NET MIGRATION RATE: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1989)
INFANT MORTALITY RATE: 63 deaths/1,000 live births (1989)
LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH: 56 years male, 62 years female (1989)
TOTAL FERTILITY RATE: 6.6 children born/woman (1989)
NATIONALITY: noun and adjective--Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
ETHNIC DIVISIONS: 95% Batswana; about 4% Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi; about 1% white
RELIGION: 50% indigenous beliefs, 50% Christian
LANGUAGE: English (official), Setswana
LITERACY: 24% in English, 35% in Tswana (est.); less than 1% secondary school graduates
LABOR FORCE: 400,000; 163,000 formal sector employees, most others are engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1988 est.); 40,000 formal sector employees spend at least six to nine months per year as wage earners in South Africa (1980)
ORGANIZED LABOR: 16 trade unions
.GOVERNMENT OF BOTSWANA
LONG-FORM NAME: Republic of Botswana
TYPE: parliamentary republic
CAPITAL: Gaborone
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: 10 districts; Central, Chobe, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Ngamiland, North-East, South-East, Southern; note--in addition, there may now be 4 town councils named Francistown, Gaborone, Lobaste, Selebi-Pikwe
INDEPENDENCE: 30 September 1966 (from UK; formerly Bechuanaland)
CONSTITUTION: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
LEGAL SYSTEM: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Botswana Day, 30 September (1966)
BRANCHES: executive--president appoints and presides over cabinet, which is responsible to National Assembly; bicameral legislature (National Assembly with 34 popularly elected members and four members elected by the 34 representatives; House of Chiefs with deliberative powers only); judicial--local courts administer customary law, High Court and subordinate courts have criminal jurisdiction over all residents, Court of Appeal has appellate jurisdiction
CHIEFS OF STATE AND HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Quett K. J. MASIRE (since 13 July 1980); Vice President Peter S. MMUSI (since 3 January 1983)
SUFFRAGE: universal at age 21
ELECTIONS: general election held 8 September 1984
POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Quett Masire; Botswana National Front (BNF), Kenneth Koma; Botswana People's Party (BPP), Knight Maripe; Botswana Independence Party (BIP), Motsamai Mpho; Botswana Progressive Union, Daniel Kwele
DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION: Ambassador-Designate Botsweletse Kingsley SEBELE; Chancery at Suite 404, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-4990 or 4991
U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE POST: Ambassador John F. KORDEK; Embassy at Botswana Road, Gaborone (mailing address is P. O. Box 90, Gaborone); telephone [267] 353982 through 353984
FLAG: light blue with a horizontal, white-edged black stripe in the center
.ECONOMY OF BOTSWANA
OVERVIEW: The economy has historically been based on cattle raising and crops. Agriculture today provides a livelihood for over 80% of the population, but produces only about 50% of food needs and contributes a small 5% to GDP. The driving force behind the rapid economic growth of the 1970s and 1980s has been the mining industry. This sector, mostly on the strength of diamonds, has gone from generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to over 50% in 1988. No other sector has experienced such growth, especially not that of the agricultural sector, which is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. The unemployment rate remains a problem at 25%. A scarce resource base limits diversification into labor-intensive industries.
GDP: $1.5 billion, per capita $1,310 (1987); real growth rate 8.4% (FY88)
INFLATION RATE (CONSUMER PRICES): 8.5% (1988)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 25% (1987)
BUDGET: revenues $1,235 million; expenditures $1,080 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY90 est.)
EXPORTS: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities-- diamonds 88%, copper and nickel 5%, meat 4%, cattle, animal products; partners-- Switzerland, US, UK, other EC-associated members of Southern African Customs Union
IMPORTS: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities-- foodstuffs, vehicles, textiles, petroleum products; partners-- Switzerland, US, UK, other EC-associated members of Southern African Customs Union
EXTERNAL DEBT: $428 million (December 1988)
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION: growth rate 16.8% (FY86)
ELECTRICITY: 207,000 kW capacity; 631 million kWh produced, 510 kWh per capita (1988)
INDUSTRIES: livestock processing; mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash; tourism
AGRICULTURE: accounts for only 5% of GDP; 80% of population live on the land; subsistence farming predominates; cattle raising supports 50% of the population; must import large share of food needs
AID: NA
CURRENCY: pula (plural--pula); 1 pula (P) = 100 thebe
EXCHANGE RATES: pula (P) per US$1--1.855 (February 1990), 1.9088 (1988), 1.8159 (1988), 1.6779 (1987), 1.8678 (1986), 1.8882 (1985)
FISCAL YEAR: 1 April-31 March
.COMMUNICATIONS IN BOTSWANA
RAILROADS: 712 km (442 mi) 1.0 67-meter gauge
HIGHWAYS: 11,514 km (7,150 mi) total; 1,600 km paved; 1,700 km crushed stone or gravel, 5,177 km improved earth, 3,037 km unimproved earth
CIVIL AIR: 4 major transport aircraft
AIRPORTS: 101 total, 90 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 24 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: the small system is a combination of open-wire lines, radio relay links, and a few radiocommunication stations; 17,900 telephones; stations--2 AM, 3 FM, no TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
.DEFENSE FORCES OF BOTSWANA
BRANCHES: Army, Air Wing, Botswana Police
MILITARY MANPOWER: males 15-49, 235,780; 124,073 fit for military service; 13,962 reach military age (18) annually
MILITARY BUDGET: NA
.TRAVEL IN BOTSWANA
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Passport required. Visa not required for stay up to 90 days. Visitors staying longer should apply for residence permit from Immigration Department in Gaborone. Vaccination certificate not required.
HEALTH: Tapwater is potable in the major towns. Check before swimming in lakes or rivers; bilharzia is prevalent. Hepatitis is a problem in urban areas. Health requirements change; check latest information.
TOURIST OFFICE: Department of Tourism, Private Bag 0047, Gaborone; Tel 353024, 313314.
WEATHER AND CLOTHING: Light, summer apparel is appropriate from October to May. Fall or spring clothing is suitable the rest of the year.
TELEPHONE: When direct dialing to Botswana from the U.S., dial 011 (international access code) + 267 [country code] + local number.
TIME: 7 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time, and 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
ELECTRIC CURRENT: 220V
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: Roughly 16% of Botswana is parkland. Chobe National Park and Moremi Wildlife Reserve are superb. Hotel facilities are comfortable in all major centers.
IMPORTANT!! All requirements/recommendations are subject to change. Be sure to check latest information.
