A capital is Gaborone and the more major towns come Francistown, Gweta, Kasane, Kazangula, Maun, Ghanzi, Nata, Serowe and Shakawe.

Geography

Botswana is dominated per Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of the land surface of the united states.

Economy

Since independence, Botswana has experienced a fastest incubation within per capita income in the world. Economic growth averaged over 9% by the month from either 1966 to 1999. The government has maintained a healthy fiscal policy, despite consecutive budget deficits in 2002 & 2003, and the negligible level of foreign debt. It earned a greatest sovereign credit rating in Africa and has stockpiled foreign exchange reserves (over $5.1 billion around 2003/2004) amounting to most two & one half years of todays imports. Botswana's telling economic record has been build upon the foundation of sagely applying revenue generated from either diamond mining to fuel economic development through prudent financial policies & the cautious foreign policy. Debswana, the merely diamond mining company operating in Botswana, is 50 % owned per government & generates astir half of completely government income.

Still, economic development disbursal was cut by 10 % within 2002-2003 following of recurring budget deficits & rising expenditure in healthcare services. Botswana has been hit super arduous per AIDS epidemic. More or less of these within troika Botswanans keep close at hand HIV, returning Botswana a 2nd greatest HIV illness rate in the globe when Swaziland [http://www.avert.org/aidsbotswana.htm]. The food and drug administration recognizes that HIV/AIDS will affect a economy & is providing leadership & software online to combat the epidemic, including free anti-retroviral treatment and a united states-countrywide Bar of Mother-to-Tyke Transmission program.

Occasionally of Botswana's budget deficits may be traced to comparatively high military expenditures (of about 4% of GDP within 2004, based on data from a CIA Globe Factbook), which a select few critics contend is unneeded given a moo likeliness of international conflict (though a Botswana government as well makes have one troops for many-sided operations & assistance efforts).

Private sector development and foreign investment
Botswanthe tries to farther diversify its economy out of minerals, which account for a third of GDP, down from either about half of GDP in the early 1990's. Foreign investment & management come welcomed around Botswana. Botswanthe abolished foreign exchange controls within 1999, has the moo corporate tax rate (15%), there is no prohibitions in foreign ownership of corporations, & a moderate rate of inflation (Seven.6% November 2004). The food & drug administration of Botswanthe is presently shopping for extra policies to enhance fight, including a fresh Foreign Direct Investment Strategy, Competition Policy, Privatization Master Project, and National Export Development Strategy.

Using its proved record of adept economic governance, Botswana wwhen ranked as Africa's least corrupt united states by Transparency International in 2004, ahead of many European & Asian countries. The World Economic Forum rates Botswana when one of them virtually all economically competitory nations within Africa. Within 2004 Botswana was over again assigned "A" grade credit ratings by Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's. This ranks Botswana when by far a better credit chance inside Africa & puts it inside par or even above numerous countries in central Europe, East Asia, & Latin Us.

U.S. investment within Botswana remains at comparatively sale levels, however continues to develop. Major U.S. corporations, such as H.J. Heinz and AON Corporation, are present through direct investments, while others, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Remax, are present via franchise. A sovereign credit ratings by Moody's & Standard & Poor's clearly indicate that, despite continued challenges such as small market size, landlocked location, and cumbersome bureaucratic processes, Botswana remains one of the best investment opportunities in the developing world. Botswanthe has a 90-member Our contries Business Council that accepts membership from either Western-affiliated corporations.

Because of history & geographics, Botswana has yearn got deep ties to the economy of South Africa. A Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), comprised of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, & South Africa, dates from either 1910, and is the globe’s oldest customs union. Under this arrangement, South Africa has collected levies from customs, sales, and excise tax duties for 100% 5 members, sharing retired return according to to each one united states's part important. A accurate formula for sharing revenues & a guide-making authority above duties — held entirely per Government of South Africa — became progressively controversial, & a members renegotiated a arrangement within 2001. the fresh structure has currently been formally ratified & a SACU Secretariat has been established inside Windhoek, Namibia. As punishment South Africa's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Botswana also occurs as member, numbers of of the SACU duties come declining, making Western products additional competitory inside Botswana. Presently the SACU countries & a U.s.a. come negotiating a yours free! trade agreement. Botswanthe is presently as well negotiating a free streaming trade agreement by having Mercosur and an Economic Partnership Agreement with a European Union as part of SADC.

Botswana's currency — a Pula — is fully exchangeable & is valued against a basket of currencies heavy weighted toward the South African Rand. Success & straight investment may be repatriated while forgoing restriction from either Botswana. A Botswana Government eliminated entirely exchange controls within 1999. A Telephone exchange Bank devalued a Pula by Heptad.5% around February 2004 within the bid to maintain exportation fight against the very appreciation of the Pula. There was the farther 12% devalution within Will 2005 & the policy of a "crawling peg" was adopted.

Gaborone is host to the headquarters of the Fourteen united states Southern African Development Community (SADC), a successor to the Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference (SADCC-launched in 1980), which focused its efforts in freeing regional economic development from either dependence in apartheid South Africa. SADC embraced the new popular South Africa as a member inside 1994 & has a wide mandate to encourage incubation, development, & economic integration around Southern Africa. SADC's Trade Protocol, which was launched in September One, 2000, calls for a elimination of a lot duty & non-tariff barriers to trade by 2008 among the Eleven signer countries. Whenever successful, it may give Botswana corporations loose access to the far big regional market. SADC's failure to few feet away itself from either a Mugabe government in Zimbabwe has diminished a total of chance for cooperation between the America & SADC.

Transport and communications
a sparsely populated, semi-arid united states just about the size of Texas, Botswana has nonetheless managed to incorporate tremendously of its interior into a national economy. An "inner circle" main road connecting wholly major towns & zone upper case is totally paved, & a a lot-weather Trans-Kalahari Highway connects the united states (&, across it, South Africa's commercially dominant Gauteng Province) to Walvis Bay in Namibia. The fiber-optic telecommunications network has been completed in Botswana connecting totally major people centers. Around November, 2003 representatives of Botswana, Namibia & South Africa signed an MOU to simplify documentation to move load to & from either a Port of Walvis Bay inside Namibia.

Additionally to the government-owned newspaper & national radio network, there exists an active, independent click (septet every week newspapers). 2 privately owned radio stations began operations inside 1999. Around 2000, the food and drug administration-owned Botswana Television (BTV) was launched, which is Botswana's foremost national tv station. GBC occurs as commercially owned tv station that broadcast software download to the Gaborone metropolitan area sole. Foreign publications come sold while forgoing restriction inside Botswana, & there are Eighteen commercial Internet service providers. Both cellular phone providers handle virtually all of the united states.

Defense

A president is commander inside chief of the Botswana Defense Inflict (BDF). The defense council is appointed per president. A BDF was formed inside 1977 & has some 12,000 members.

A BDF occurs as capable & easily-disciplined force. Ensuing caring political changes inside South Africa & a region, a BDF's missions st& progressively focused in anti-poaching activities, disaster-preparedness, and foreign peacekeeping. the United States has been a big only contributor to the development of the BDF, & a big section of its officer corps has received U.S. how to videos. These are considered an unpolitical & sales person institution.

Foreign relations

Botswanthe puts a premium inside economic & political integration in Southern Africa. It tries to produce SADC a working vehicle for economic development, & promotes efforts to produce the vicinity self-policing within terms of preventive diplomacy, conflict guide, & proficient governance. It has welcomed post-apartheid South Africa as a partner inside these efforts. Botswana joins a African consensus in virtually all major international matters & occurs as member of international organizations like a United Nations and the African Union (AU).

Demographics

Culture

Watch as well: List of writers from Botswana, Art of Botswana

Main population centres (in descending order)
Towns: Gaborone Francistown

Villages: Molepolole Selebi-Phikwe Maun Serowe Kanye Mahalapye Mochudi Mogoditshane Lobatse Palapye Tlokweng Ramotswa Thamaga Moshupa Tonota Jwaneng

Education

Miscellaneous topics

Communications in Botswana Foreign relations of Botswana History of Botswana List of Botswanan companies Military of Botswana Transportation in Botswana

Botswana in literature

Botswanthe forms a setting for a series of popular detective novel by Alexander McCall Smith. Their protagonist, Precious Ramotswe, sleep in Gaborone. A number one novel in the series, ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'' appeared in 1998 in the UK (and 2001 in US). A weak-lightsome books come appreciated for their person interest & local colour.

The extra literary choice would be a books of Bessie Head, a writer world health organization fled a apartheid regime within South Africa to survive & write all about Botswana.