REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA

• S. Africa • Mozambique • Malawi • Tanzania • Zambia • Botswana • Namibia • S. Africa •

Botswana is about incredibly diverse safaris in pristine natural environments. It offers deserts, wetlands, savannahs, deltas and immensely rich nature reserves in one of the wildest regions in Africa. The Kalahari Desert dominates this land locked country, famous for its spectacular inland Okavango Delta.

At 600,370 sq km, Botswana is almost twice the size of Malaysia but with just 1.6 million people, it is one of Africa’s most sparsely populated nations. Backed by a stable, democratic government, Botswana is often described as 'Africa 's success story.' The official language is English, but most people also speak Tswana. There are three main ethnic groups - Batswana (descendants of iron age immigrants from Central West Africa), Basarwa (San, indigenous hunter gatherers, pre iron age), and Herero (pastoralists). Eighty percent of the population is rural.

Located north of South Africa, Botswana is largely desert and predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland, with an average elevation of 1000 metres. Its main attractions include safaris, national parks, and Lake Victoria. This is where one can witness the annual zebra migration, in a land with the highest concentration of elephants in the world. Botswana’s pristine, undisturbed wilderness and abundant wildlife are hard to match.

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Its economy is one of the most robust in Africa. Natural resources include diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, and silver. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $7,800 in 2001. Diamond mining accounts for more than one-third of GDP and four-fifths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key economic sectors.

As in the case of its neighbours overgrazing, desertification, and limited fresh water resources are major challenges. Namibia suffers from periodic droughts. Seasonal winds blowing from the west in August, carry sand and dust that obscure visibility.