Location: Southern Africa, north of South AfricaPopulation: 1,640,115
Total Area: 600,370 sq km - slightly smaller than Texas
Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Environment - current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
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
National holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)
Economy - brief overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic 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
Labor force: 264,000 formal sector employees (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: NA
Agriculture - products: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnutsIndustries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA
Oil - exports: NA
Exports: $2.94 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports: $2.255 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products
Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)
Government departments: The Government of Botswana Website
Media: The Botswana Gazette
Travel Information: The Lonely Planet
News headlines
MTN buys 44% of Botswana's Mascom Mobile Africa
Botswana: PHK Ousted As PAC Chairman AllAfrica.com
Botswana: Union Leaders Bitter Over Mogae Speech AllAfrica.com
Botswana: Bushman Woman Found Dead in Reserve Scoop
Botswana: 'Made in Botswana' Imported? AllAfrica.com
Botswana gets assistance from Kenya's youth sports club People's Daily
