Botswana

Locked between Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, splendid and yet unknown. Botswana is one of the most prosperous and calm countries on the African continent. From the massive Okavango Delta dotted with islets protecting thousands of birds, to national parks and nature reserves home to most of southern Africa’s species – large mammals and rare species like Buffon’s kob – to the gigantic Kalahari Desert, the land of the Tswana, the country’s majority ethnic group, is spectacular.

LANDMARK

Populations	1, 8 million persons.
Area	600 372 km2.
Capital City	Gaborone.
Town	Maun, Serowe.
High Point	Tsodilo Hills (1 489 m).
Desert	The Makgadikgadi (great salt desert), the Kalahari.
Lakes and Rivers	the Okavango and is the delta, The Limpopo River
Languages	Angalis, setswana, khoisan.
Religions	christian, muslim, hindu, animist.
Weather	Compare to France, plus one hour from November to March same time, April to October. UTC/GMT: +2.

Geography

Botswana, bordering Namibia in the west and north, South Africa in the south and south-east, and Zimbabwe in the east, is mostly a hilly plateau ranging from 510 meters to 1,489 meters in the Tsodilo Hills, northwest. The Kalahari Desert in the South West covers almost 70% of the country’s surface. It is a collection of rocky hills, dry salt marshes and thorn bushes. The Limpopo River Basin is the main land mass in all of southern Africa, including Botswana. The Okavango Delta, in the northwestern part of the country, is the second largest inland delta in the world with an area of 16,835 square kilometers. The Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt desert, is located in the North.Some areas of savannah and forest meet in the Northeast in the beautiful park of Chobe.

Climate

 Located in the southern hemisphere, straddling the Tropic of Capricorn, Botswana enjoys a semi-arid climate, it is far from any oceanic influence.

Winter	Summer
November to March	April to October
Hot temperatures Up to 40°C in January during the day	Excessive temperatures: 25°C during the day and very cold at night down to 0°C in July
Rainy season	Dry season

Economy

 Minerals, especially diamonds, have been the backbone of the economy since independence (1966), providing the country with an economic growth rate of around 4-5%. This sector accounts for 70 to 80% of foreign exchange earnings and about 40% of government revenue. This mining industry, the backbone of the economy, provides Botswana with a stable position to plan ahead for a more diverse economic future. The government of Botswana now attaches great importance to the tourism sector and opens its doors to tourism and hotel investors to refresh and encourage this activity which accounts for nearly
12% of GDP. Agriculture (only 1% of the land is cultivated) and livestock provide work for 80% of the population, but only 2% of the GDP.

Society

For 30,000 years, the San (“gatherers”, Bushmen or Bushmen), the little men with copper complexions and slant eyes, and the Khoi-Khoi (“men of men”) have lived in the territory of Botswana from herding and agriculture. Throughout their history, they have been victims of slavery and looting. Today, their culture is in decline and these original inhabitants of the region form only a small minority of the population (less than 100,000 people spread between Botswana, Angola, Namibia and South Africa) . ). Over the past three centuries, they have been exterminated by East African Bantus and, later, by white settlers; they continue to be marginalized.

 Today, Botswana is a new society with different languages and ethnicities. The population is of migratory origin, coming from neighboring countries or European countries. The Tswana, the country’s majority ethnic group, are called Batswana.

The country’s history

About 30,000 years ago, the San (Buchimans), followed by the Khoi-Khoi (Hottentots), arrived in the Kalahari, they are nomads. In the first and second centuries it was Bantu farmers and herders who settled, pushing the San into the Kalahari Desert; sedentary, they organize the first chiefdoms. It was not until the 14th century that the first Tswana-speaking tribe reached present day Transvaal. In the 18th century, the Bantu tribes separate peacefully, they are at the origin of large modern Tswana groups.

 Around the middle of the 17th century, Boer settlers of German, Dutch and French origin landed in the south of the continent and advanced north, evangelizing and enslaving the native populations. Taking advantage of the chaos in the region and the fear, the British answered the call of the Batswana
leaders.

 The Batswana, aware of the disadvantages of dispersal, come together in a highly structured society, opposing the incorporation of their ancestral lands into the fold of the Cape Colony; the nomadic and essentially pastoral Herero people fled German colonization in Namibia and settled in northwestern
Botswana.

In 1885, the country became a British protectorate attached to the colony of Cape Town. In 1889, after the Boer War, the English discovered diamonds in Kimberley. Gradually, Botswana moved towards self-determination and in 1966 gained independence, with Sir Seretse Khama as its first president.

Upon his death in 1980, Vice President Ketumile Masire took over; in power for 18years, he is considered the craftsman of the country. He retired voluntarily in 1998. According to the Constitution, it is still the vice-president, Festus Mogae, who succeeds him until March 2008. In 2000, the United Nations estimates that the country has the highest rate of world. world of adults with AIDS: 36%, one in four assets; the president launches an HIV prevention program.

The vice president and son of the country’s founder, Seretse Ian Khama, unelected but appointed after the president’s retirement, was sworn in as president on April 1, 2008. He was re-elected in October 2014.