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#CARD:Botswana:Background Notes
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE BACKGROUND NOTES:  BOTSWANA

October 1990
Official Name: Republic of Botswana

PROFILE
Geography
Area:  600,372  sq. km.  (224,710 sq. mi.), about the size of Texas.
Cities:  Capital-Gaborone (pronounced Ha-bo-ro-neh, pop. 120,000).
Other towns-Francistown (55,000), Selebi-Phikwe (50,000), Lobatse
(26,000), Palapye (17,000), Jwaneng (13,900), Tlokweng (11,800).
Terrain:  Desert and savanna.  Climate:  Mostly arid and subtropical.

People
Nationality:  Noun and adjective - Motswana (sing.), Batswana (pl.).
Population (1989 est.):  1,255,700.  Annual growth rate:  3.6%. Ethnic
groups:  Tswana 55%-60%; Kalanga 25%-30%; Kgalagadi, Yei, Herero,
Mbukushu, Basarwa ("Bushmen"), Khoi (Hottentots), whites (about 1%),
others 10%.   Religions:  Indigenous beliefs 50%, Christianity 50%.
Languages:  English (official), Setswana.  Education:  Attendance
(primary school adjusted)-93%.  Adult literacy (1988 est.):  84% (ages
15 to 70).  Health:  Infant mortality rate (1983-88):  63/1,000.  Life
expectancy (1988):  59 yrs.  Work force (formal sector, 1988):  187,000.

Government
Type:  Republic, parliamentary democracy.  Constitution:  March 1965.
Independence:  September 30, 1966. Branches:  Executive-president (chief
of state and head of government), cabinet. Legislative-unicameral
National Assembly.  House of Chiefs (second House with advisory powers
only).  Judicial-High Court, Court of Appeal, local and customary
courts. Administrative subdivisions:  Five town councils and 10 district
councils.  Central District, seat at Serowe; Chobe District, Kasane;
Ghanzi District, Ghanzi; Kgalagadi District, Tsabong; Kgatleng District,
Mochudi; Kweneng District, Molepolole; Northeast District, Francistown;
Southeast District, Gaborone; Southern District, Kanye; and Northwest
District, Maun. Political parties:  Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),
Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Independence Party (BIP),
Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), Botswana Progressive Union (BPU), Botswana
Freedom Party (BFP), Botswana Labor Party (BLP).  Suffrage:  Universal
adult. National budget (FY 1989-90):  $503.5 million.  Development
expenditures-$408.6 million, under half of which is financed by
international donors. Defense and police forces FY 1989-90):  $54.1
million, about 10.8% of the budget. Flag:  Blue field divided by
horizontal black band with narrow white stripe on either side.  The
colors represent the blue sky and blue water of the Okavango Delta;  the
black and white symbolize the nonracial composition of the society.

Economy
GDP (1988-89 est.):  $2.023 billion.  Annual growth rate (1988-89):
13%.  Per capita GDP (1989):  $1,611. Natural resources:  Diamonds,
copper, nickel, salt, gold, soda ash, potash, coal. Agriculture (about
3.5% of GDP):  Products-livestock, sorghum, corn, millet, cowpeas,
beans. Industry: Types-mining (45% of 1988 GDP): diamonds, copper,
nickel, coal, processed food, frozen beef, textile, tourism. Trade
(1988):  Exports-$1,297.2 million (f.o.b.):  diamonds, nickel, copper,
meat products, hides and skins, textiles.  Partners-Switzerland, South
Africa, Zimbabwe, UK, other European countries.  Imports-$978.3 million
(c.i.f.):  machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food,
chemicals, minerals, fuels.  Major suppliers-South Africa, Zimbabwe, US,
UK, other EEC countries. Economic aid received:  Total from all
sources-avg. $220 million per year.   US aid (1965-89)-$289 million,
avg. $12 million per year.

Membership in International Organizations
 UN and most of its specialized agencies, Organization of African Unity
(OAU), Commonwealth, Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Southern
African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), Front Line States,
Nonaligned Movement, Lome Convention (Africa-Caribbean-Pacific/European
Economic Community).

PEOPLE
 Most Batswana live in the eastern part of the country, primarily in
villages.  Only seven towns have populations of more than 10,000,
although several large, traditional villages (including Kanye and
Serowe, home of the country's first president, Sir Seretse Khama) have
more than 30,000 people.
 An estimated 40,000 Batswana work in neighboring African countries,
mainly in the Republic of South Africa.  The 1981 census estimated the
nomadic population at about 10,000.  Some 55%-60% of the country's
population is made up of the Tswana tribe (Batswana), which is divided
into eight subgroups:  Bamangwato, Bakwena, Batawana, Bangwaketse,
Bakgatla, Bamalete, Barolong, and Batlokwa.  The Kalanga, Herero,
Bushmen (Basarwa), Yei, and Kgalagadi are minorities.  In addition,
there are about 5,500 British citizens resident in Botswana and about
30,000 people of other nationalities.

HISTORY
 By the 1700s, the ancestors of today's African population were
established either as self-sufficient herders and farmers or as hunters
and gatherers in the region that is now Botswana.  First contact with
Europeans came through missionaries in the early 19th century, when the
territory was torn by intertribal warfare.  In the last quarter of the
century, hostilities broke out between the Batswana and the Afrikaners
from South Africa (Transvaal).  Following appeals by the Batswana for
assistance, the British Government in 1885 proclaimed "Bechuanaland" to
be under British protection.  The southern part of the territory was
first constituted as a crown colony, later became part of the Cape
Colony, and is now part of the Cape Province of the Republic of South
Africa.  The northern part, known as the "Bechuanaland Protectorate"
(now Botswana) remained under British control.
 In 1909, despite South African pressure, inhabitants of Bechuanaland,
Basutoland (now Lesotho), and Swaziland demanded and received British
agreement that they not be included in the proposed Union of South
Africa.
 As British central authority gradually expanded, it was accompanied by
a steady evolution of local tribal government.  In 1920, the central
authority established two advisory councils representing the African and
European inhabitants.  In 1934, proclamations were issued that
regularized the positions and powers of the chiefs and defined the
constitution and functions of the native courts under the native
authority system that had evolved in other British dependencies.  Tribal
treasuries were created in 1938.  In 1951, a Joint Advisory Council was
formed, consisting of official and nonofficial European and African
members.  The May 2, 1961, constitution established a Legislative
Council, which held its first session at Lobatse on June 21, 1961.
 In June 1964, the British Government accepted proposals for a form of
self-government for Botswana that would lead to independence.  These
proposals had been agreed upon unanimously during discussions in
Botswana between the British Commissioner and representatives of the
chiefs, political parties, and important minority communities.
 The seat of the government was moved from Mafeking, South Africa, to
the new capital at Gaborone in February 1965.  The new constitution
became effective in March 1965, and general elections were held.
Botswana became independent on September 30, 1966.

GOVERNMENT
 Under the 1965 constitution, executive power in Botswana is vested in
the president, chosen in a national election for a 5-year term.  The
president's cabinet, selected from the National Assembly, consists of a
vice president and an unspecified number of ministers.  The unicameral
National Assembly is composed of 38 seats, of which 34 are directly
elected, and the remainder appointed.
 General elections must be held at least every 5 years.  Botswana is
divided into 34 single-member constituencies with roughly equal
population per constituency.  A voters roll, based on universal adult
suffrage, is maintained for each constituency.  The constitution also
provides for a House of Chiefs, which serves as an advisory body to the
government.  The chiefs of the eight principal subgroups of the Batswana
tribe are permanent ex-officio members, and four other members are
elected by the subchiefs in the Chobe, North East, Ghanzi, and Kgalagadi
Districts.  The National Assembly may not proceed with any bill relating
to matters of tribal concern unless a draft has been referred to the
House of Chiefs.
 Botswana's High Court is the trial court, with general civil and
criminal jurisdiction.  Judges are appointed by the president and may be
removed only for cause and after a hearing.  Chiefs and headmen preside
over customary courts (called "kgotla") constituted according to local
custom for enforcing traditional law.  The constitution contains a code
of fundamental human rights, enforced by the courts.
 Local government is administered by 10 district councils and 4 town
councils.  Executive authority is vested in the district commissioner,
appointed by the central government and assisted by the elected and
specially nominated district councillors and district development
committees.

Principal Government Officials
President-Quett K. J. Masire
Vice President and Minister of Local Government and Lands-Peter S. Mmusi

Other Ministers
Presidential Affairs and Public Administration-Lt. Gen. Mompati  Merafhe

External Affairs-Gaositwe Chiepe
Ambassador to the United States-B. K. Sebele
Ambassador to the United Nations-L. J. M. J. Legwaila

 Botswana maintains an embassy in the United States at 3400
International Drive, NW., Suite 7M, Washington, DC 20008 (tel.
202-244-4990).  Botswana's mission to the United Nations is at 866 UN
Plaza, New York, NY  10017.

POLITICAL CONDITIONS
 Botswana has one of the few flourishing, multiparty constitutional
democracies in Africa.  The openness of the country's political system
compares favorably with mature democracies elsewhere and has contributed
to Botswana's remarkable stability and economic growth.  Although a
government-owned newspaper and broadcasting operation dominate the
media, there is an independent press, and foreign publications are
readily available.  During its sixth national election in 1989,
candidates from two of the country's eight political parties won
election to the National Assembly.  The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)
holds 31 of the 34 parliamentary seats.  However, the opposition
Botswana National Front (BNF) made significant gains in town council
seats.
 Botswana has one of the best human rights records in the world.  The
country's small white minority and other minorities participate freely
in the political process.  The roots of the country's democracy go back
to Tswana traditions, such as the "kgotla," or village council, in which
the powers of traditional leaders were limited by custom and law.
Currently, political debate in Botswana often centers on development and
on regional economic and political issues.  Although they find the
policy of apartheid repugnant and support efforts to abolish it, the
pragmatic Batswana maintain necessary economic ties with South Africa.
No restrictions exist on the free movement of goods or people between
the two countries, and Botswana is a member of the Southern Africa
Customs Union.  Recognizing Botswana's national security interests, the
Batswana refuse to allow their territory to be used as a staging area
for violent attacks on other countries of  the region.

ECONOMY
 Since independence in 1966, Botswana's economy has grown at an 8%-14%
rate.  This growth has been almost exclusively fueled by mining,
particularly of diamonds.  Since the early 1980s, the country has become
the world's largest producer of quality diamonds.  Three large diamond
mines are located in Botswana; all opened since independence.  The
proceeds of the diamond industry, considerable international grant and
loan aid, and the prudent fiscal policies and wise economic management
of the past 20 years have placed Botswana in an extremely strong
financial position.  Recently, the government has had consistent budget
surpluses and, as of December 1989, almost $2.8 billion in foreign
exchange reserves.
 Mining Two large mining companies, Debeers Botswana Mining (Debswana)
and Bamangwato Concession, Ltd. (BCL), both partly government owned,
operate mining facilities in the eastern and central regions of the
country.  Botswana produced a total of 15.2 million carats of diamonds
from the three Debswana mines in 1988.  BCL, which operated a
copper-nickel mine at Selebi-Phikwe, produced 57,500 tons of
semi-refined copper-nickel ore for export in 1988.  In addition,
Botswana's major coal mine at Morupule had a 1988 output of 612,000
tons.  The Sua Pan soda ash project, which is expected to produce
300,000 tons of soda ash as well as 650,000 tons of salt yearly, will
begin operation in mid-1991.  The Francistown area has several small
gold mines in operation.
 Petroleum, coal, and natural gas deposits are currently being studied
for future exploitation.
Agriculture Three-quarters of Botswana's people live in rural areas and
are largely dependent on subsistence and livestock farming.  Cattle
raising is historically a dominant aspect in Botswana's economy and
social structure.  Botswana's cattle herd has grown slowly in recent
years to about 2.5 million head, but it still has not reached the
pre-1980s drought level of almost 3 million.  The government-owned
Botswana Meat Commission, located in Lobatse, operates the largest
abattoir in Africa and is the continent's largest meat export company.
The Commission also operates smaller abatoirs in Francistown and Maun.
Botswana exported about $61 million of beef and beef products in 1988,
mostly to Europe and South Africa.  Farming, although marginal in the
near-desert climate, continues to be a major means of employment.  To
increase food production, the government promotes dry-land and
irrigation farming.

Private-Sector Development and Foreign Investment
 The government currently seeks to diversify Botswana's economy to
achieve a better balanced and sustainable future growth.  Emphasis is on
private-sector development and foreign investment, considered important
primarily for the much-needed managerial and technical expertise that
accompanies such investment.  Two areas receiving consideration are
manufacturing and tourism.  Extensive national parks and wildlife areas,
covering more than 17% of Botswana's land area, provide the potential
for considerable tourism development.
 US investment in Botswana, though still relatively minor, is growing
steadily.  In 1987, two American companies, Heinz and Colgate-Palmolive,
agreed to establish plants there.  Since then, Phelps-Dodge and
Interkiln Corp., of Houston, Texas, have initiated investments in the
country.

Transportation and Communications
 Botswana has about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi.) of paved roads, 1,266
kilometers (785 mi.) of engineered gravel roads, and 4,875 kilometers
(3,022 mi.) of earth-and-sand roads.  The US Agency for International
Development (USAID) funded the paving of the Nata-Kazungula road,
completed in 1984, linking the country's main highway with Zambia.

Botswana's one rail line (714 kilometers-443 mi.) links the major
population centers to Zimbabwe and South Africa, although a new 173
kilometer (104 mi.) line between Francistown and the Sua Pan soda ash
project is expected to be completed in April 1991.  Botswana depends on
South Africa for more than 85% of its imports (which either come from
South Africa or pass through South African ports) and for beef and
copper-nickel ore exports.  Botswana has nine permanent-surface
airfields, two with runways more than 2,000 meters (6,600 ft.).  Sir
Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone has connections to all
southern African countries, including South Africa, as well as direct
flights to Nairobi, London, and Paris.
 Botswana instituted international direct-dialing telephone service for
urban areas in late 1986.  Automatic direct-dial access gradually is
being extended to more remote rural areas.

DEFENSE
 According to Botswana's constitution as amended in 1975, the president
is the commander in chief of the Botswana Defense Force (BDF).  The BDF
was formed in 1977, largely in response to the Rhodesian conflict, which
was affecting Botswana. It currently has about 5,000 members of whom 280
serve in the Air Wing.
 Facing a threat of overt or covert military raids from South Africa
directed against believed ANC targets, Botswana has embarked on modest
modernization and expansion of the BDF, including acquisition of air
defense and anti-tank weapons, as well as a small number of jet
fighters,  transport aircraft, and helicopters.  The United States has
provided more than $35 million in military assistance, and about 250 BDF
soldiers and officers have received military training in the United
States.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
 Botswana is opposed to South Africa's policy of apartheid and has no
formal diplomatic relations with that country.  It does not recognize
the independence of so-called homelands, including its neighbor
Bophuthatswana, which is populated by the same ethnic Tswana group as
Botswana.  In part because of its geographic location and reliance on
South African transportation systems and goods, which will continue with
a post-apartheid South Africa, Botswana, nevertheless, maintains a
pragmatic working relationship and close economic ties with South
Africa.  This includes police contacts in criminal matters and
day-to-day customs union and other economic activities.  Substantial
foreign investment in Botswana comes from South Africa, a situation also
dictated by geography and unlikely to change markedly in the near
future.
 Botswana has formal diplomatic relations with most African countries
and with many West and East European nations and Arab countries.  Most
ambassadors accredited to Botswana reside in Harare or Lusaka, with only
12 diplomatic missions maintaining a full-time presence in Gaborone,
including the United States, Soviet Union, People's Republic of China
(PRC), Poland, United Kingdom, and several other West European nations.
Multilateral and bilateral aid donors include the United States, the
European Community (EC) and individual EC member states, the Nordic
states, multilateral development banks, and the PRC.
 Currently, Botswana maintains eight diplomatic missions abroad.  It is
a member of numerous international organizations, including the United
Nations and various UN-related organizations, the Organization of
African Unity, the front-line states, and of SADCC.  Botswana has very
good relations with other southern African countries and fully supports
regional efforts at economic integration and political independence.  It
generally follows a nonaligned policy in international forums, voting
with its African colleagues on most issues.

US-BOTSWANA RELATIONS
 The United States supports Botswana's progressive political, economic,
and social development as a nonracial, democratic, independent nation,
and recognizes it as an important force for stability in the turbulent
southern African region.  The United States operates a Peace Corps
program, (more than 200 volunteers), which provides development
assistance and food aid, and has an investment guarantee agreement with
the Botswana government.  The United States also seeks to encourage
private-sector growth in Botswana and to expand the role of American
investment and trade in Botswana's program of economic development.
 Total US assistance from FY 1965 to FY 1989 was some $289 million, or
an average of about $12 million annually.  In FY 1988, combined US
assistance from all sources was $28.2 million, and the amount for FY
1989 for all donors was $287.7 million.  US assistance has emphasized
education, including primary and secondary school curriculum
development, and funding of training and education both in Botswana and
other countries.  Since 1965, more than 800 Batswana have completed
US-funded studies at the undergraduate or graduate level in the United
States, and many more have been to the United States for shorter term
training programs.  The United States also maintains an active Fulbright
program with Botswana, in which four or five American Fulbright Scholars
spend an academic year at the University of Botswana.  Several Batswana
generally come to the United States on Fulbright or other academic
grants each year.
 The United States operates a small Voice of America (VOA) relay station
at Selebi-Phikwe, near Francistown, which is being expanded to improve
the quality of VOA transmissions in southern Africa.  It is the only
such facility in southern or eastern Africa.
Principal US Officials Ambassador-David Passage Deputy Chief of
Mission-Jimmy Kolker AID Mission Director-vacant Public Affairs
Officer-Alice LeMaistre Peace Corps Director-Lloyd O. Pierson
 The address of the US Embassy in Botswana is Embassy Drive, P.O. Box
90, Gaborone, Botswana (tel. 353982; fax 356947; telex 2554 BD); USAID
address is Barclays House, 3rd floor, Khama Crescent, P.O.Box 2427,
Gaborone; USIS, P.O. Box 90, Gaborone; VOA, Botswana Relay Station,
Private Bag 38, Selebi-Phikwe; Peace Corps, 133 Independence Ave., P.O.
Box 93, Gaborone.  The long distance telephone country code for Botswana
is 267.
 Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Based on history and geography,
Botswana long has had strong economic ties with South Africa.  The
Southern African Customs Union, which includes Botswana, Lesotho,
Swaziland, and South Africa, dates from the formation of the Union of
South Africa in 1910.  According to the terms of this agreement, South
Africa levies and collects most of the customs, sales, and excise duties
for the four countries, paying out a share of the collections to each,
based on each country's level of imports.  Imports from outside the
customs area are subject to common tariff rates and regulations.
 The customs agreement was renegotiated in 1969, and Botswana's share of
the revenue increased from $1.7 million in 1968 to almost $141 million
in 1988-89, accounting for some 13% of the government's revenues.  In
1976, Botswana began to issue its own currency, the pula, which is fully
convertible.  It is evaluated against a basket of currencies that is
heavily weighted to the South African rand but recently has been valued
30% above the rand.

Travel Notes
 Customs:  American citizens do not need visas to enter Botswana.  They
may stay for up to 90 days without a residence permit.
 Health:  Botswana's climate is basically healthful, and tapwater is
potable in the major towns.  Seek advice before swimming in lakes or
rivers, in which bilharzia (causing schistosomiasis) is prevalent.
Hepatitis is a problem in urban areas.
 Transportation:  Botswana is served by air from Johannesburg, South
Africa; Nairobi, Kenya by Kenya Air and Air Botswana;  London, England
by British Airways; Paris, France by UTA; Lusaka, Zambia, and Harare,
Zimbabwe, by Air Botswana, Air\Zimbabwe, Royal Swazi Airlines, and
Zambia Airways.  Rental cars are available in Gaborone and other major
towns.  Traffic moves on the left.
 Tourist attractions:  Roughly 16% of the land has been designated as
national parks or game reserves, and Botswana's Chobe National Park and
Moremi Wildlife Reserve are considered superb in terms of wildlife and
setting.  The Okavango Delta also is a major tourist area.  Hotel
facilities are comfortable in all major centers.
 National holidays:  Business establishments and the US Embassy may be
closed on the following holidays:
New Year's Day     January 2
Good Friday          varies
Easter Monday      varies
Ascension Thursday  varies
President's Day     July 16
Botswana Day        September 30
 Christmas Day      December 25
 Boxing Day            December 26

 Southern African Development Coordination Conference Gaborone houses
the Executive Secretariat of SADCC, an organization of 10 southern
African nations formed in 1980 to accelerate regional economic growth
and reduce members' economic dependence on South Africa.  Because the
entire region is highly dependent on South Africa's transportation
network for import and export routes, the main focus of SADCC efforts
thus far has been on development of alternative shorter and cheaper
transportation routes.  Although its geographic location makes this
effort of limited relevance to Botswana, it has fully supported SADCC
programs.
 The Batswana accept the interdependence of the region and the continued
importance of South Africa as its largest and richest state and fully
intend to continue economic ties with that nation.  Nevertheless, they
also fully support efforts to reduce South Africa's regional domination.

 Published by the United States Department of State --  Bureau of Public
Affairs  -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC  October
1990 -- Editor:  Juanita Adams  Department of State Publication 8046 --
Background Notes Series  -- This material is in the public domain and
may  be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is
appreciated. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC  20402. (###)


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