BOTSWANA GEOGRAPHY, PEOPLE, CLIMATE, HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY
Botswana is a landlocked country in the center of Southern Africa. It is bordered by Namibia to the west, Zambia and Zimabwe to the northeast, and South Africa to the south and southeast. The country covers an area of 581,730 square kilometers, roughly to size of France or Texas. The vast, flat Kalahari Desert covers more than 70 percent of the country. The ecosystem has gently undulating sandy plans covered by bush and grass dominate the landscape, while rocky outcrops, valleys, pans, acacia woodlands, and mophane forest. The Okavango, one of Southern Africa’s longest rivers, flows into Botswana from the northwest. It fans out into a huge wetland, covering 16,800 kilometers and eventually seeps into the desert. 17 percent of land has been set aside for national parks and game reserves while a further 21 percent surrounding these areas has been designated for wildlife management.

CLIMATE
The climate is temperamental from day to day. The mornings can be cold and the afternoon can be very hot. During the Summer months the temperatures can rise up to 39 degrees Celsius. December and January are the hottest months. The rainy season starts in November and extends to March or April. Winters are dry with temperatures, occasionally dropping below zero degrees Celsius overnight in June and July.

LANGUAGE
Setswana is the national language, while English is the official medium of communication. There are several other languages….

PEOPLE AND HISTORY

According to the 2001 census, the total population was estimated to be 7.11 million and is growing at a rate of 3.5 percent per year. The hunter-gather San tribe was the first inhabitants of Botswana, arriving as early as the fourth Century AD. Major settlements took place around the 16th Century when Tswana communities entered the country. In the early 1800s, invasions by Zulus and Boers prompted the Tswana tribal chiefs to see protection from Britain and Bechuanaland was declared a British Protectorate in 1885. Botswana became independent in 1966 with the constitution providing for a republican form of government.

TOURIST INFORMATION
www.botswana-tourism.gov.bw