25Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 26Prehistoric cave paintings at Tsodilo (from History of Botswana)
Image 27Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 28King Khama (III) of Bamangwato (from Tswana people)
Image 29Duma Boko signing an agreement with the United States in 2025 (from History of Botswana)
Image 30Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 31Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 32 Tswana tribesmen, first Africans to compete at the Olympics (from Tswana people)
Image 33Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 34CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 35Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 36Botswana traditional house at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 37Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 38New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 39Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 40Festus Mogae alongside foreign presidents Joaquim Chissano, George W. Bush, and José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002 (from History of Botswana)
Image 41The Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, named after the first president of Botswana (from History of Botswana)
Image 42I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)
Image 43Orapa House (from Gaborone)
Image 44BR Express, the passenger train (from Francistown)
Image 45New CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 46Kombi (Minibus taxi) (from Gaborone)
Image 474th President of Botswana, King of Bamangwato (Khama IV) (from Tswana people)
Image 48I-Towers, Gaborone Central Business District (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 49Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 50Quett Masire visiting the United States in 1984 (from History of Botswana)
Image 51Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 52GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 53South African ANC activist, writer and author, (from Tswana people)
Image 54Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 55CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 56Rail network map of Botswana (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 57Graduation daggers that were given to Tswana Fighting Regiments (from Tswana people)
Image 58South African billionaire mining businessman, CAF President (from Tswana people)
Image 59King Molema of Barolong (from Tswana people)
Image 60Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 61Tswana Baskets (from Tswana people)
Image 62King Bathoen II 1947 of Bangwaketse (from Tswana people)
Image 63Ian Khama meeting with William Hague in London (from History of Botswana)
Image 64An 1865 portrait of Kgosi Sechele I in Ntsweng Bechuanaland (from Tswana people)
Image 65An illustration of a Tswana man and his wife in the early 1800s (from History of Botswana)
Image 66A 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 67Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 68Bechuanaland Boys cleaning Aa Guns in the Twilight after Action, Syracuse, Sicily, 1944 art piece by Leslie Cole (from History of Botswana)
Image 69Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 70A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 71Francistown Bus Terminal (from Francistown)
Image 72Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs building (from Gaborone)
Image 73Satellite view of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image. (from Gaborone)
Image 74Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene