Botswana
Travels in Botswana:
Southwest Explorer (24 days)
Capetown - Victoria Falls - Johannesburg
Southern African Circle Tour (24 days)
Lake Malawi, Victoria Falls, Kruger Park
Botswana Safari (16 days)
Overland tour from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls
Quick Facts:
Official Name: |
Lefatshe la Botswana / Republic of Botswana |
Capital: |
Gaborone |
Area: |
581,730 sq.km (224,606 sq.mi) |
Languages: |
English Tswana |
Currency: |
Pula (BWP) |
Population figure: |
2006 estimate: 1,639,800 |
National holiday: |
September 30 / Independence Day |
Government type: |
Parliamentary democracy |
Geography
Botswana is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of the land surface of the country. The Okavango Delta, the world's largest inland delta, is in the Northwest. The Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt pan lies in the North. Botswana has diverse areas of wildlife habitat, including the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert, grasslands and savannas where Blue Wildebeest and many sorts of antelopes as well as other mammals and birds are found.
History
In the late 19th century, hostilities broke out between the Tswana inhabitants of Botswana and Ndebele tribes who were migrating into the territory from the Kalahari Desert. Tensions also escalated with the Boer settlers from Transvaal. After appeals by the Botswana leaders for assistance, the British Government on March 31, 1885 put "Bechuanaland" under its protection. The northern territory remained under direct British administration and is today's Botswana, while the southern territory became part of the Cape Colony and is now part of the northwest province of South Africa.In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat of government was moved from Mafikeng in South Africa, to newly established Gaborone in 1965. The 1965 constitution led to the first general elections and to independence.
This article is partly based on a free article of the encyclopaedia Wikipedia and is subject to GNU-licence for free documentation. A list of authors is available on Wikipedia