Gaborone

CAPITAL CITY OF Botswana: Gaborone
LANGUAGE OF Botswana: English
CURRENCY OF Botswana: Pula (BWP)
COMMENTS ABOUT Botswana: Botswana is a country located in Southern Africa. Botswana is famous for its wildlife, areas like the Chobe National Park, Moremi National Park in the Okavango Delta and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve have a very high concentration of game.
Cities: Gaborone (Capital), Jwaneng, Kanye, Letlhakane, Lobatse, Mahalapye, Maun, Mochudi, Mogoditshane, Molepolole, Moshupa, Orapa, Palapye, Selebi-Phikwe, Ramotswa, Serowe, Thamaga, Tlokweng, Tonota
Calling code : +267
Time zone : CAT (UTC+2)
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.
CLIMATE OF Botswana: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
RELIGION OF Botswana: Indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15%
POPULATION OF Botswana: 1,561,973 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 2004 est.)>>
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Botswana: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $8,800 in 2003. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for nine-tenths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. Long-term prospects are overshadowed by the expected leveling off in diamond mining production.