Lefatshe la Botswana Republic of Botswana
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Pula Rain
Anthem: Fatshe leno la rona Blessed Be This Noble Land
Capital (and largest city)		Gaborone 24°40′S, 25°55′E
Official languages		English, Setswana (national)
Demonym		Batswana
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President	Seretse Khama Ian Khama
Independence		from the United Kingdom
-	Date	30 September 1966
Area
-	Total	600,370 km² (46st) 224,606 sq mi
-	Water (%)	2.5
Population
-	2006 estimate	1,639,833 (147th)
-	Density	3.0/km² (220th) 7.8/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$25.676 billion (104th)
-	Per capita	$17,779.4 (IMF) (49th)
Gini (1993)		63 (high)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.654 (medium) (124th)
Currency		Pula (BWP)
Time zone		CAT (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.bw
Calling code		+267

The Republic of Botswana (Tswana: Lefatshe la Botswana), is a landlocked nation in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are Batswana (singular: Motswana), regardless of ethnicity. Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. The economy, closely tied to South Africa's, is dominated by mining (especially diamonds), tourism, and cattle. Image File history File links Flag_of_Botswana. ... Image File history File links Botswana_coa. ... Flag Ratio: 5:8 The national flag of Botswana was adopted on September 30, 1966. ... The Coat of Arms of Botswana was adopted on January 25, 1966. ... For other uses, see Motto (disambiguation). ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Fatshe leno la rona (Blessed Be This Noble Land) is the national anthem of Botswana. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... Demographics of Botswana, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ... Satellite image of Gaborone Location of Gaborone in Botswana Gaborone (pron. ... An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Tswana (Setswana), is a Bantu language. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... Parliamentary republics around the world, shown in Orange (Parliamentary republics with a non-executive President) and Green (Parliamentary republics with an executive President linked to Parliament). ... List of Heads of State of Botswana (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- Sources http://www. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here surface areas between 100,000 km² and 1,000,000 km². ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... A percentage is a way of expressing a proportion, a ratio or a fraction as a whole number, by using 100 as the denominator. ... Map of countries by population for the year 2007 This is a list of countries ordered according to population. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... Population density by country, 2006 List of countries and dependencies by population density in inhabitants/km². The list includes sovereign states and self-governing dependent territories that are recognized by the United Nations. ... PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ... There are three lists of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year). ... Look up Per capita in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article includes two lists of countries of the world[1] sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year divided by the average population for the same year. ... Graphical representation of the Gini coefficient The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth distribution. ... This page talks about Human Development Index, for other HDIs see HDI (disambiguation) World map indicating Human Development Index (2007). ... This talks about the countries in the Human Development Index, for information on the Human Development Index, please Click Here World map indicating Human Development Index (2007) (Colour-blind compliant map) For red-green color vision problems. ... ISO 4217 Code BWP User(s) Botswana Inflation 10. ... ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Time zones of Africa: Striped colours indicate countries observing daylight saving Central Africa Time, or CAT, is a time zone used in central and southern Africa. ... UTC redirects here. ... Although DST is common in Europe and North America, most of the worlds people do not use it. ... UTC redirects here. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... .bw is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Botswana. ... This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164. ... Tswana (Setswana), is a Bantu language. ... A landlocked country is one that has no coastline. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Southern Africa ... This article is about states protected and/or dominated by a foreign power. ... An 1887 map showing the Crown Colony of Bechuanaland (shaded pink) and the Bechuanaland Protectorate (pink border) The Bechuanaland Protectorate (BP) was a protectorate established on March 31, 1885 by the United Kingdom in southern Africa. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2008. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...

History

Main article: History of Botswana

In the 19th century, hostilities broke out between the Tswana inhabitants of Botswana and Ndebele tribes who were migrating into the territory from the Kalahari Desert. Tensions also escalated with the Boer settlers from the Transvaal. After appeals by the Batswana leaders Khama III, Bathoen and Sebele for assistance, the British Government on 31 March 1885 put "Bechuanaland" under its protection. The northern territory remained under direct administration as the Bechuanaland Protectorate and is today's Botswana, while the southern territory became part of the Cape Colony and is now part of the northwest province of South Africa; the majority of Setswana-speaking people today live in South Africa. The Batswana (plural of Motswana), a term also used to denote all citizens of Botswana, refers to the countrys major ethnic group (called the Tswana in South Africa). ... Tswana (Motswana, plural Batswana) is the name of a Southern African people. ... The Ndebele people are three tribes or nations of people living in South Africa and Zimbabwe; there are three main groups of Ndebele: The Southern Transvaal Ndebele, who live around Bronkhorstspruit The Northern Transvaal Ndebele, who live in Limpopo Province (formerly Northern Transvaal or Northern Province) around the towns of... Kalahari redirects here. ... This article is about the Boer people (Boerevolk). ... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... Khama III (1837?-1923), also known as Khama the Good, was the kgosi (meaning chief or king) of the Bamangwato people of Bechuanaland (now Botswana), who made his country a protectorate of the United Kingdom to ensure its survival against Boer and Ndebele encroachments. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister  - 1908 – 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor  - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century  - Dutch East India... Tswana, also known as Setswana, is a Bantu language. ...

When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 out of the main British colonies in the region, the Bechuanaland Protectorate, Basutoland (now Lesotho), and Swaziland (the "High Commission Territories") were not included, but provision was made for their later incorporation. However, a vague undertaking was given to consult their inhabitants, and although successive South African governments sought to have the territories transferred, Britain kept delaying, and it never occurred. The election of the National Party government in 1948, which instituted apartheid, and South Africa's withdrawal from the Commonwealth in 1961, ended any prospect of incorporation of the territories into South Africa. The mountainous and largely arid land that came to be Basutoland was populated by San (bushmen, Qhuaique) until the end of the 16th century. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ...

An expansion of British central authority and the evolution of tribal government resulted in the 1920 establishment of two advisory councils representing Africans and Europeans. Proclamations in 1934 regularized tribal rule and powers. A European-African advisory council was formed in 1951, and the 1961 constitution established a consultative legislative council.

In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat of government was moved from Mafikeng in South Africa, to newly established Gaborone in 1965. The 1965 constitution led to the first general elections and to independence on 30 September 1966. Seretse Khama, a leader in the independence movement and the legitimate claimant to the Ngwato chiefship, was elected as the first president, re-elected twice, and died in office in 1980. The presidency passed to the sitting vice president, Quett Masire, who was elected in his own right in 1984 and re-elected in 1989 and 1994. Masire retired from office in 1998. The presidency passed to the sitting vice president, Festus Mogae, who was elected in his own right in 1999 and re-elected in 2004. The next president is Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama from 2008 ahead of the elections in 2009. He is the son of the first president of Botswana and he is also the former leader of the Botswana army (BDF). Mafikeng is the capital of the North West Province, South Africa, 870 miles NE of Cape Town and 492 miles SSW of Bulawayo by rail, and 162 miles in a direct line W by N of Johannesburg. ... Satellite image of Gaborone Location of Gaborone in Botswana Gaborone (pron. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Seretse Khama KBE (July 1, 1921 - July 13, 1980) was the first President of Botswana. ... The Bamangwato (more correctly BagammaNgwato) people are one of the eight principal tribes of Botswana. ... Contributed to peace keeping in African countries Sir Quett Ketumile Joni Masire, GCMG (born 23 July 1925, Kanye, Botswana) was the second President of Botswana for the Botswana Democratic Party from 1980 to 1998. ... Festus Gontebanye Mogae (born August 21, 1939) is the president of Botswana. ...

Geography and environment

Map of Botswana

Main article: Geography of Botswana

Summary

Botswana is predominantly flat, tending toward gently rolling tableland. The Kalahari Desert is located in the southwest of the country. The Limpopo River Basin is the major landform of all of southern Africa, including Botswana. Map of Botswana. ... Map of Botswana. ... Map of Botswana Satellite image of Botswana, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library Goat grazing by the Lotsane River Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa Geographic coordinates: Map references: Africa Area: total: 600,370 km² land: 585,370 km² water: 15,000 km² Area - comparative... Kalahari redirects here. ...

More detail

At 231,788 mi² (600,370 km²), Botswana is the world's 45th-largest country (after Ukraine). It is comparable in size to Madagascar, and is slightly smaller than the state of Texas in the Southern United States. This article is about the unit of measure. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Historic Southern United States. ...

Botswana is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of the land surface of the country. The Okavango Delta, the world's largest inland delta, is in the northwest. The Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt pan lies in the north. Elephants in the Okavango Delta seen from the dubious safety of a makoro (small boat). ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... Makgadikgadi Pan The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in Northern Botswana, the largest salt flat complex in the world. ... Salt pans can refer to: Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually found in deserts. ...

Botswana has diverse areas of wildlife habitat, including the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert, grasslands and savannas, the latter where Blue Wildebeest and many antelopes as well as other mammals and birds are found. Northern Botswana has one of the few remaining large populations of the endangered African Wild Dog. The Konza tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. ... This article is about grassland. ... Binomial name (Burchell, 1823) The Blue Wildebeest is a large ungulate mammal of the genus Connochaetes which grows to 1. ... This article is about the herbivorous mammals. ... Binomial name (Temminck, 1820) African Wild Dog range The African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, also known as the African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, or Painted Wolf, is a carnivorous mammal of the Canidae family. ...

Research from the University of Botswana has found that the common practice of overstocking cattle to cope with drought losses actually depletes scarce biomass, making ecosystems more vulnerable. The study of the Kgatleng district of Botswana predicts that by 2050 the cycle of mild drought is likely to become shorter for the region — 18 months instead of two years — due to climate change. [3]

Politics and government

Main article: Politics of Botswana

The politics of Botswana takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Botswana is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Botswana. Since independence the party system has been dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Botswana has a flourishing multiparty constitutional democracy. ... A presidential system, also called a congressional system, is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term) separately from the legislature, to which it is not accountable and which cannot in normal circumstances dismiss it. ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... List of Heads of State of Botswana (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- Sources http://www. ... For the comedy film of the same name, see Head of State (film). ... The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ... Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... The Parliament of Botswana consists of two chambers: The House of Chiefs (Upper Chamber) The National Assembly (Lower Chamber) This politics-related article is a stub. ... The Botswana Democratic Party is the governing conservative party in Botswana, led by president Festus Mogae. ... In the law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ...

Defence

Main article: Botswana Defence Force

At the time of independence Botswana had no armed forces. It was only after attacks from the Rhodesian army that Botswana formed a Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in self-defence in 1977. The president is commander in chief and a defence council is appointed by the president. The BDF now has approximately 12,000 members. The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is the army of Botswana. ... This article is about the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is the army of Botswana. ...

The BDF is a capable and well-disciplined military force. Following positive political changes in South Africa and the region, the BDF's missions have increasingly focused on anti-poaching activities, disaster-preparedness, and foreign peacekeeping. The United States has been the largest single foreign contributor to the development of the BDF, and a large segment of its officer corps has received U.S. training. It is considered an apolitical and professional institution.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Botswana

Botswana puts a premium on economic and political integration in Southern Africa. It seeks to make SADC a working vehicle for economic development, and promotes efforts to make the region self-policing in terms of preventative diplomacy, conflict resolution, and good governance. It has welcomed post-apartheid South Africa as a partner in these efforts. Botswana joins the African consensus on most major international matters and is a member of international organisations such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and the African Union (AU). Botswana is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the U.S. military (as covered under Article 98). Botswana has put a premium on economic and political integration in southern Africa. ... SADC-only (yellow) and SADC+SACU members Headquarters Gaborone, Botswana Working languages Membership 15 African states Leaders  -  Secretary General Establishment  -  as the SADCC April 1, 1980   -  as the SADC August 17, 1992  Website http://www. ... For other uses, see Consensus (disambiguation). ... UN redirects here. ... Anthem Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together [1] Administrative Centre Working languages Arabic English Spanish French Portuguese Swahili Membership 53 African states Leaders  -  Chairman Jakaya Kikwete  -  Jean Ping Establishment  -  as the OAU May 25, 1963   -  as the African Union July 9, 2002  Area  -  Total 29,757,900 km² (1st1... The official logo of the ICC The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt)[1] was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, although it cannot currently exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. ... Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Opened for signature June 17, 1998[1] at Rome Entered into force July 1, 2002 Conditions for entry into force 60 ratifications Parties 99[2] The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (or Rome Statute) is the treaty which established the International...

The northern boundary between the Caprivi Strip of Namibia and Botswana was the subject of an International Court of Justice dispute over Kasikili or Sedudu island in the Chobe River, which arose over the imprecise description of the border defined by Germany and Britain in the Helgoland-Zanzibar Treaty. Location: Caprivi, Namibia Area: 19,532km (7,541 mi ) Population: 79,852 (2001), 90,422 (1991) Capital: Katima Mulilo Time Zone: South African Standard Time: UTC+1 Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip or Caprivi Region and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about 450km... The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; French: ) is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. ... Kasikili Island was the subject of a border dispute between Namibia and Botswana. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Angola, and then flows south into Namibia. ... Treaty between Germany in Great Britian, by which the two countries agreed on mutually respected influence spheres in 1890. ...

Districts and sub-districts

Districts of Botswana

Main articles: Districts of Botswana and Sub-districts of Botswana

Botswana is divided into nine districts: Image File history File links Botswana. ... Image File history File links Botswana. ... Botswana is divided into 9 districts: Central Chobe Ghanzi Kgalagadi Kgatleng Kweneng Ngamiland North East South East Southern In 2001 the districts Chobe and Ngamiland were merged and now form the North West District. ... Sub-districts of Botswana The districts of Botswana are subdivided into 28 sub-districts. ... Botswana is divided into 9 districts: Central Chobe Ghanzi Kgalagadi Kgatleng Kweneng Ngamiland North East South East Southern In 2001 the districts Chobe and Ngamiland were merged and now form the North West District. ...

These districts are subdivided into a total twenty-eight subdistricts. The Subdistrict is one of the smallest Political_divisions_of_China. ...

Main population centres (in descending order)

Cities

• Gaborone
• Francistown

Towns and villages Satellite image of Gaborone Location of Gaborone in Botswana Gaborone (pron. ... Location of Francistown in Botswana A satellite photo of Francistown and surrounding area. ...

Molepolole is the town of the Bakwena tribe (one of the principle tribes of Botswana). ... Selebi-Phikwe is a mining town located in the north-east of Botswana. ... Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. ... Gumare is a town located in the North-West District of Botswana. ... Serowe(population approx. ... If you were looking for the popular American Rap Artist, search Kanye West Kanye is a town located in southern Botswana. ... Mahalapye is a town located in the Central District of Botswana. ... Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of around 40,000. ... Mogoditshane is a town located in the Kweneng District of Botswana. ... Town in South-Eastern Botswana, 65km south of the capital Gaborone, pleasantly situated in a range of hills. ... Palapye is a large town in Botswana. ... Tlokweng is a town located in the South-East District of Botswana. ... Ramotswa is a village in Botswana, southwest of the capital of Gaborone. ... View of Thamaga from the top of Thamaga Hill. ... Moshupa is a village in the southern district of Botswana with a population of about 18000. ... Tonota is a town located in the Central District of Botswana. ... Bobonong is a town located in the Central District of Botswana. ... Orapa is a town located in east-central Botswana. ... Jwaneng is a town located in southern Botswana. ...

Economy

Cattle at a water hole near Serowe.

Main article: Economy of Botswana

Since independence, Botswana has had one of the fastest growth rates in per capita income in the world.^[1] Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $16,450 in 2007.^[2] Economic growth averaged over 9% per year from 1966 to 1999. The government has maintained a sound fiscal policy, despite consecutive budget deficits in 2002 and 2003, and a negligible level of foreign debt. It earned the highest sovereign credit rating in Africa and has stockpiled foreign exchange reserves (over $7 billion in 2005/2006) amounting to almost two and a half years of current imports. Botswana's impressive economic record has been built on the foundation of wisely using revenue generated from diamond mining to fuel economic development through prudent fiscal policies and a cautious foreign policy. Debswana, the largest diamond mining company operating in Botswana, is 50% owned by the government and generates about half of all government revenues. In 2007, significant quantities of Uranium were discovered, and mining is projected to begin by 2010. Several international mining corporations have prospected in Botswana for diamonds, gold, uranium, copper, and even oil, many coming back with positive results. Image File history File links BotswanaSeroweWaterhole. ... Image File history File links BotswanaSeroweWaterhole. ... 1980s 2 Pula note Since independence, Botswana has had the highest average economic growth rate in the world, averaging about 9% per year from 1966 to 1999. ... The per capita income for a group of people may be defined as their total personal income, divided by the total population. ... World GDP/capita changed very little for most of human history before the industrial revolution. ... Fiscal policy is the economic term that defines the set of principles and decisions of a government in setting the level of public expenditure and how that expenditure is funded. ... This article is about budget deficits. ... External debt (or foreign debt) is that part of the government debt of a country which is owed to creditors outside the country. ... A credit rating assesses the credit worthiness of an individual, corporation, or even a country. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This article is about the mineral. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... A countrys foreign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how that particular country will interact with other countries of the world and, to a lesser extent, non-state actors. ... Debswana Diamond Company Ltd, or simply Debswana, is a mining company located in Botswana, and is the worlds leading producer of diamonds by value. ... There are a limited number of commercially viable diamond mines currently operating in the world. ...

However, economic development spending was cut by 10% in 2002-2003 as a result of recurring budget deficits and rising expenditure on healthcare services. Botswana has been hit very hard by the AIDS epidemic; the average life expectancy in Botswana at birth, 1990: 64 years, 2005: 34 years. This is barely half the 59-year average for low-income countries, and Botswana residents, along with those of Swaziland, have the shortest average lifespan in the world. Approximately one in three Batswana has HIV, giving Botswana the second highest HIV infection rate in the world after Swaziland.^[3] The government recognizes that HIV/AIDS will affect the economy and is trying to combat the epidemic, including free Antiretroviral drug treatment and a nation-wide Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission program. Health care or healthcare is one of the worlds largest and fastest growing professions. ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ... This article is about the measure of remaining life. ... This article is under construction. ... This article is about the ethnic group. ... Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... HAART redirects here. ...

Some of Botswana's budget deficits can be traced to relatively high military expenditures (about 4% of GDP in 2004, according to the CIA World Factbook), which some critics contend is unnecessary given the low likelihood of international conflict (though the Botswana government also makes use of these troops for multilateral operations and assistance efforts).

Trade

Botswana is part of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) with South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Namibia. The World Bank reports that in 2001 (the most recent year for which World Bank data are available), the SACU had a weighted average common external tariff rate of 3.6 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, "There are very few tariff or non-tariff barriers to trade with Botswana, apart from restrictions on licensing for some business operations, which are reserved for [Botswana] companies." Based on the revised trade factor methodology, Botswana's trade policy score is unchanged.^[4] The main export of Botswana is diamonds. Jwaneng, in Botswana, is the world's largest and richest diamond mine thus the demand of diamonds from Botswana is fairly high. The mine was discovered when termites looking for water brought grains of diamond to the surface. If the great demand of diamonds were to go into rapid decline, then the economy of Botswana would suffer greatly as they are highly dependent on this export. The diamond mine in Jwaneng provides many jobs for the unemployed in Botswana as people are needed to physically extract the diamonds, and to build the roads needed for their transport, for example. A source of foreign exchange is also introduced to the economy and it offers a potential basis for industrial development, and thus stimulates improvements within Botswana's infrastructure. The Southern African Customs Union has five members: Botswana Lesotho Namibia South Africa Swaziland The current Union came into effect in 1970; however its concept dates back to colonial days (1910). ... The World Bank logo The World Bank (the Bank) is a part of the World Bank Group (WBG), is a bank that makes loans to developing countries for development programs with the stated goal of reducing poverty. ... Jwaneng is a town located in southern Botswana. ...

Private sector development, foreign investment

Tourist resort at Kasane

Botswana seeks to further diversify its economy away from minerals, which account for a third of GDP, down from nearly half of GDP in the early 1990s. Foreign investment and management are welcomed in Botswana. Botswana abolished foreign exchange controls in 1999, has a low corporate tax rate (15%), no prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies, and a moderate inflation rate (7.6% November 2004). The Government of Botswana is currently considering additional policies to enhance competitiveness, including a new Foreign Direct Investment Strategy, Competition Policy, Privatisation Master Plan, and National Export Development Strategy. Kasane is a town located in the North-West District of Botswana. ...

Botswana is known to have vast coal deposits making it possibly one of the most coal rich countries in the world. Large coal mines, massive coal fired power plants, as well as a coals to liquid plant (through the fischer-troppes process) to produce synthetic automotive fuel have been planned.

With its proven record of good economic governance, Botswana was ranked as Africa's least corrupt country by Transparency International in 2004, ahead of many European and Asian countries. The World Economic Forum rates Botswana as one of the two most economically competitive nations in Africa. In 2004 Botswana was once again assigned "A" grade credit ratings by Moody's and Standard & Poor's. This ranks Botswana as by far the best credit risk in Africa and puts it on par with or above many countries in central Europe, East Asia, and Latin America. Transparency International (TI) is an international organisation addressing corruption, including, but not limited to, political corruption. ... Moodys Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is the holding company for Moodys Investors Service which performs financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities. ... Publications Standard & Poors publishes a weekly (48 times a year) stock market analysis newsletter called The Outlook, which is issued both in print and online to subscribers. ...

U.S. investment in Botswana remains at relatively low levels, but continues to grow. 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. The sovereign credit ratings by Moody's and 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. Botswana has a 90-member American Business Council that accepts membership from American-affiliated companies. H. J. Heinz Company, commonly known as just Heinz, famous for its 57 Varieties slogan, was founded in 1869 by Henry John Heinz in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... KFC (full name Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a division of Yum! Brands, Inc. ... RE/MAX is an international real estate agent network. ...

Due to its history and geography, Botswana has long had deep ties to the economy of South Africa. The Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, and South Africa, dates from 1910, and is the world’s oldest customs union. Namibia joined in 1990. Under this arrangement, South Africa has collected levies from customs, sales, and excise duties for all five members, sharing out proceeds based on each country's portion of imports. The exact formula for sharing revenues and the decision-making authority over duties — held exclusively by the Government of South Africa — became increasingly controversial, and the members renegotiated the arrangement in 2001. The new structure has now been formally ratified and a SACU Secretariat has been established in Windhoek, Namibia. Following South Africa's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Botswana also joined; many of the SACU duties are thus declining, making products from outside the area more competitive in Botswana. Currently the SACU countries and the U.S. are negotiating a free trade agreement. Botswana is currently also negotiating a free trade agreement with Mercosur and an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union as part of SADC. The Southern African Customs Union has five members: Botswana Lesotho Namibia South Africa Swaziland It dates back to colonial days (1910). ... Look up Levy on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Levy may refer to: forced labor; see conscription or national service a form of tax A misspelling of Levi A misspelling of levee See List of people by name: Lev for people named Levy. ... --193. ... WTO redirects here. ... Motto (Spanish) (Portuguese) (Guaraní) Our North is the South  â€¢  â€¢ Pro Tempore Secretariat Montevideo, Uruguay Largest city São Paulo, Brazil Official languages 3 Portuguese Spanish Guaraní Membership 5 Argentina Brazil Paraguay Uruguay Venezuela Leaders  -  Carlos Álvarez Establishment  -  Declaration of Foz do Iguaçu 30 December 1985   -  Treaty of Asunción...

Aerial view over Okavango Delta

Botswana's currency, the pula, is fully convertible and is valued against a basket of currencies heavily weighted toward the South African Rand. Profits and direct investment can be repatriated without restriction from Botswana. The Botswana Government eliminated all exchange controls in 1999. The Central Bank devalued the Pula by 7.5% in February 2004 in a bid to maintain export competitiveness against the real appreciation of the Pula. There was a further 12% devaluation in May 2005 and the policy of a "crawling peg" was adopted. Elephants in the Okavango Delta seen from the dubious safety of a makoro (small boat). ... ISO 4217 Code BWP User(s) Botswana Inflation 10. ... The old R1 and new R10 bank notes The Rand is the currency of South Africa. ...

Most (70%) of Botswana's electricity is imported from South Africa's Eskom. 80% of domestic production is concentrated in one plant, Morupule Power Station near Palapye.^[5] In early 2008, the entire southern African region was hit hard by massive shortages in power, since the region works to share its power resources through the Southern African Power Pool, with most of the capacity coming from South Africa. Botswana has in turn put in place plans through governmental expansion of the Morupule power station, as well as encouraging private investment in the form of a 4,000 megawatt power station by the Canadian Greenfield company CIC Energy to become a net exporter of power to the regional pool. Eskom is a South African electricity public utility company. ... Morupule Power Station Morupule Power Station is a coal fired power station near Palapye, Botswana. ... Palapye is a large town in Botswana. ...

Gaborone is host to the headquarters of the fourteen-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC), a successor to the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC, established in 1980), which focused its efforts on freeing regional economic development from dependence on apartheid South Africa. SADC embraced the newly democratic South Africa as a member in 1994 and has a broad mandate to encourage growth, development, and economic integration in Southern Africa. SADC's Trade Protocol, which was launched on 1 September 2000, calls for the elimination of all tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade by 2008 among the 11 signatory countries. If successful, it will give Botswana companies free access to the far larger regional market. SADC's failure to distance itself from the Mugabe government in Zimbabwe has diminished the number of opportunities for cooperation between the U.S. and SADC. SADC-only (yellow) and SADC+SACU members Headquarters Gaborone, Botswana Working languages Membership 15 African states Leaders  -  Secretary General Establishment  -  as the SADCC April 1, 1980   -  as the SADC August 17, 1992  Website http://www. ... The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), which was the forerunner of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was formed in Lusaka, Zambia, on 1 April 1980, following the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration (entitled Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation) by the nine founding member states (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Mugabe redirects here. ...

Botswana is in the process or formulating an Action Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, which is expected to be adopted in the period 2006-2007. Botswana is in the process of formulating an Action Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (APEC), with the assistance of the International Labour Organisations (ILO) programme Towards the Elimination of the worst forms of Child Labour. ...

Tourism

Children playing in Moremi Gorge east of Palapye.

Tourism plays a large role in the Botswana economy. A number of national parks and game reserves, with their abundant wildlife and wetlands, are major tourist attractions. The wildlife, including lions, brown hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs and antelope, were described in great detail in the best-selling book "Cry of the Kalahari" by Mark and Delia Owens. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (677x977, 999 KB) // [edit] Summary [edit] Other search terms waterfall, Africa, African [edit] See also Image:Moremi gorge 2. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (677x977, 999 KB) // [edit] Summary [edit] Other search terms waterfall, Africa, African [edit] See also Image:Moremi gorge 2. ... Palapye is a large town in Botswana. ...

The main safari destinations for tourism are Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta, and Chobe National Park. Botswana is also participating in community based natural resource management projects by trying to involve villagers in tourism. One example is the village of Khwai and its Khwai Development Trust. Moremi Game Reserve is a National Park in Botswana. ... Elephants in the Okavango Delta seen from the dubious safety of a makoro (small boat). ... Chobe National Park, situated at the Northwest of Botswana, is one of the largest games concentration in all the Africa continent and one of the worlds last remaining sizeable wilderness area. ... Khwai a small village of approximately 400 BaBukakhwe or River Bushmen located just outside of Moremi Game Reserve in Northern Botswana. ...

Botswana was the location for the 1980 movie The Gods Must Be Crazy. The seventh season of the Amazing Race visited Botswana. The Gods Must Be Crazy is a film released in 1980, written and directed by Jamie Uys. ... The Amazing Race is a reality game show broadcast in one-hour episodes in which teams of two race around the world in competition with other teams. ...

Sports

The most popular sport in Botswana is football, while other popular sports include cricket, rugby union, softball, volleyball and athletics.^[6][7] Bridge was introduced to Botswana over 30 years ago and has expanded rapidly since.^[8] Botswana is an associate member of International Cricket Council. “Soccer” redirects here. ... This article is about the sport. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... Softball is a team sport popular especially in the United States. ... For the ball used in this sport, see Volleyball (ball). ... A womens 400 m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland. ... Bridge (card game) may mean: Contract bridge, the most common form of Bridge. ... ICC logo The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the governing body for international Test match and One-day International cricket. ...

Culture

Main article: Culture of Botswana

// Note Besides referring to the language of the dominant people groups in Botswana, Setswana is the adjective used to describe the rich cultural traditions of the Batswana - whether construed as members of the Tswana ethnic groups or of all citizens of Botswana. ...

Language

The main tribal language and one of the two official languages of Botswana is Setswana. In Setswana prefixes are more important than they are in many other languages. Some of those prefixes are "Bo" which refers to the country, "Ba" which refers to the people, "Mo" which is one person, "Se" which is the language. For example, the main tribe of Botswana is the Tswana people, hence the name Botswana for its country. The people as a whole are Batswana, one person is a Motswana, and the language they speak is Setswana. Lesotho, located in the middle of South Africa, is considered a sister country. It was inhabited by a cousin tribe called the Sotho, who speak a similar language. That language is called Sesotho and can be understood by anyone speaking Setswana. The country is called Lesotho because "Le" is a prefix that means "other," holding lower rank. In Botswana, foreigners are called "lekoa", no matter what country they are from. Lekoa generally means "stranger", as most foreigners are.

Visual arts

In the northern part of Botswana, women in the villages of Etsha and Gumare are noted for their skill at crafting baskets from Mokola Palm and local dyes. The baskets are generally woven into three types: large, lidded baskets used for storage, large, open baskets for carrying objects on the head or for winnowing threshed grain, and smaller plates for winnowing pounded grain. The artistry of these baskets is being steadily enhanced through color use and improved designs as they are increasingly produced for commercial use. Gumare is a town located in the North-West District of Botswana. ... Four styles of household basket. ... Look up dye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Other notable artistic communities include Thamaga Pottery and Oodi Weavers, both located in the southeastern part of Botswana.

The oldest paintings from both Botswana and South Africa depict hunting, animal and human figures, and were made by the Khoisan (Kung San!/Bushmen) over twenty thousand years ago within the Kalahari desert. |group = Bushmen |image = |poptime = 82,000 |popplace = Botswana (55,000), Namibia (27,000) |rels = San Religion |langs = various Khoisan languages |related = Khoikhoi, Xhosa, Zulu, Griqua }} The Bushmen, San, Basarwa, ǃKung or Khwe are indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert, which spans areas of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. ... The Kalahari Desert is a large, arid to semi-arid sandy area in southern Africa that covers about 500,000 km². It covers 70% of Botswana, and parts of Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. ...

Literature

Bessie Head is a writer well-known in Southern Africa. In 1964 she fled the apartheid regime in South Africa to live in and write about Botswana. She lived there from 1964 (when it was still the Bechuanaland Protectorate) until her death at the age of 49 in 1986. She lived in Serowe, and her most famous books, When Rain Clouds Gather, Maru, and A Question of Power are set there. Bessie Emery Head (1937-1986) is usually considered Botswanas most important writer. ... Serowe (population approx. ...

Botswana forms the setting for a series of popular mystery novels by Alexander McCall Smith. Their protagonist, Precious Ramotswe, lives in Gaborone. The first novel in the series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, appeared in 1998 in the UK (and 2001 in the US). The light-hearted books are appreciated for their human interest and local colour. The film has now been shot in Kgalewood the filming location at the foot of Kgale Hill in Kgale view Gaborone Botswana. Ranahki 06:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC)Alexander (R.A.A.) Sandy McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, (born August 24, 1948) is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Precious Ramotswe is the fictional central character in The No. ...

Norman Rush, who served as a Peace Corps director in Botswana from 1978 to 1983, uses the country as the setting of all of his published books, which generally focus on the expatriate community. Norman Rush (born October 24, 1933) is an American novelist. ... current logo The Peace Corps is an independent United States federal agency. ...

Unity Dow (born 1959) is a judge, human rights activist, and writer from Botswana. She came from a rural background that tended toward traditional values of the African kind. Her mother could not read English, and in most cases decision-making was done by men. She went on to become a lawyer with much of her education being done in the West. Her Western education earned her a mixture of respect and suspicion. Unity Dow (born 1959) is a judge, human rights activist, and writer from Botswana. ...

As a lawyer she earned acclaim most for her stances on women's rights. She was the plaintiff in a case that allowed the children of women by foreign nationals to be considered Batswana. The tradition and law before this stated nationality only descended from the father. She later became Botswana's first female High Court judge. TSWANA (singular Motswana, plural Batswana) is the name of a Southern African people, and of its Bantu language. ...

As a novelist she has had three books. These books often concern the issues concerning the struggle between Western and traditional values. They also involve her interest in gender issues and her nation's poverty.

British author and historian Susan Williams' book, Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation, tells the story of the marriage and struggles of Sir Seretse Khama and Lady Ruth Williams Khama. Sir Seretse Khama KBE (July 1, 1921 - July 13, 1980) was the first President of Botswana. ... Ruth Williams, Lady Khama (1923 - 22 May 2002) was the wife of Botswanas first president, Sir Seretse Khama. ...

Holidays

is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the date January 1 in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday. ... Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic cultures. ... For other meanings see Ascension (disambiguation) The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven forty days after his resurrection from the dead. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Seretse Khama KBE (July 1, 1921 - July 13, 1980) was the first President of Botswana. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Presidents Day is a holiday in Botswana on July 19. ... is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Boxing Day is a public holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. ...

Education

Main article: Education in Botswana

Botswana has made great strides in educational development since independence in 1966. At that time there were very few graduates in the country and only a very small percentage of the population attended secondary school. Botswana has made great strides in educational development since its independence in 1966. ...

With the discovery of diamonds and the increase in government revenue that this brought, there was a huge increase in educational provision in the country. All students were guaranteed ten years of basic education, leading to a Junior Certificate qualification. Approximately half of the school population attends a further two years of secondary schooling leading to the award of the Botswana General Certificate of Education (BGCSE). After leaving school, students can attend one of the six technical colleges in the country, or take vocational training courses in teaching or nursing. The best students enter the University of Botswana in Gaborone, a modern, well-resourced campus with a student population of over ten thousand. In education, teachers are those who teach students or pupils, often a course of study or a practical skill. ... This article is about the practice in general. ... The University of Botswana, or UB was established in 1982 as the first institution of Higher Education in Botswana. ...

The quantitative gains have not always been matched by qualitative ones. Primary schools in particular still lack resources, and the teachers are less well paid than their secondary school colleagues. The Government of Botswana hopes that by investing a large part of national income in education, the country will become less dependent on diamonds for its economic survival, and less dependent on expatriates for its skilled workers. Botswana has a flourishing multiparty constitutional democracy. ...

In January 2006, Botswana announced the reintroduction of school fees after two decades of free state education^[11] though the government still provides full scholarships with living expenses to any Botswana citizen in university, either at the University of Botswana or if the student wishes to pursue an education in any field not offered locally, such as medicine, they are provided with a full scholarship to study abroad.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Botswana

Botswana's main ethnic groups are (in order) Tswana, Kalanga, Basarwa, Others. Other groups of ethnicities in Botswana include whites and Indians both groups being equally small in number. Botswana's Indian population is made up of many Indian-Africans of several generations, from Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Mauritius, South Africa, etc. as well as first generation Indian immigrants. The white population being native Motswana or from other parts of Africa including Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa. The white population speaks either English or Afrikaans. Demographics of Botswana, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ...

Botswana, like many nations in southern Africa, suffers from a high AIDS infection rate, which was 38.8% for adults in 2002. In 2003, the government began a comprehensive program involving free or cheap generic anti-retroviral drugs as well as an information campaign designed to stop the spread of the virus.

Notes and references

• Denbow, James and Thebe, Phenyo C., Culture and Customs of Botswana

IMF redirects here. ... This article includes two lists of countries of the world[1] sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year divided by the average population for the same year. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of Botswana-related topics
• Communications in Botswana
• Transport in Botswana
• Music of Botswana

This is a list of topics related to Botswana. ... Communications in Botswana A fiber-optic telecommunications network has been completed in Botswana connecting all major population centers. ... A sparsely populated, arid country, Botswana has nonetheless managed to incorporate much of its interior into the national economy. ... Botswana is an African country made up of numerous ethnic groups, though the Batswana are the most numerous. ...

External links

Find more about Botswana on Wikipedia's sister projects:
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• The Government of Botswana
• Botswana at the Open Directory Project
• Botswana entry at The World Factbook
• Botswana travel guide from Wikitravel
• Wikimedia Atlas of Botswana

Geographic locale v • d • e Countries of Africa West Africa Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiversity-logo-Snorky. ... The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from , its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links owned by Netscape that is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. ... Wikitravel is a project to create an open content, complete, up-to-date, and reliable world-wide travel guide. ... Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... This is an alphabetical list of African countries and dependencies. ... Image File history File links LocationWesternAfrica. ... Benin · Burkina Faso · Cape Verde · Côte d'Ivoire · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Liberia · Mali · Mauritania · Niger · Nigeria · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Togo North Africa Image File history File links LocationNorthernAfrica. ... Algeria · Egypt1 · Libya · Mauritania · Morocco · Sudan · Tunisia · Western Sahara Central Africa Image File history File links LocationCentralMiddleAfrica. ... Angola · Burundi · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe East Africa Image File history File links LocationEasternAfrica. ... Burundi · Comoros · Djibouti · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Kenya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mauritius · Mozambique · Rwanda · Seychelles · Somalia · Tanzania · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe Southern Africa Image File history File links LocationSouthernAfrica. ... Botswana · Lesotho · Namibia · South Africa · Swaziland Dependencies British Indian Ocean Territory (UK) · Mayotte (France) · Réunion (France) · St. Helena2 (UK) Unrecognized Canary Islands (Spain) · Ceuta (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Melilla (Spain) · Socotra (Yemen) · Puntland · Somaliland · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 1 Partly in Asia.  2 Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. World map of dependent territories. ... For other uses, see Saint Helena (disambiguation). ... The list of unrecognized countries enumerates those geo-political entities which lack general diplomatic recognition, but wish to be recognized as sovereign states. ... This article is about the islands in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Capital Ceuta City Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked  28 km²   Population  â€“ Total (2006)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked  75,861    2,709. ... For other uses, see Madeira (disambiguation). ... Capital Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked  20 km²   Population  â€“ Total (2006)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked  66,871    3,343. ... Map of the Socotra archipelago Socotra or Soqotra (Arabic سقطرى ; ) is a small archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horm Africa some 350 km south of the Arabian peninsula. ... Motto None Anthem Puntland Somali National Anthem Capital Garowe (Administrative), Bosaso (Commercial) Largest city Bosaso Official languages Somali and Arabic Government  -  President Mohamud Muse Hersi  -  Vice-President Hassan Dahir Mohamud Autonomy Inside Somalia   -  Declared 1998   -  Recognition   Area  -  Total 212,510 km km² (84th) n/a sq mi   -  Water (%) Negl. ... For other territories formerly called Somaliland, see Somaliland (disambiguation). ... Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Capital Georgetown Largest city Georgetown Official languages English Government Dependency of St. ... Motto Our faith is our strength Anthem God Save the Queen Capital (and largest city) Edinburgh of the Seven Seas Official languages English Government Dependency of St. ...

International membership v • d • e Southern African Development Community (SADC) Angola · Botswana · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Lesotho · Madagascar · Malawi · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Seychelles · South Africa · Swaziland · Tanzania · Zambia · Zimbabwe v • d • e African Union (AU) Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe SADC-only (yellow) and SADC+SACU members Headquarters Gaborone, Botswana Working languages Membership 15 African states Leaders  -  Secretary General Establishment  -  as the SADCC April 1, 1980   -  as the SADC August 17, 1992  Website http://www. ... Motto: Justice – Paix – Travail(French) Justice – Peace – Work Anthem: Debout Congolais Capital (and largest city) Kinshasaa Official languages French Recognised regional languages Lingala, Kongo/Kituba, Swahili, Tshiluba Demonym Congolese Government Semi-Presidential Republic  -  President Joseph Kabila  -  Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga Independence  -  from Belgium June 30, 1960  Area  -  Total 2,344... This article is about the country on the southern tip of the African continent. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_SADC.svg Summary Made by self based on image at FOTW and logo at the SADC (no tracing). ... Anthem Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together [1] Administrative Centre Working languages Arabic English Spanish French Portuguese Swahili Membership 53 African states Leaders  -  Chairman Jakaya Kikwete  -  Jean Ping Establishment  -  as the OAU May 25, 1963   -  as the African Union July 9, 2002  Area  -  Total 29,757,900 km² (1st1... Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... v • d • e Niger-Congo-speaking nations   Kordofanian  Sudan   Mande      Gambia  Guinea Image File history File links Flag_of_the_African_Union. ... The Niger-Congo languages constitute one of the worlds major language families, and Africas largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. ... Several Kordofanian languages are spoken in the Nuba hills of Kordofan, in Sudan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sudan. ... Mandé is the name of an ethnic group or nation, as well as a group of languages which are spoken in several countries in West Africa, including Mandinka, Soninke, Bambara, Dioula, Kagoro, Bozo, Mendé, Yacouba, and Vai. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_The_Gambia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Guinea. ...  Guinea-Bissau  Mali Image File history File links Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mali. ...  Mauritania  Senegal Image File history File links Flag_of_Mauritania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Senegal. ...  Sierra Leone  Liberia Image File history File links Flag_of_Sierra_Leone. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Liberia. ...  Côte d'Ivoire  Nigeria Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ...  Burkina Faso  Benin Image File history File links Flag_of_Burkina_Faso. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Benin. ...  Togo Image File history File links Flag_of_Togo. ...   Atlantic-Congo     Atlantic  Benin  Burkina Faso  Cameroon  CAR Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The (West) Atlantic languages1 of West Africa are a subgroup of Niger-Congo language family. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Benin. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Burkina_Faso. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cameroon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Central_African_Republic. ... Motto Unité, Dignité, Travail(French) Unity, Dignity, Work Anthem La Renaissance(French) E Zingo(Sango) Capital (and largest city) Bangui Official languages Sango, French Government Republic  -  President François Bozizé  -  Prime Minister Élie Doté Independence from France   -  Date August 13, 1960  Area  -  Total 622,984 km² (43rd) 240,534 sq... Ijoid  Nigeria  Chad  Côte d'Ivoire  Gambia  Guinea The Ijoid languages are spoken by the Ịjọ [Ijaw] and the Defaka (Afakani) of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, totalling about 10 million. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Chad. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_The_Gambia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Guinea. ... Dogon  Mali  Guinea-Bissau  Liberia  Mali The Dogon languages are spoken by the Dogon in Mali. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mali. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Liberia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mali. ...  Mauritania  Niger  Senegal Image File history File links Flag_of_Mauritania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Niger. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Senegal. ...  Sierra Leone  Sudan  Togo Image File history File links Flag_of_Sierra_Leone. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sudan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Togo. ...   Volta-Congo     Senufo  Benin  Côte d'Ivoire  Mali In the classification of African languages, Volta-Congo is the major branch (in terms of number of languages) of the Niger-Congo phylum. ... The Senufo languages comprise ca. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Benin. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mali. ... Gur  Benin  Burkina Faso  Côte d'Ivoire  Ghana  Mali  Nigeria  Togo The Gur languages belong to the Niger-Congo languages. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Benin. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Burkina_Faso. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ghana. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mali. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Togo. ... Adamawa-Ubangi  Cameroon  CAR  Chad  Nigeria The Adamawa-Ubangi languages are spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, southern Central African Republic, by a total of about 12 million people. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cameroon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Central_African_Republic. ... Motto Unité, Dignité, Travail(French) Unity, Dignity, Work Anthem La Renaissance(French) E Zingo(Sango) Capital (and largest city) Bangui Official languages Sango, French Government Republic  -  President François Bozizé  -  Prime Minister Élie Doté Independence from France   -  Date August 13, 1960  Area  -  Total 622,984 km² (43rd) 240,534 sq... Image File history File links Flag_of_Chad. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Kru  Burkina Faso  Côte d'Ivoire  Liberia The Kru languages belong to the Niger-Congo language family and are spoken in the area ranging from the south-east of Liberia to the east of Côte dIvoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Burkina_Faso. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Liberia. ... Kwa  Benin  Côte d'Ivoire  Ghana  Nigeria  Togo The Kwa languages are spoken in the south-eastern part of Côte dIvoire, in Ghana, Togo and Benin, and the south-Western corner of Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Benin. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ghana. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Togo. ...   Benue-Congo     Bantu  Angola  Botswana  Burundi  Cameroon  DRC The Benue-Congo group of languages constitutes the largest branch of the Niger-Congo language family, both in terms of sheer number of languages, of which 938 are known (not counting mere dialects), and in terms of speakers, numbering perhaps 550 million. ... Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu vs. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Angola. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Botswana. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Burundi. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cameroon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo. ... Motto: Justice – Paix – Travail(French) Justice – Peace – Work Anthem: Debout Congolais Capital (and largest city) Kinshasaa Official languages French Recognised regional languages Lingala, Kongo/Kituba, Swahili, Tshiluba Demonym Congolese Government Semi-Presidential Republic  -  President Joseph Kabila  -  Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga Independence  -  from Belgium June 30, 1960  Area  -  Total 2,344... Yoruba and Igbo  Nigeria  Rep. of the Congo  Equatorial Guinea  Gabon  Kenya Yoruba (native name èdè Yorùbá, the Yoruba language) is a dialect continuum of West Africa with over 22 million speakers. ... Igbo is a language spoken in Nigeria by around 18 million people (1999 WA), the Igbo, especially in the southeastern region once identified as Biafra. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_the_Congo. ... Motto Unité, Travail, Progrès(French) Unity, Work, Progress Anthem La Congolaise Capital (and largest city) Brazzaville Official languages French Government Republic  -  President Denis Sassou Nguesso  -  Prime Minister Isidore Mvouba Independence from France   -  Date 15 August 1960  Area  -  Total 342,000 km² (64th) 132,047 sq mi   -  Water (%) 3. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Equatorial_Guinea. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Gabon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Kenya. ...  Nigeria  Malawi  Mozambique  Namibia Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malawi. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mozambique. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Namibia. ...  Rwanda  South Africa  Swaziland Image File history File links Flag_of_Rwanda. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Swaziland. ...  Tanzania  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe Image File history File links Flag_of_Tanzania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Uganda. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Zambia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Zimbabwe. ... CAR = Central African Republic    DRC = Democratic Republic of the Congo v • d • e Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda · Australia · Bahamas · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize · Botswana · Brunei · Cameroon · Canada · Cyprus · Dominica · Fiji · The Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guyana · India · Jamaica · Kenya · Kiribati · Lesotho · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Malta · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Nauru · New Zealand · Nigeria · Pakistan · Papua New Guinea · St. Kitts and Nevis · St. Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Solomon Islands · South Africa · Sri Lanka · Swaziland · Tanzania · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tuvalu · Uganda · United Kingdom · Vanuatu · Zambia The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2008. ... “Sovereign” redirects here. ... [--168. ... Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands · Australian Antarctic Territory · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Coral Sea Islands · Heard Island and McDonald Islands · Norfolk Island Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations. ... World map of dependent territories. ... The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia. ... New Zealand Cook Islands · Niue · Ross Dependency · Tokelau Political status Dependency of New Zealand Governor Anand Satyanand Area   – Total  450 000 km² (174 000 mi²) Population Scott Base: 10-80 seasonally McMurdo Station: 200-1000 seasonally Currency New Zealand dollar The Ross Dependency comprises an area of Antarctica (and other land masses in the Southern Ocean) claimed by... United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Anguilla · Bermuda · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Montserrat · Pitcairn Islands · St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Turks and Caicos Islands Anthem God Save the Queen Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Occupied Areas) Sovereign Base Areas indicated in pink. ... Motto: Research and Discovery Anthem: God Save the Queen Status British overseas territory Official language(s) - Commissioner Tony Crombie Administrator Michael Richardson Area 1,395,000 km² Population c. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Capital Georgetown Largest city Georgetown Official languages English Government Dependency of St. ... Motto Our faith is our strength Anthem God Save the Queen Capital (and largest city) Edinburgh of the Seven Seas Official languages English Government Dependency of St. ... Motto Leo Terram Propriam Protegat(Latin) Let the Lion protect his own land or May the Lion protect his own land Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Grytviken (King Edward Point) Official languages English Government British overseas territory  -  Head of State Queen Elizabeth II  -  Commissioner Alan Huckle Area  -  Total 3...