| Key Demographic
Features of Botswana* |
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Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Map references: Africa
People
Population: 1,477,630 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 317,254; female 309,617)
15-64 years: 54% (male 374,572; female 419,991)
65 years and over: 4% (male 22,314; female 33,882) (July
1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.63% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 54.2 deaths/1,000 live births
(1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.01 years
male: 44.94 years
female: 47.11 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Batswana 95%, Kalanga, Basarwa, and
Kgalagadi 4%, white 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%
Languages: English (official), Setswana
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 69.8%
male: 80.5%
female: 59.9%
Government
Country Abbreviation: BC
Type of government: parliamentary republic
Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 September (1966)
Constitution: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local
customary law; judicial review limited to matters of
interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C,
CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU,
SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Archibald MOGWE
chancery: Suite 7M, 3400 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990, 4991
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Howard F. JETER
embassy: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone: [267] 353982
FAX: [267] 356947
Flag: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black
stripe in the center
Economy
Economic overview: The economy has historically been
based on cattle raising and crops. Agriculture today provides a
livelihood for more than 80% of the population but supplies only
about 50% of food needs and accounts for only 5% of GDP.
Subsistence farming and cattle raising predominate. The sector
is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. The driving force
behind the rapid economic growth of the 1970s and 1980s has been
the mining industry. This sector, mostly on the strength of
diamonds, has gone from generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to 39% in
1994. The unemployment rate remains a problem at 21%. Hampered
by a still sluggish diamond market in 1994 and 1995, GDP grew by
only 1% in both years.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 1% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $3,200 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 21% (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones: 19,109 (1985 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1988 est.)
Televisions: 13,800 (1993 est.)
*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency
The World Factbook contains many additional demographic
variables that may be of interest to persons who wish to
examine a particular country in more depth. To access the
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