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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Gaborone (UK: /ˌɡæbəˈroʊni, ˌhæb-/ GAB-ə-ROH-nee, HAB-, US: /ˌɡɑːbəˈroʊni, -neɪ/ GAH-bə-ROH-nee, -⁠nay, Tswana: [χabʊˈrʊnɛ]) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 534,842 inhabitants at the 2022 census.

Gaborone is situated between Kgale Hill and Oodi Hill, near the confluence of the Notwane River and Segoditshane River in the south-eastern corner of Botswana, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the South African border. The city is served by the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. It is an administrative district in its own right, but is the capital of the surrounding South-East District. Locals often refer to the city as GC or Motse-Mshate. (Full article...)

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... that The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is the first major film or television production to be shot on location in Botswana?

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

A serval in Zimbabwe

The serval (Leptailurus serval) is a wild cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either prohibited or regulated in range countries.

It is the sole member of the genus Leptailurus. Three subspecies are recognised. The serval is a slender, medium-sized cat that stands 54–62 cm (21–24 in) tall at the shoulder and has a weight range of approximately 9–18 kg (20–40 lb). It is characterised by a small head, large ears, a golden-yellow to buff coat spotted and striped with black, and a short, black-tipped tail. The serval has the longest legs of any cat relative to its body size. (Full article...)

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

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