Botswana

C

Plant and Animal Life

Savanna vegetation predominates in most parts of Botswana, and consists of grasslands interspersed with trees. Principal species include acacia, bloodwood (a type of eucalyptus), and Rhodesian teak. Small areas of forest are found in the northeast, near the border with Zambia. Swamp vegetation, including reeds and papyrus, grows in the wetlands of the northwest.

Botswana is noted for its large game reserves where animals run free. Botswana’s abundant wildlife, which draws many tourists to the country, includes lions, giraffes, leopards, antelopes, elephants, crocodiles, and ostriches. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a vast game reserve, spans the border between Botswana and South Africa. Parks and reserves in Botswana cover 30.2 percent of the total land area (2007). The Okavango Delta is one of the largest inland deltas in the world and provides habitat for elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippopotamuses, and crocodiles. About 550 bird species are found in Botswana.

D

Natural Resources

Large deposits of diamonds were discovered in Botswana shortly after it gained independence in 1966. The country’s other mineral resources include gold, silver, uranium, copper, nickel, coal, manganese, soda ash, asbestos, and salt.

E

Environmental Issues

Environmental problems include overgrazing of the land and desertification. Precipitation is irregular, and the country is prone to drought. A large irrigation and water storage project was planned for the northern part of the country during the 1980s, but environmental concerns and popular opposition led to the suspension of the project in 1992.

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Botswana has ratified international agreements on biodiversity, endangered species, the ozone layer, and climate change. The country has also signed treaties limiting trade in endangered animal species.

III

People of Botswana

Botswana had a total population of 1,842,323 in 2008, giving the country a population density of 3.1 persons per square kilometer. However, the population is unevenly distributed, with the majority of people living in the eastern part of the country. The rest of the country is thinly settled because it is so dry.

Botswana’s population was hit hard by one of the world’s highest rates of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In the early 2000s Botswana had the highest rates of HIV infection and AIDS in the world. The World Health Organization estimated that nearly 40 percent of people aged 15 to 49 were infected with HIV in Botswana. Deaths from AIDS accounted for a decline in the country’s population and greatly shortened life expectancy. As a result, the country’s population plunged into a negative growth rate. However, the prevalence of HIV infection subsequently decreased, especially among younger people, due to government-supported education, prevention, and treatment programs. The government made medical treatments freely available, including antiretroviral drugs that significantly decreased deaths due to AIDS and other drugs that reduced HIV transmission from infected mothers to their babies. As one indication of the success of the programs, considered the most advanced in Africa, the country’s population growth rate was 1.43 percent in 2008. Life expectancy at birth was 50.2 years, also a significant improvement.

The urban population of Botswana has increased rapidly, from 18 percent of the total in 1981 to 51 percent in 2003. Gaborone, the capital, is the largest city and main business center. Other business centers are Francistown, Selebi-Pikwe, Molepolole, Kanye, and Serowe.

Botswana received its name from the country’s principal ethnic group, the Tswana. Other ethnic groups include the Kgalagadi, Kalanga, and Basarwa. There are also a small number of San (Bushmen), who have inhabited the region for many centuries. The government has attempted to move the San from their ancestral reserves in the Kalahari, citing the cost of supplying them with water and other services. The San have resisted these attempts, claiming that they were being relocated to allow diamond prospectors to mine the land. Botswana also has small minorities of Europeans and Asians.

A

Religion and Language

About one half of the population practices traditional African religions; most of the remainder are Christians. English is the official language, but most of the people speak Setswana, the language of the Tswana. It belongs to the Sotho subgroup of Bantu languages. Setswana is used throughout the country and is a mother tongue for the majority of the population.

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