World Country Guide

General Information

Area
581,730 sq km (224,607 sq miles).

Population
1,680,863 (2001).

Population Density
2.9 per sq km.

Capital
Gaborone. Population: 186,007 (2001).

Geography
Botswana is bordered to the south and east by South Africa, to the northeast by Zimbabwe, to the north and west by Namibia and touches Zambia just west of the Victoria Falls. The tableland of the Kalahari Desert covers most of Botswana. National parks cover 17 per cent of the country, with 38 per cent of the country dedicated to wildlife areas. To the northwest is the Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world. The Moremi Game Reserve occupies two-thirds of the delta’s area. The Chobe National Park in the north includes the Savute and Linyanti regions. To the far southwest is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, which ranges across the borders of Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, but is managed as a single entity. The majority of the population lives in the southeast around Gaborone, Serowe and Kanye along the South African border. The vast arid sandveld of the Kalahari occupies much of north, central and western Botswana. The seasonal rains bring a considerable difference to the vegetation, especially in the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Okavango Delta in the north. The latter, after the winter floods, provides one of the wildest and most beautiful nature reserves in Africa.

Government
Republic since 1966. Head of State and Government: President Festus Gontebanye Mogae since 1998.

Language
English is the official language. Setswana is the national language.

Religion
The majority of the population holds animistic beliefs, 30 per cent are Christian. There are small Muslim communities and the Bah’ Faith is also represented.

Time
GMT + 2.

Electricity
220-240 volts AC, 50Hz. 15- and 13-amp plug sockets are in use.

Communications

Telephone
IDD is available to over 80 countries. Country code: 267. Outgoing international code: 00. There are very few public phone boxes.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network. Local providers include Mascom Wireless (website: www.mascom.bw) and Orange Pty LTD (www.orange.co.bw). Coverage is limited to the main inhabited areas.

Fax
Widely available in urban areas, although there are very few facilities in wildlife areas.

Internet
Local ISPs include IBIS and Mega (website: www.mega.bw).

Telegram
There are facilities in Gaborone and other large centres (usually in major hotels and main post offices).

Post
There are post offices in all towns and the larger villages, open weekdays 0815-1245 and 1400-1600 and Sat 0800-1100. Services are slow but cheap. Airmail service to Europe takes from one to three weeks. There are post offices in all the main towns, although there are no deliveries and post must be collected from boxes.

Press
The daily newspaper is the Dikgang tsa Gompieno (Botswana Daily News), published in Setswana and English. Other English-language newspapers include The Botswana Gazette, The Botswana Guardian, The Midweek Sun and Mmegi (The Reporter), all published weekly.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.