Botswana (2004) | Guernsey (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | 9 districts and four town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northwest, Northeast, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale, Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 39.2% (male 310,282; female 302,452)
15-64 years: 56.2% (male 424,613; female 452,801) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 30,896; female 40,929) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 5,216; female 5,061)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 21,433; female 21,835) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 4,705; female 6,568) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle |
Airports | 85 (2003 est.) | 2 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 54 under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.) |
- |
Area | total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km |
total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Texas | about one-half the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease. | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 24.71 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 9.43 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $3.263 billion
expenditures: $3.283 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) |
revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Gaborone | Saint Peter Port |
Climate | semiarid; warm winters and hot summers | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 50 km |
Constitution | March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
Currency | pula (BWP) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound |
Death rate | 33.63 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 9.84 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $392 million (2003) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGINS
embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA
chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | established a commission with Namibia to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls); Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundary convergence is not clearly defined or delimited | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $73 million (1995) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $8,800 in 2003. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for nine-tenths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. Long-term prospects are overshadowed by the expected leveling off in diamond mining production. | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.564 billion kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 1.183 billion kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 409.8 million kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
Environment - current issues | overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | pulas per US dollar - 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001), 5.1018 (2000), 4.6244 (1999) | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff de Vic Graham CAREY (since NA 1999) cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables |
Exports - partners | European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $14.2 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4%
industry: 48.7% (including 36% mining) services: 52% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 7.2% (2003 est.) | 5.7% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 22 00 S, 24 00 E | 49 28 N, 2 35 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port |
Highways | total: 10,217 km
paved: 5,619 km unpaved: 4,598 km (1999) |
total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment |
Imports - partners | Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Independence | 30 September 1966 (from UK) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 7.3% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Industries | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles | tourism, banking |
Infant mortality rate | total: 69.98 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 70.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 9.2% (2003 est.) | 3.99% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) | Royal Court |
Labor force | 264,000 formal sector employees (2000) | 31,322 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | NA | - |
Land boundaries | total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.65%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.34% (2001) |
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | English (official), Setswana | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 are appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held NA October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1 |
unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller (Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar General); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 30.76 years
male: 30.99 years female: 30.53 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 80.04 years
male: 77.04 years female: 83.14 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.8% male: 76.9% female: 82.4% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southern Africa, north of South Africa | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Africa | Europe |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Botswana Defense Force (including an Air Wing) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $298.9 million (2003) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.6% (2003) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 381,801 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 202,176 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 20,651 (2004 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility | NA |
Natural resources | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver | cropland |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 3.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Seretse Ian KHAMA]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Mokgweetsi KGOSIPULA]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]
note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE] |
none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 1,561,973
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
64,818 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 47% (2002 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.89% (2004 est.) | 0.34% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
5 km |
Religions | indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: country code - 267; two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 142,400 (2002) | 44,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 435,000 (2002) | 12,000 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2001) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest | mostly level with low hills in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.) | 0.5% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |