Portal:Botswana

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Coat of Arms of Botswana	Flag of Botswana

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Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, who constitute nearly 80 percent of the population.

The Tswana ethnic group are descended mainly from Bantu-speaking peoples who migrated into southern Africa, including modern Botswana, in several waves before AD 600. In 1885, the British colonised the area and declared a protectorate named Bechuanaland. As part of the decolonisation of Africa, Bechuanaland became an independent Commonwealth republic under its current name on 30 September 1966. Since then, it has been a parliamentary republic with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections, although the Botswana Democratic Party was the only ruling party from independence until 2024. As of 2024^[update], Botswana is the third-least corrupt country in Africa, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

The economy is dominated by mining and tourism. Botswana has a per capita GDP (purchasing power parity) of about $20,158 as of 2024^[update]. Botswana is the world's biggest diamond-producing country. Its relatively high gross national income per capita (by some estimates the fourth-largest in Africa) gives the country a relatively high standard of living and the second-highest Human Development Index of continental Sub-Saharan Africa (after South Africa). Despite this, Botswana continues to grapple with high unemployment rates. Botswana is a member of the Southern African Customs Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. (Full article...)

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The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Land Problems in Mogoditshane and Other Peri-Urban Villages, also known as the Kgabo Commission, was a 1991 commission of inquiry established by the government of Botswana. It was created to investigate allegations that illegal sale and purchase of land was taking place in peri-urban villages such as Mogoditshane without the authorisation of land boards. Englishman Kgabo was appointed as its chairman. It published its findings and recommendations in the Kgabo Report, which found that due to housing shortages and a failure of the land board system, most land sales in Mogoditshane were unauthorised.

The commission caused a major political scandal when it implicated Vice-President Peter Mmusi and Minister of Agriculture Daniel Kwelagobe, both of whom held leadership positions in the dominant Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). They resigned from their positions, but the party reelected them as party leaders in the subsequent congress. The accusations against Mmusi and Kwelagobe were declared void by the High Court of Botswana because they were not granted a hearing to defend themselves. The scandal prompted two factions to form within the party, those who supported Mmusi and Kwelagobe and those who opposed them, and these factions dominated politics in Botswana for the next two decades. (Full article...)

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Unity Dow

... that in Botswana, writer Unity Dow (pictured) took legal actions as a plaintiff, legal counsellor, and judge to challenge gender discrimination and protect indigenous rights, before becoming a legislator?

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This is a good article, A-class article, featured list, or featured article, one of Wikipedia’s best work.

Leon-Eline at peak intensity during landfall in Mozambique on 22 February

Intense Tropical Cyclone Leon–Eline was the second longest-lived cyclone in the Indian Ocean, behind Cyclone Freddy, traveling over 11,000 km (6,800 mi) during its 29-day track through the Indian Ocean, throughout the month of February. The cyclone formed on 1 February 2000, in the Australian basin as Tropical Cyclone Leon, and was renamed Eline after crossing 90° E into the South-West Indian Ocean; there, the Météo-France office in Réunion (MFR) tracked the storm's movement and intensity. Late on 17 February, Eline made landfall near Mahanoro, Madagascar, with 10‑minute winds of 165 km/h (103 mph). The storm rapidly weakened over land, but restrengthened in the Mozambique Channel to reach peak 10‑minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph), making it an intense tropical cyclone. On 22 February, Eline made landfall about 80 km (50 mi) south of Beira, Mozambique, near peak intensity. Eline quickly weakened over land as it moved across Southern Africa, finally dissipating over eastern Namibia on 29 February.

While moving across much of the Indian Ocean, Eline brought high waves, gusty winds, and rainfall to several islands. When Eline struck Madagascar, the country was in the midst of a cholera epidemic that killed over 1,000 people. Eline directly killed at least 64 people in the country. Tropical Storm Gloria struck Madagascar 13 days later, compounding the damage and making it difficult to discern the individual effects. Damage from Eline was estimated at $9 million (USD), and collectively the two storms killed 205 people and left another 10,000 homeless. In the region around Vatomandry where Eline made landfall, 65% of houses were damaged, 90% of crops were lost, and 75% of health facilities were wrecked. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Botswana-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Man on donkey herding goats in a dry river bed (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 2A road in Gaborone (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 3New CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 4Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 5Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 6Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 7A 1960 stamp of the Bechuanaland Protectorate featuring images of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II, the first and last British monarchs of the protectorate (from History of Botswana)
Image 8Prehistoric cave paintings at Tsodilo (from History of Botswana)
Image 9An 1865 portrait of Kgosi Sechele I in Ntsweng Bechuanaland (from Tswana people)
Image 10CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 11Mokgweetsi Masisi speaking at a conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in 2018 (from History of Botswana)
Image 12Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 13Kombi (Minibus taxi) (from Gaborone)
Image 14Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 15Botswana traditional baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 16Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 17Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)
Image 18Tswana Baskets (from Tswana people)
Image 19Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 20Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 21Rail network map of Botswana (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 22Satellite View of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image. (from Gaborone)
Image 23Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene
Image 24Tourist resort at Kasane (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 25St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 26Botswana traditional house at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 27Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 28Francistown Bus Terminal (from Francistown)
Image 29Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 30Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 31CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 32Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 33Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 34Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 35Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 36Festus Mogae alongside foreign presidents Joaquim Chissano, George W. Bush, and José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002 (from History of Botswana)
Image 37SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 38An illustration of a Tswana man and his wife in the early 1800s (from History of Botswana)
Image 39BR Express, the passenger train (from Francistown)
Image 40GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 41View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) (from Gaborone)
Image 42Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 43Bechuanaland Boys cleaning Aa Guns in the Twilight after Action, Syracuse, Sicily, 1944 art piece by Leslie Cole (from History of Botswana)
Image 44Graduation daggers that were given to Tswana Fighting Regiments (from Tswana people)
Image 45Madila sour cultured milk (from Tswana people)
Image 46The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 47A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 48Orapa House (from Gaborone)
Image 49Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 50Batswana Men dressed in traditional attire in 1946 (from Tswana people)
Image 51I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)
Image 52Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 53Christ The King Cathedral (from Gaborone)
Image 54I-Towers, Gaborone Central Business District (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 55Jan Mashiani and Len Taunyane were the first black participants from Africa in the Olympics (from Tswana people)
Image 56Seretse Khama signing the oath of office to become Botswana's first President in 1966 (from History of Botswana)
Image 57The Jwaneng diamond mine is the second biggest in the world today. (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 58Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 59New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)