Botswana
Name
| Official name | Republic of Botswana — Lefatshe la Botswana |
|---|---|
| Former name | Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1885–1966 |
| Demonym | Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural); the adjective Botswana |
| Meaning of the name | "The land of the Tswana" — Botswana in Setswana; Bechuanaland was the colonial spelling of the same word |
| Motto | "Pula" — rain |
Quick facts
| Capital | Gaborone — a planned capital built from 1964 for independence; about 250,000 people; Francistown the second city |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, and Setswana as the national language — spoken by about 80%; Kalanga, Sekgalagadi, Shona and the Khoisan languages among some 26 others |
| Currency | Pula — ISO code BWP, P; 1 pula = 100 thebe; introduced 1976; issued by the Bank of Botswana; "rain" and "shield" in Setswana |
| Time zone | Central Africa Time, UTC+2, all year |
| Calling code | +267 |
| Internet domain | .bw |
| ISO 3166 codes | BW · BWA · 072 |
| Vehicle registration code | BW |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types D, G and M |
| Independence | 30 September 1966, from the United Kingdom |
| National days | 30 September and 1 October, Botswana Day; 1 July, Sir Seretse Khama Day; the third Monday and Tuesday of July, Presidents' Day |
| Constitution | 30 September 1966 — in force unbroken since independence |
| Population | 2,359,609 at the census of 2022; about 2.6 million (World Bank, 2025) |
| Area | 581,730 km² (224,607 sq mi) — land 566,730 km², water 15,000 km²; landlocked; a little smaller than Texas |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A field of sky blue for rain, cut by a black band framed in white for people of every color living as one — designed for independence in 1966 as an answer to apartheid next door, with neither pan-African nor party colors; unchanged since, and a protected emblem that needs permission to fly.Flag of Botswana |
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| Coat of arms | A shield of three cogwheels, three blue waves and a bull's head, supported by two zebras — one with an elephant's tusk, one with a stalk of sorghum — over the motto Pula; granted 25 January 1966, after designs by Isabel Fawcus |
| National anthem | "Fatshe leno la rona" ("Blessed Be This Noble Land") — by Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete; adopted 1966 |
| National motto | "Pula" — rain, and with it blessing, hope and prosperity; the greeting at every gathering |
| National colors | Sky blue, black and white |
| National animal | The zebra — the supporter of the arms; designated |
| National bird | The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), the heaviest flying bird — designated |
| National plant | Sorghum — the grain on the arms; widely cited |
| National dish | Seswaa — pounded slow-cooked beef — with bogobe porridge; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms, anthem and motto are fixed by the Emblems law and the Constitution; the zebra and kori bustard are designated; the plant and dish are widely cited |
Geography
| Location | Southern Africa — landlocked, north of South Africa, on the plateau of the Kalahari |
|---|---|
| Land borders | 4,347 km (2,701 mi) with four countries |
| Border with South Africa | 1,969 km (1,223 mi) — the Limpopo and the Molopo |
| Border with Namibia | 1,544 km (959 mi) — including the Caprivi Strip along the Chobe; the Sedudu island dispute settled by the ICJ in 1999 |
| Border with Zimbabwe | 834 km (518 mi) |
| Border with Zambia | 150 m (490 ft) — the shortest international border in the world, in the Zambezi at Kazungula, where four countries nearly meet; a bridge since 2021 |
| Coastline | None — landlocked |
| Highest point | Manyelanong (Monalanong) Hill, about 1,494 m (4,900 ft), near Otse in the southeast; the Tsodilo Hills, 1,489 m, long cited |
| Lowest point | The junction of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, 513 m (1,683 ft) |
| Mean elevation | 1,013 m (3,323 ft) — a tableland |
| The Kalahari | The sands cover about 70% of the country — a semi-desert of grass and thorn, not dune |
| The Okavango Delta | About 15,000 km² (5,800 sq mi) at flood — the Okavango River ending in the Kalahari sands, one of the largest inland deltas in the world; a World Heritage site since 2014 |
| The Makgadikgadi Pans | About 16,000 km² (6,200 sq mi) of salt pans — among the largest on Earth, the bed of a vanished lake |
| Major rivers | The Okavango, the Chobe and the Limpopo on the borders; the Boteti and the Molopo — most of the interior has none |
| Climate | Semiarid — warm winters, hot summers; the rains of November to March, and drought |
| Natural hazards | Drought above all; seasonal winds of the Kalahari |
| Natural resources | Diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 46%, almost all pasture; arable under 1%; forest about 20% |
| Wildlife | About 130,000 elephants — the largest population in the world — in Chobe and the north; about 40% of the land protected as parks, reserves and wildlife areas |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 2 — the Tsodilo Hills, with some 4,500 rock paintings (2001); the Okavango Delta (2014), inscribed as the 1,000th World Heritage site |
| Administrative divisions | 10 districts — Central, Chobe, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, North-East, North-West, South-East and Southern — with the city and town councils of Gaborone, Francistown, Lobatse, Selebi-Phikwe, Jwaneng and Sowa |
People
| Population | 2,359,609 (census of 2022); about 2.6 million (World Bank, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 4 per km² (10 per sq mi) — among the lowest in the world |
| Population growth | About 1.5% a year |
| Median age | About 26 years |
| Life expectancy | 69 years (2024, World Bank) — up from 55 in 2006 as antiretroviral treatment took hold |
| Fertility rate | About 2.6 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 73% |
| Adult literacy | About 89% |
| Ethnic groups | Tswana about 79%, Kalanga about 11%, Basarwa (San) about 3%, others including Kgalagadi, Herero and white Batswana |
| Languages | Setswana about 78%, Sekalanga about 8%, Shekgalagadi, English about 3% as a home language; English the language of government and school |
| Religion | Christian about 79%, traditional beliefs about 4%, none about 15% (2011 census) |
| HIV | About one adult in five lives with HIV — among the highest rates in the world — under one of Africa's earliest and most complete treatment programs, free since 2002 |
| Largest towns | Gaborone, Francistown, Molepolole, Maun, Mogoditshane, Serowe, Selebi-Phikwe, Kanye |
| Human Development Index | 0.731 (2023 data, 2025 report) — high |
Government
| Form of government | Parliamentary republic — the president chosen by the National Assembly, head of state and government |
|---|---|
| President | Duma Boko (UDC), since 1 November 2024 — a human-rights lawyer, Harvard-trained; inaugurated 8 November 2024 |
| The 2024 election | Held 30 October 2024: the Umbrella for Democratic Change 36 of 61 elected seats, the Botswana Congress Party 15, the Botswana Patriotic Front 5, the Botswana Democratic Party 4 — the BDP's first defeat since 1966; Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded the next morning |
| Vice President | Ndaba Gaolathe (Alliance for Progressives) |
| Parliament | The National Assembly — 61 elected members, up to 6 specially elected, the president and the attorney general ex officio; the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, the House of Chiefs, advises |
| Opposition | Dumelang Saleshando (BCP), Leader of the Opposition |
| Legal system | Roman-Dutch and English common law, with customary law; a Court of Appeal and High Court |
| Predecessors | Seretse Khama (1966–80), Quett Masire (1980–98), Festus Mogae (1998–2008), Ian Khama (2008–18), Mokgweetsi Masisi (2018–24) |
| Democracy | Elections every five years since 1965 without interruption — the longest continuous multi-party democracy in Africa |
| Defense | The Botswana Defence Force, formed 1977 |
| United Nations | Member since 17 October 1966 |
| Regional memberships | SADC — its secretariat sits in Gaborone; the Southern African Customs Union (a founder, 1910/1969); the African Union; the Commonwealth |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$19 billion (2025, IMF) — down from about US$21 billion in 2023 with the fall in diamond prices |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$7,300 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$17,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | A contraction of about 3% in 2024 and again in 2025 as diamond sales fell — the deepest slump since independence outside the pandemic |
| Economy by sector | Services about 60%, mining about 20%, other industry about 15%, agriculture under 2% |
| Currency | Pula (BWP), pegged to a basket of the rand and the SDR |
| Diamonds | About 80–90% of exports and a third of government revenue — Debswana, the 50–50 venture with De Beers, mines Jwaneng, the richest diamond mine in the world by value, and Orapa; a new ten-year sales agreement with De Beers from 2025 |
| Beef and tourism | Cattle outnumber people; tourism — the Okavango, Chobe and the Kalahari — the second earner |
| Trade partners | Belgium, the UAE and India for diamonds; South Africa for almost everything imported |
| Public finances | Deficits since 2023 as revenue fell; the Pula Fund, the sovereign wealth fund built on diamonds since 1994 |
| Income classification | Upper-middle income (World Bank) — from one of the poorest countries at independence |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone; Maun, the gateway to the Okavango, among the busiest airports in Africa by movements in season |
|---|---|
| Airline | Air Botswana, the national carrier, since 1988 |
| Railways | About 890 km (550 mi) — the line from South Africa through Gaborone and Francistown to Zimbabwe, built 1897 |
| Roads | About 31,000 km (19,000 mi); the Trans-Kalahari Highway from Namibia to South Africa across the desert |
| The Kazungula Bridge | Opened 10 May 2021 across the Zambezi to Zambia — road and rail, 923 m (3,028 ft), at the quadripoint |
| Waterways | None navigable — the Okavango by mokoro canoe |
History in dates
| c. 1000 | Tswana-speaking peoples settle the eastern plateau; the rock art of Tsodilo far older |
|---|---|
| 1885 | The Bechuanaland Protectorate proclaimed, 31 March, at the request of the Tswana chiefs |
| 1895 | The three chiefs — Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen I — travel to London and keep the Protectorate out of Rhodes's company |
| 1948 | Seretse Khama marries Ruth Williams in London — the marriage that led to his exile from the chieftainship |
| 1965 | The first general election, 1 March; self-government |
| 1966 | Independence, 30 September; Seretse Khama president |
| 1967 | Diamonds found at Orapa |
| 1980 | Quett Masire succeeds Khama, 18 July |
| 1982 | Jwaneng mine opens |
| 1999 | The ICJ awards Sedudu island to Botswana |
| 2014 | The Okavango Delta the 1,000th World Heritage site, 22 June |
| 2021 | The Kazungula Bridge opens, 10 May |
| 2024 | The UDC wins the election of 30 October — the first change of governing party; Duma Boko president, 1 November |
Records & firsts
| Africa's longest democracy | Uninterrupted multi-party elections since 1965 |
|---|---|
| The most elephants | About 130,000 — more than any other country |
| The richest diamond mine | Jwaneng, by value |
| The shortest border | About 150 m with Zambia, at Kazungula |
| The 1,000th World Heritage site | The Okavango Delta, 2014 |
| The largest salt pans | Makgadikgadi — among the largest on Earth |
| A capital built for independence | Gaborone, planned from 1964 |
| The heaviest flying bird | The kori bustard, the national bird |
| From poorest to upper-middle income | The fastest sustained growth in the world, 1966–2000 |
| A flag that needs permission | A protected emblem, flown by leave of the President's office |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Botswana?
The Republic of Botswana — Lefatshe la Botswana in Setswana. The name means "the land of the Tswana," the people who make up most of the population; the country was the Bechuanaland Protectorate under British rule from 1885 to 1966, and its people are Batswana (one Motswana).
What is the capital of Botswana?
Gaborone, in the southeast near the South African border — a planned capital built from 1964 for independence, since the Protectorate had been run from Mafeking outside its own borders. It has about 250,000 people; Francistown, in the northeast, is the second city.
How big is Botswana, and how many people live there?
About 581,730 km² (224,607 sq mi) — a little smaller than Texas — landlocked between South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The census of 2022 counted 2.36 million people; the World Bank estimates about 2.6 million for 2025. At about 4 people per km² it is among the least densely populated countries on Earth, and most of the land is Kalahari.
What are the highest and lowest points of Botswana?
Manyelanong Hill — also spelled Monalanong — at about 1,494 m (4,900 ft) near Otse in the southeast is the highest point; the Tsodilo Hills, 1,489 m, were long cited instead. The lowest point is the junction of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, 513 m (1,683 ft). The whole country is a plateau, with a mean elevation of 1,013 m.
What currency does Botswana use?
The pula (ISO code BWP, P), divided into 100 thebe — pula is the Setswana word for rain and the national motto, thebe the word for shield. It was introduced in 1976, replacing the South African rand. Clocks keep Central Africa Time, UTC+2, all year.
Who governs Botswana?
President Duma Boko of the Umbrella for Democratic Change, in office since 1 November 2024 after his coalition won 36 of the 61 elected seats on 30 October 2024 — ending the Botswana Democratic Party's rule since independence in 1966, the first change of governing party in the country's history, accepted overnight by the outgoing president. Ndaba Gaolathe is vice president. The president is both head of state and head of government, chosen by the National Assembly.
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