Background:
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| Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease. |
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Location:
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| Southern Africa, north of South Africa
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 00 S, 24 00 E
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 581,730 sq km
country comparison to the world: 54
land:
566,730 sq km
water:
15,000 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Texas
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,013 km
border countries:
Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked)
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Climate:
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semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
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Terrain:
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predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point:
Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m
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Natural resources:
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diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.65%
permanent crops:
0.01%
other:
99.34% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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10 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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14.7 cu km (2001)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 0.19 cu km/yr (41%/18%/41%)
per capita:
107 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
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Environment - current issues:
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overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country |
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Population:
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| 1,990,876
country comparison to the world: 147
note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 34.8% (male 352,399/female 340,058)
15-64 years:
61.4% (male 613,714/female 608,003)
65 years and over:
3.9% (male 31,155/female 45,547) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 21.7 years
male:
21.5 years
female:
21.9 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.937% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
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Birth rate:
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22.89 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
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Death rate:
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8.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
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Net migration rate:
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5 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 21
note:
there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 60% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.68 male(s)/female
total population:
1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 12.59 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 141
male:
13.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
11.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 61.85 years
country comparison to the world: 178
male:
61.72 years
female:
61.99 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.6 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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23.9% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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300,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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11,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
malaria (2009)
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Nationality:
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noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective:
Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
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Ethnic groups:
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Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
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Religions:
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Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)
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Languages:
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Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
81.2%
male:
80.4%
female:
81.8% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 12 years
male:
12 years
female:
12 years (2005)
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Education expenditures:
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8.7% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 10
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