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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: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 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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1,815,508
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 35.8% (male 330,377/female 319,376)
15-64 years: 60.3% (male 549,879/female 545,148)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 28,725/female 42,003) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 20.9 years
male: 20.7 years
female: 21.1 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.503% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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23.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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5.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.009 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.684 male(s)/female
total population: 1.003 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 43.97 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 45.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 50.58 years
male: 51.55 years
female: 49.58 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.73 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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37.3% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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350,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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33,000 (2003 est.)
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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 (2007)
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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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This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
