Botswana
Pictures
Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana ©
Fast Facts
- 600,370 square kilometres, more than twice as big as the UK
- 1.6 million people, with an average life expectancy of 33 years
- Official language is English, but Tswana is the most common mother tongue
- 37.3% of the adult population is HIV-positive
- 30% of the population lives below the local poverty line
- 3.6% are internet users, but 50% own a mobile phone
- 24,455km of roads, 36% of them paved
- Since independence in 1967, Botswana has had one of the fastest growth rates in per capita income in the world
Lay of the land
Much of the country is roadless, and comprises savannah, desert, wetlands and salt pans. The Kalahari Desert - Africa's second largest - covers 85 per cent of the country in the southern and south-western areas, and is surprisingly lush in some places.
And on the way...
The Okavango Delta - the largest inland delta on Earth. Covering over 15,000 sq km, the delta is a vast maze of lagoons and islands. This huge wetland supports a diverse variety of flora and fauna, and is considered one of Africa's finest habitats, known as 'the jewel in the Kalahari'.
Other highlights
Chobe National Park - the most diverse and spectacular of Botswana's national parks, with the highest concentration of elephants anywhere in Africa.
The Kalahari bushmen, also known as the San, have found legal success in their fight to return to the bush from the settlements where the Botswana government tried to place them. The San are the oldest people in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tsodilo Hills - sacred to the San people and containing thousands of rock paintings attributed to the ancestors of the San.
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans - a stark 80,000 sq km landscape, with frequent heat mirages, will make for some interesting riding.
The people
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 centuries. Most of the population is concentrated in the eastern part of the country - the rest of the country being thinly settled because it is so dry.
Did you know...
Botswana is the world's largest producer of diamonds, but also has one of the world's highest rate of HIV-Aids infection.
Botswana was ranked as Africa's least corrupt country by Transparency International in 2005, ahead of many European and Asian nations.
Comments
Comments 1 - 10 of 17
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At 03:58:18 PM on 18/05/2007, Olav Lange (Dalkeith, Scotland) wrote:
corrections
Botswana gained independence in 1966, not 1967 and the national language is Setswana. Tswana is the name of the main ethnic group. Setswana is their language.
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At 07:36:33 AM on 31/05/2007, Sylvia (London) wrote:
Being Polite
In most parts of Eastern and Southern Africa it is rude to accept any object with your left hand. When shaking hands support your right hand with your left, the nearer you place your hand to your wrist the more respectful you are being. Have fun but don't offend !
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At 11:38:12 AM on 15/06/2007, LORRAINE ALLISON (DURHAM) wrote:
WILDLIFE
i TRAVELED THROUGH BOTWANA IN 1999, GREAT PLACE, PEOPLE WERE VERY FRIENDLY,TRY AND LOOK UP MR ALBI CHARLTON OF CHARLTON ELECTRIACALS AND WATCH OUT FOR DONKEIES ON THE ROADS IF YOU CAN CALL THEM ROADS.
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At 01:46:19 PM on 15/06/2007, Andy (Manchester) wrote:
Gaborone
I went to Botswana over xmas and new year to meet my girlfriends family. Fantastic place and the people are so so so friendly. There is a huge difference in the way of life to the UK, but whilst being fun and having a great time as a tourist, it was also a very humbling experience to visit the small villages and see how people really live their lives. Highly recommend going, an experience you would never forget...
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At 01:41:38 AM on 14/07/2007, Dawn (Birmingham) wrote:
Highlights
There is so much to see with Chobe and the Okavango Delta being two of the highlights but try and get to the Bushmen Camps as it is truly eye-opening. However, don't take the bikes there - you will never make it down the sand roads, we could hardly do it by truck
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At 10:43:53 AM on 14/07/2007, Michelle Brunton (Gaborone, Botswana) wrote:
Alexander McCall Smith
Take the Mma Ramostwe tour which includes all sorts of heritage and culture. The author Alexander McCall Smith has really put Botswana on the map. The local watering hole the Bull and Bush is where you will find the majority of the natives and offers great Botswana fillet steak at a fraction of UK prices.
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At 10:49:06 AM on 14/07/2007, Michelle Brunton (Gaborone, Botswana) wrote:
Mokolodi Nature Reserve
(Just to add that the photo of the lion cannot be at Mokolodi Nature Reserve as I work there and it is too close to town to allow them to keep lion). Although you will not see big cat at Mokolodi it does offer interesting alternatives such as rhino tracking, elephant rides and bush braais on the lake. You can also go into the cheetah enclosure to pet two hand-raised cheetah.
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At 01:54:09 PM on 14/07/2007, Paul Medlin (Newbury - UK (currently in South Africa)) wrote:
Baobab
It's a little bit hard to find, but turning towards Botswana just as you come into Victoria Falls from Zambia is a Baobab tree with names carved into it by Soldiers in the British Army dating back to early 1900. It is HUGE and every local knows about it. Worth a look as a reminder of the history. Not sure if the plan is to edge Zim or not. ALSO a MUST see in Namibia is the Cheetah Conservation Fund. www.cheetah.org if you want the link.
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At 10:26:24 AM on 16/07/2007, LuckyStriker (Cape Town) wrote:
More corrections
According to the CIA World Fact Book, 1.8million and a average life expectancy of 50years...not 33years! I suggest Charlie and Ewan visit the Makgadikgadi pans - beautiful!
At 03:32:14 PM on 18/05/2007, Frances Cossar (Glasgow) wrote:
Tsodilo Hills
The first time I went to africa, I was dragged up to the top of the Tsodilo Hills in the wee small hours of the morning. The hazardous trek is not the safest thing to do on a couple of hours sleep. The sunrise was unbelievable, it was my first african sunset and I'm hooked!
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